For the last seven years, Reader's Digest has worked to uncover places where stories of kindness, respect and community shine bright. This past year, Buffalo, New York received the top honor and has been named the 'Nicest Place in America' for 2023.
A story that embodies why Buffalo is known as the City of Good Neighbors comes from barbershop owner Craig Elston, who offered his business as a safe haven to the community during the blizzard of 2022, the largest since 1977. Elston opened the doors of his barbershop C & C Cutz, providing shelter and support to dozens of Buffalo residents over the course of five days.
You can read Elston's full story here in the Reader's Digest latest issue on how he kept as many as 40 people warm and fed during the blizzard.
In addition, Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin penned a heartwarming letter to the people of Buffalo for the resilience that inspired him following his cardiac arrest during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this year.
"Over the last few years, this city has seen so many hard times and so much pain," said Hamlin. "A shooting that horrified the world, taking lives and stealing dreams. An unimaginable blizzard that brought so much fear. A tragic fire that took young lives. Loss after loss, the challenges seemed to just keep coming. The people of Buffalo have experienced the kind of pain that could have broken them. But it hasn't. Today, when I'm at home in Buffalo, I meet people full of hope and determination. I see a Buffalo that has chosen to come together rather than fall apart. I see why Buffalo is known as the City of Good Neighbors."
