The first time Sean De Clercq, previously living in Boulder, Colorado, ever stepped foot in Buffalo was at the 43North finals, a Shark Tank style event, to pitch his startup Kickfurther for funding. Before that, he had only ever spoken to the 43North staff from Buffalo (whose job it is to sell the region).

Sean wanted an unbiased opinion of Buffalo.

So, for those few days visiting in October, he asked each of his Uber drivers a few questions. How long have you lived here? Have you seen a change in the city?

The results of his polling were almost unanimous.

“I’d say probably 9 out of 10 Uber drivers gave glowing reviews of Buffalo. They all saw momentum and positive change,” Sean said.

Now, after relocating to Buffalo and assimilating into the culture, he sees it too.

“I’m creating awesome opportunities here and people are so excited to be here. I’m not just another cog in the machine. The people here are so grateful to be included in something.”

What’s different about Buffalo?

Being a 10-minute bike ride from work has improved my happiness significantly.

My frame of reference is Boulder. Here, I’m paying a third of the price for an apartment that is 30 years newer, with more space, in a better location relative to the center of town, with newer features, and on the top floor. The quality of life is unbelievably better.

How has running a business been in Buffalo?

As a business owner, I’ve been really happy with the talent here. Often for startups the expectation is that the company pays for meals and massages and everybody wants to know where the ping pong table is.

Here, there’s a strong work ethic. It’s not “we’ll have fun and eventually the work will get done.” Here, it’s “We’ll do the work, and getting it done will be fun and rewarding.” That’s one of my favorite things about Buffalo. People in Buffalo don’t take things for granted. It’s cultural.