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Regarding the original post (and title of this thread), it is highly questionable. I checked the Rabbi’s blog, and all he does is refer to one “unpublished” study he says that he looked at, and another unnamed study. We have no idea what these studies are, who did them, what their quality is, and whether they are even correct. He provides no link to further information.
For example, are these studies of a single high school? A small handful of schools? Of a MO school in which half the kids who go there aren’t even MO? What is the sample size? Response rate?
Without any information about the studies, we have no idea what they measure or whether they have any validity whatsoever. As of now these are basically second-hand rumors about studies, which obviously no one can draw any meaningful conclusions from.
I’m sure some communities and some schools or colleges have higher OTD rates than others (YU/Stern or Touro vs public universities, for example), but the fact is we don’t have any data to prove it one way or another.
Buffalo is no longer a boom town, but it is still a thriving metropolitan area–particularly its Northern suburbs, where the main frum communities are located.
Compared to a few decades ago, it has lost population, but the economy is not bad. For example, the unemployment rate is 5%, the same as NYC. Jews are successfully working in all the fields you’d find anywhere else — medicine, law, accounting, business, real estate, chinuch, kiruv, etc.
The frum community is relatively small but growing, and is exceptionally warm and friendly, with first-rate rabbis and learning opportunities and an increasing number of young couples with small children. You can buy a four-bedroom house a few minutes walk from shul for 200k, in extremely quiet and safe neighborhoods with a kosher eruv.
What kinds of things are there to do in Buffalo? Similar to what you’d find in any city — the zoo, many beautiful parks and natural areas (Eternal Flame Falls is highly recommended), museums, the waterfront, restaurants (Nissan’s and Tel Aviv Cafe are the only two kosher restaurants, aside from Eli’s on campus), etc. And Niagara Falls is just half an hour away.