As a life long buffalonian I can assure you that with all the new development there are tons of super nice and safe places to live in Allentown and the elmwood village. I would suggest you do more research because I can assure you they are on par if not far better than upstate. I cannot speak in comparison to SB. You're missing an amazing opportunity if you don't pick UB, big things are happening there. Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions.