BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kate Perez was born and raised in Western New York, but it was just recently she was once again able to call Buffalo home.

"I did have a family member living on the West Coast who invited me out just to kind of see the area, and I ended up falling in love with California," said Perez.

So after her college days were done, Kate packed up and headed west for Los Angeles and a chance to grow her career.

"There were a lot of opportunities because it’s such a big city," she said. They’re looking for individuals who have various backgrounds."

While she fell in love with California, she also fell in love with her husband, JR, who grew up there. Still, being back in Buffalo was in the back of her mind.

"We had visited every year around the holidays and he loved what he saw," Perez said. "And I knew how different our life could be out here. We wanted a little bit more space and career growth, and of course, to be closer to family."

As she explored the possibilities, she joined a Zoom call held by Be in Buffalo, a campaign focused on attracting and keeping people in the area, maybe those who moved away, or might want to make Western New York their new home.

Greg Pokriki is the public relations specialist for Be in Buffalo. They’re selling the city’s resurgence.

"Our tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem is booming," said Pokriki. "There’s thousands of jobs available there. We have established companies and scrappy start-ups. And there’s just a belief on the ground that Buffalonians have in themselves and is spreading across the country."

Be in Buffalo’s website features a relocation guide, a cost of living calculator and resources to find jobs, touting all the things the region has to offer. And they believe it’s working. Data from the 2020 U.S. Census shows Buffalo and Erie County’s population grew for the first time in decades.

"For our region to continue to grow and reach true economic success, we need more people to fill the jobs of these companies, and so it’s a really exciting and telling sign of our resurgence," Pokriki said.

And Kate Perez knows firsthand. With the help of Be in Buffalo, she was able to land a job and move home, where she now works as a recruiter sharing the same stories that brought her back.

"Buffalo offers all of the things that you really get in a big city without having to battle the commute or the high cost of living," Perez said.

The Be in Buffalo campaign began in 2019 through Invest Buffalo Niagara, a non-profit focused on job creation in Western New York.

You can learn more about that effort on their website.