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Buffalo New York Overview
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Buffalo, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Buffalo is an American city in western New York State. With a population of 282,864 as of the United States Census Bureau's 2004 estimate it is the state's second-largest city, after New York City, and is the county seat of Erie County. The Buffalo-Niagara metropolitan area has a diverse population of 1.1 million. Buffalo's thriving arts, cultural, and nightlife scenes is considered the hub of the greater bi-national region in New York and Ontario. Buffalo lies at the eastern end of Lake Erie near the head of the Niagara River, which connects to Lake Ontario. European-Americans first settled there in the late-18th century. Growth was slow until
the city became the western terminus of the Erie Canal some forty years later. By the turn of the next century, Buffalo was one of the country's leading cities, and by far its largest inland port. The huge grain elevators and industrial plants that the canal spawned began to disappear in the mid-20th century as the Saint Lawrence Seaway enabled water traffic to bypass the city. Distancing itself from its industrial past, Buffalo is redefining itself as a cultural, educational, and medical center. The city was named by Reader's Digest as the third cleanest city in America in 2005. In 2001 USA Today named Buffalo the winner of its "City with a
Heart" contest, proclaiming it the nation's "friendliest city." Also, in 1996 and 2002, Buffalo won the All-America City Award.
Origin of name
It is a well known fact that the City of Buffalo received its name from the creek of the same name. However, the origin of the creek's name is unclear, with several unproven theories being debated. One holds that the name is an anglicized form of the French name Beau Fleuve (beautiful river), which was supposedly an exclamation uttered by Louis Hennepin when he first saw the stream; this is thought to be unlikely. Early French explorers reported the abundance of buffalo on the south shore of Lake Erie, but their presence on the banks of Buffalo Creek is still a matter of debate, so the origin of the name of the creek is still uncertain. Neither the
Native American name ("Place of the Basswoods") or the French name ("River of Horses") survived, so the current name likely dates to the British occupation which began with the capture of Fort Niagara in 1759. Also given credence by local historians is the possibility that an interpreter mistranslated the Native American word for "beaver" as "buffalo" - the words being very similar - at a treaty-signing at present-day Rome, New York in 1784. The theory assumes that because there were beaver here, the creek was probably called Beaver Creek rather than Buffalo Creek. Another theory holds that a Seneca Indian lived
there, whose name meant "buffalo", and was translated as such by the English pioneers. The stream where he lived became Buffalo Creek. This last theory is that advocated by George R. Stewart. He also says that the town founded there was first called New Amsterdam by some Dutch immigrants, but "the Americans preferred Buffalo, and in the end established it officially, as one of the most colorful among the names of American cities." (Stewart, "Names on the Land").
Early history
Prior to European colonization, the region's inhabitants were the Ongiara, an Iroquois tribe called the Neutrals by French settlers, who found them helpful in mediating disputes with other tribes. Most of western New York was granted by Charles II of England to the Duke of York (later known as James II of England), but the first European settlement in what is now Erie County was by the French, at the mouth of Buffalo Creek in 1758. Its buildings were destroyed a year later by the evacuating French after the British captured Fort Niagara. The British took control of the entire region in 1763, at the conclusion of the French and Indian War. The first
permanent white settlers in present day Buffalo were Cornelius Winney and "Black Joe" Hodges, who set up a log cabin store there in 1789 for trading with the Native American community. Dutch investors purchased the area from the Seneca Indians as part of the Holland Purchase. Although other Senecas were involved in ceding their land, the most famous today is Red Jacket, who died in Buffalo in 1830. He grave is in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Starting in 1801, parcels were sold through the Holland Land Company's office in Batavia, New York. The settlement was initially called Lake Erie, then Buffalo Creek, soon shortened to Buffalo. Holland Land
Company agent Joseph Ellicott christened it New Amsterdam, but the name did not catch on. In 1808, Niagara County was established with Buffalo as its county seat. Erie County was formed out of Niagara County in 1821, retaining Buffalo as the county seat.
The 19th century
In 1804, Joseph Ellicott, a principal agent of the Holland Land Company, designed a radial street and grid system that branches out from downtown like bicycle spokes, and is one of only three radial street patterns in the US. In 1810, the Town of Buffalo was formed from the western part of the Town of Clarence. On December 30, 1813, during the War of 1812, British troops and their Native American allies first captured the village of Black Rock, and then the rest of Buffalo burning most of both to the ground. Buffalo gradually rebuilt itself and by 1816 had a new courthouse. In 1818, the eastern part of the town was lost to form the Town of Amherst. Upon the
completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, Buffalo became the western end of the 524-mile waterway starting at New York City. At the time, Buffalo had a population of about 2,400 people. With the increased commerce of the canal, the population boomed and Buffalo was incorporated as a city in 1832. In 1853, Buffalo annexed Black Rock, which had been Buffalo's fierce rival for the canal terminus. During the 19th century, thousands of pioneers going to the western United States debarked from canal boats to continue their journey out of Buffalo by lake or rail transport. During their stopover, many experienced the pleasures and dangers of Buffalo's notorious
Canal Street district. Buffalo was a terminus of the Underground Railroad, an informal series of safe houses for African-Americans escaping slavery in the mid-19th century. Buffalonians helped many fugitives cross the Niagara River to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada and freedom.
The presidential connection
Several U.S. presidents had connections with Buffalo. Millard Fillmore took up permanent residence in Buffalo in 1822 before he became America's 13th president. He was also the first chancellor of the University of Buffalo, now known as SUNY University at Buffalo. Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, lived in Buffalo from 1854 until 1882, and served as Buffalo's mayor from 1882 until 1883. William McKinley was shot by Leon Czolgosz on September 6, 1901 at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, and died in Buffalo on the 14th. Theodore Roosevelt was then sworn in on September 14th, 1901 at the Ansley Wilcox Mansion,
now the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, becoming one of the few presidents to be sworn in outside of Washington, D.C..
The 20th century
At the turn of the century, Buffalo was a growing city with a burgeoning economy. Immigrants came from Ireland, Italy, Germany, and Poland to work in the steel and grain mills which had taken advantage of the city's critical location at the junction of the Great Lakes and the Erie Canal. Hydroelectric power harnessed from nearby Niagara Falls made Buffalo the first American city to have widespread electric lighting yielding it the nickname, the "City of Light". Electricity was used to dramatic effect at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901. The Pan-American was also notable for being the scene of the aforementioned assassination of President
William McKinley. The opening of the Peace Bridge linking Buffalo with Fort Erie, Ontario on August 7, 1927 was an occasion for significant celebrations. Those in attendance included Edward, Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VIII), his brother Prince Albert George (later George VI), British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister of Canada William Lyon Mackenzie King, Vice President of the United States Charles G. Dawes, and New York Governor Alfred E. Smith. Buffalo's City Hall, an Art Deco masterpiece, was dedicated on July 1, 1932. It was the city's tallest building until 1970. The city's importance declined in the later half of
the 20th century for several reasons, perhaps the most devastating being the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1957. Goods which had previously passed through Buffalo could now bypass it using a series of canals and locks, reaching the ocean via the St. Lawrence River. Another major toll was suburban migration, a national trend at the time. The city, which boasted over half a million people at its peak, has seen its population decline by some 50%, as industries shut down and people left the Rust Belt for the employment opportunities of the South and West. Erie County has lost population in every census year since 1970. The city also has the dubious
distinction along with St. Louis, Missouri of being one of the few American cities to have had fewer people in the year 2000 than in 1900
Climate
Buffalo has a reputation for snowy winters. The region experiences a fairly humid, continental-type climate, but with a definite maritime flavor due to strong modification from the Great Lakes. Winters in Western New York are generally cloudy, cold and snowy, but are changeable and include frequent thaws and rain as well. Snow covers the ground more often than not from Christmas into early March, but periods of bare ground are not uncommon. Over half of the annual snowfall comes from the lake effect process and is very localized. Lake effect snow occurs when cold air crosses the relatively warm lake waters and becomes saturated, creating clouds and
precipitation downwind. Due to the prevailing winds, areas south of Buffalo receive much more lake effect snow than locations to the north. The lake snow machine can start as early as mid November, peaks in December, then virtually shuts down after Lake Erie freezes in mid to late January. The most notable snow storm in Buffalo's history, the North American blizzard of 1977, was a result of a combination of lake effect snow and high winds. The transitional seasons are very brief in Buffalo and Western New York. Summer, on the other hand, is marked by plentiful sunshine, warm temperatures, and moderate humidity levels. Obscured by the attention given to
winter snowstorms is the fact that Buffalo benefits from other lake effects, namely free, natural air conditioning from Lake Erie. As a result, summers are often filled with gentle southwest breezes off the Lake tempering the warmest days. Among the 50 largest US metropolitan areas, it is one of 4 to never reach a 100 F temperature (ironically, two of the other 3 are Miami, Florida and Honolulu, Hawaii; the fourth one is Seattle, Washington). Rainfall is adequate, but it shows an overnight maximum, so it is seldom a problem for outdoor activities. The stabilizing effect of Lake Erie continues to inhibit thunderstorms and enhance sunshine in the immediate
Buffalo area through most of July. August usually turns a bit more showery and humid as the lake is warmer and loses its stabilizing influence. In fact, a good nighttime thunderstorm or two is often a feature of late summer in Buffalo. Overall though, Buffalo has the sunniest and driest summers of any major city in the Northeast, with enough rain to keep vegetation green and lush.
Waterfront
Situated at the confluence of Lake Erie and the Buffalo and Niagara Rivers, Buffalo is a waterfront city. The city's rise to economic power came through its waterways in the form of mass transit, manufacturing, and an endless source of energy. Buffalo's waterfront is still a hub of commerce, trade, and industry that is essential to its economic prosperity. Recently, the waterfront is undergoing rapid transformation from its manufacturing nature of the past, and into a focal point for social and recreational activity.
Diversity
Buffalo was first settled by New Englanders, and then experienced a large influx of Germans. The city was further populated by Irish immigrants escaping famine, and infused by Polish, Italian, African American, and more recently Latino populations, all of which have made it a melting pot of ethnic cultures. The newest immigrants are from Somalia, Asia, and the Arab world. The old First Ward in South Buffalo retains a strong Irish identity, and Kaisertown reflects a German heritage. The city's East Side was once home of Buffalo's Polonia centered around the Broadway Market, a microcosm of Polish traditions and food delicacies. The neighborhood is now
largely dominated by African Americans, a reflection of Buffalo once being a major transit point for the Underground Railroad. The West Side is home to the city's Hispanic community & North Buffalo is home to Buffalo's Italian American communities. The Italian custom of preparing St. Joseph's Day (March 19) tables, at which various meatless Lenten courses are laid out for the poor, continues in many Buffalo households as well as in some churches and restaurants. Bordering the West Side is the Black Rock section, which is a mixture of Polish, Ukrainian and Hungarian, but increasingly Hispanic communities. Buffalo is also home to a sizable
Jewish community. German Jewish immigrants originally settled on Buffalo's West Side in the mid-1800s. Less well-off Russian and Polish Jews immigrating to the Niagara Frontier in the early 1900s initially settled on the lower East Side, near William and Jefferson Streets. The community migrated to the Masten Park neighborhood on the East Side, and then to North Buffalo between the 1940s and the 1960s. Although many still live in the city, particularly in North Buffalo and the Delaware District, the majority of Buffalo's approximately 15,000 Jews now live in the northeastern suburbs of Amherst and Williamsville. Buffalo's Jewish Community
Centers are located in the Delaware District and Amherst.
Food
The Buffalo area's cuisine reflects Italian, Irish, Jewish, German, Polish, Greek and American influences. Beef on Weck, Wardynski's kielbasa, Sahlen's hot dogs, sponge candy, pierogi, and haddock fish fries are among the local favorites, as is a loganberry-flavored beverage that remains relatively obscure outside of Western New York and Southern Ontario. Teressa Bellissimo, the chef/owner of the city's Anchor Bar, first prepared the now-widespread Buffalo Chicken Wings here on October 3,1964. Local or regional chains with a significant presence in the Buffalo area include Ted's Hot Dogs, Anderson's Frozen Custard, Jim's
SteakOut, Tim Hortons, and Mighty Taco. Buffalo's pizza is also of unique design; perhaps because Buffalo is geographically located halfway between New York City and Chicago, Illinois, the pizza made here is likewise about halfway between thin-crust New York-style pizza and deep-dish Chicago-style pizza. Buffalo also has several specialty import/grocery stores in old ethnic neighborhoods, and is home to an eclectic collection of cafes and restaurants that serve adventurous, cosmopolitan fare. Locally-owned restaurants offer Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Greek, Arab, Indian, Caribbean, French, and soul food. Several well-known
food companies are based in Buffalo. Non-dairy whipped topping, later imitated by Cool Whip, was invented in Buffalo in 1945 by Robert E. Rich, Sr. His company, Rich Products, is one of the city's largest private employers. General Mills was organized in Buffalo, and Gold Medal brand flour, Wheaties, Cheerios and other General Mills brand cereals are manufactured here. One of the country's largest cheese manufacturers, Sorrento, has been here since 1947. Buffalo is also home to one of the largest privately held food companies in the world, Delaware North Companies, which operates concessions in sports arenas, stadiums, resorts, and many state &
federal parks.
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