Curiously, the city's name arose not from the same-named animal, but
from its location at the origin of the Niagara River. Some claim that the
name is a bastardization of the French "beau fleuve" - for "beautiful
river." Other historians cite the fact that Buffalo Creek was so-named
long before the naming of the city, and suggest that the city's name more
likely honors the Seneca Indian after whom this small waterway was named.
A panoramic view of Buffalo from the observation deck at the top of the
30-story City Hall reveals many of the city's landmarks. Buffalo has the
third-oldest zoo in the United States; a science museum; historical museum;
the Roswell Park Cancer Institute; the renowned Albright-Knox Art Gallery;
and Kleinhans Music Hall, known for its acoustical quality and home to the
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. At the Naval and Servicemen's Park on the
waterfront are the cruiser USS Little Rock, the destroyer USS The
Sullivans, and the submarine USS Croaker, all open for public viewing.
Several other US Navy ships have been named USS Buffalo in honor of the
city.
History
Early History
Most of western New York was granted by Charles II of England to the Duke
of York, 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 because of an impending British attack. The British
took control of the entire region in 1763, at the conclusion of the French
and Indian War.
The first American to settle in present day Buffalo was Cornelius Winney,
who set up a log cabin store there in 1789 for trading with the Native
American community. Dutch investors purchased the area as part of the
Holland Land Purchase, and parcels were sold through the Holland Land
Company's office in Batavia, New York, starting in 1801. The village was
initially called New Amsterdam. In 1808 the new Niagara County, New York
was formed (including what is now Erie County), and newly renamed Buffalo
became its county seat. By 1811, the predominantly Anglo-American village
had grown to 500 people.
The 19th Century
On December 30, 1813, during the War of 1812, British troops and their
Native American allies captured the village of Buffalo and burned much of
it to the ground. Buffalo was rebuilt and incorporated as a town in 1816.
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. Buffalo was reincorporated
as a city in 1832, at which time it had some 10,000 people. The re-incorporation
included the village of Black Rock, which had been Buffalo's rival for the
canal site.
Buffalo was a terminus of the Underground Railroad, an informal series of
safe houses for runaway slaves who had escaped from the U. S. South in the
mid-19th century. After hiding at the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church, the
slaves could take a ferry to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada and freedom.
Several U.S. presidents have connections with Buffalo. Millard Fillmore
took up permanent residence in Buffalo in 1822 before he became president.
Grover Cleveland lived in Buffalo from 1854 until 1882, and became mayor
of the city. William McKinley was shot on September 5, 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 Wilcox
Mansion (currently a National Historic Site), becoming one of the few
presidents to be sworn in outside of Washington.
20th Century Buffalo
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 enjoy widespread electric power.
The city's importance declined in 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. The city, which boasted over half a million people at
its peak, has seen its population decline by some 50 percent, as
industries shut down and people left the Rust Belt for the more moderate
winters and air-conditioned summers of the South and Southwest.
The opening of the Peace Bridge linking Buffalo with Fort Erie, Ontario on
7 August 1927 was occasion for significant celebrations. Those in
attendance included Edward, Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VIII
of the United Kingdom), his brother Prince Albert George (later George
VI), British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, Canada's Prime Minister W.L.
Mackenzie King, US Vice President Charles G. Dawes, and New York governor
Alfred E. Smith.
Buffalo's new City Hall was dedicated on July 1, 1932.
Notable people from Buffalo
Millard Fillmore,the thirteenth president of the United States, hailed
from Buffalo. He also was the first chancellor of the University at
Buffalo. Other well-known Buffalonians are baseball pitcher Warren Spahn,
Howdy Doody host Buffalo Bob Smith, actor James Whitmore, Iroquois leader
Red Jacket, and Wells Fargo founder William G. Fargo.
The city is the birthplace of folk singer and songwriter Ani DiFranco, as
well as the home of her independent record label, Righteous Babe Records.
The Goo Goo Dolls and Rick James also hail from this city, as did:
songwriter Harold Arlen; author Taylor Caldwell; Fran Stryker, the creator
of the Lone Ranger; and the seminal 1940s harmonic group, the Modernaires;
and the chef at the Anchor Bar who first prepared Buffalo chicken wings
there in 1964.
Geography
Buffalo is located on the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the beginning of
the Niagara River, which flows northward over Niagara Falls and into Lake
Ontario. It is located at 42°54'17" North, 78°50'58" West (42.904657,
-78.849405)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
136.0 km˛ (52.5 mi˛). 105.2 km˛ (40.6 mi˛) of it is land and 30.8 km˛
(11.9 mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 22.66% water.
Population
As of the census2 of 2000,the city had a total population of 292,648. Erie
and Niagara Counties have a combined population of 1,170,111 (2000).
At that time there were 292,648 people, 122,720 households, and 67,005
families residing in the city. The population density is 2,782.4/km˛
(7,205.8/mi˛). There are 145,574 housing units at an average density of
1,384.1/km˛ (3,584.4/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 54.43% White,
37.23% African American, 0.77% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 0.04% Pacific
Islander, 3.68% from other races, and 2.45% from two or more races. 7.54%
of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 122,720 households out of which 28.6% have children under the
age of 18 living with them, 27.6% are married couples living together,
22.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% are
non-families. 37.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.1%
have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average
household size is 2.29 and the average family size is 3.07.
In the city the population included 26.3% under the age of 18, 11.3% from
18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who are 65
years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females
there are 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are
83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $24,536, and the median
income for a family is $30,614. Males have a median income of $30,938
versus $23,982 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,991.
26.6% of the population and 23.0% of families are below the poverty line.
Out of the total people living in poverty, 38.4% are under the age of 18
and 14.0% are 65 or older.
Climate
Buffalo has a perhaps undeserved reputation for severe weather. In fact
its summers are sunnier than those of most east coast cities, and due to
the effect of breezes off Lake Erie, cooler as well. Though the winters
are long and cold, they feature no more snow than other northerly cities.
The occasionally very heavy snowfall in the region is caused by
below-freezing winds blowing over the warmer water of Lake Erie. Often the
resulting meandering "snow belts" are only ten or fifteen miles wide, with
sun shining in one spot and a raging lake effect blizzard occurring only a
mile or two away. Lake Erie is much shallower than the other Great Lakes,
and may freeze over in a cold winter. When this occurs, lake effect
snowfall ends. Perhaps the best known snow storm in Buffalo history is the
Blizzard of '77.
Educational Institutions
Buffalo is home to two State University of New York institutions, Buffalo
State College and the University at Buffalo, one of SUNY's four university
centers. The city also is home to D'Youville College, Medaille College,
Canisius College, and Trocaire College. A campus of Erie Community College
is located in the downtown area.
Sports Teams
Buffalo is home to the Buffalo Bills, a charter member of the American
Football League now in the NFL, and the Buffalo Sabres of the National
Hockey League.
Other local teams include the Buffalo Bisons of baseball's International
League; the Buffalo Bandits (indoor lacrosse), Buffalo Wings (Roller
Hockey); Buffalo Destroyers (arena football); Buffalo Blizzard (indoor
soccer).
Transportation
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, or NFTA, operates public
transit throughout the Buffalo area. The NFTA runs a number of buses
throughout the city and suburbs, as well as an 8-mile Metro Rail system in
the city. The NFTA also operates Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
The city is served by Buffalo-Depew and Buffalo-Exchange Street Amtrak
stations
