Buffalo

Buffalo is located at the eastern end of Lake Erie, where the lake meets the Buffalo and Niagara Rivers, a half-hour south of the famous Niagara Falls. It is the second most populated city in New York, after New York City. By 1900, it was the eighth largest city in the country, a thriving commercial area of railroads, manufacturing, shipping, and storage; less than 100 years later it was in decline, its shipping rerouted, most of its manufacturing relocated. Buffalo is now in the process of reinventing itself, and so is a city of contradictions.

In 2010, Buffalo was rated the second poorest city with a population of over 250,000, just behind Detroit; the same year, Forbes magazine rated it the tenth best place to raise a family in America. The only city in America with more vacant and abandoned houses than Buffalo is St. Louis; yet the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area now has one of the most affordable housing markets in the country. In 2008, the metropolitan area was rated by the United Nations as one of the worst in the world in terms of racially-based economic inequality; yet progress is being made, thanks in part to Buffalo’s first black mayor, elected at the end of 2005. Two of Buffalo’s nicknames sum it up: “The Queen City of the Lakes,” and “The City of No Illusions.”

Today Buffalo’s main economies are healthcare, education, high technology, light manufacturing, industrial and private sector companies. It is also a destination for Canadian shoppers, who, believe it or not, cross the border to take advantage of our lower prices and taxes. It’s the headquarters of M & T Bank, Rich Products (one of the world’s largest family owned food manufacturers), and the Canadian beer brewer Labatt. The city’s original Erie Canal Harbor has recently been transformed into a tourist destination, with restaurants, stores, and condominiums.

There is a great deal of greenery in Buffalo, as it has more than 20 parks. A network of them were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and his partner Calvert Vaux, designers of Manhattan’s Central Park, and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also listed on the NRHP are more than 80 buildings, including City Hall, a gorgeous Art Deco building that looks like something out of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis.”

There are art galleries galore, a thriving theater community, an outdoor Shakespeare Festival, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Botanical Gardens, the Buffalo Zoo, and Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Buffalo loves a party, and there are an array of food festivals, a festival to promote African-American heritage, and a garden festival that offers 14 garden walks and tours within a five-week span.

Prefer to hike and bike? Try the Olmsted Parks, Chestnut Ridge Park, Zoar Valley or Niagara Gorge. Like to watch sports? Football fans have the Bills, hockey fans have the Sabres, and minor-league baseball fans have the Bisons, an AAA affiliate of the New York Mets.

Buffalo stays up late, with the bars staying open until 4 AM, although there is a debate right now as to whether the law should be changed and patrons sent home earlier. Most of the nightlife centers around West Chippewa Street, with Allentown and the Elmwood Strip a bit more low-key. No trip to Buffalo is complete without a visit to the famous Anchor Bar on Main Street, where the original Buffalo Wings were created in 1964.

There are three SUNY (State University of New York) schools here: the University of Buffalo, Buffalo State, and Erie Community College, as well as Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. There are 78 public schools in the city, as well as charter and magnet schools, and 47 private schools. There is also a continuing education program for adults. As part of its revitalization effort, the city is currently undergoing a $1 billion school rebuilding plan.

Many programs serve the city’s kids – theater groups, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, counseling services, and recreation and sports programs. The Office of Senior Services operates two Senior Centers, and provides information, trips, a medical van service, meals, discount cards, and health help.

Buffalo has a reputation as being the snowiest city in the East, but it’s undeserved. Each year the Golden Snowball award is presented to the upstate New York city that receives the most snow, and Buffalo nearly always loses to Syracuse, and occasionally to Rochester. Summer weather usually includes plentiful sunshine, with lake breezes that keep the temperature moderate.

Once one of America’s most successful cities, Buffalo is in the process of recapturing its former glory. Take a trip to Niagara Falls and check out the city – you just might stay.