Buffalo, NY Summer Camps

About Buffalo, NY

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York , after New York City . Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario , Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area , the largest in Upstate New York . Downtown Buffalo is located 17 miles south of Niagara Falls and 100 miles southeast of Toronto , Canada's largest city. Additionally, Buffalo lies adjacent to the southeastern terminus of the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario , which contains more than 8.1 million people. Buffalo itself has a population of 261,310 and the Buffalo–Niagara–Cattaraugus Combined Statistical Area is home to 1,215,826 residents. Originating around 1789 as a small trading community near the eponymous Buffalo Creek, Buffalo grew quickly after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, with the city as its western terminus. By 1900, Buffalo was the 8th largest city in the United States , and went on to become a major railroad hub, and the largest grain-milling center in the country. The latter part of the 20th Century saw a reversal of fortunes: Great Lakes shipping was rerouted by the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway , and steel mills and other heavy industry relocated to places such as China. With the start of Amtrak in the 1970s, Buffalo Central Terminal was also abandoned, and trains were rerouted to nearby Depew, New York and Exchange Street Station . By 1990 the city had fallen back below its 1900 population levels. Today, the region's largest economic sectors are health care and education, and these continue to grow despite the lagging national and worldwide economies. This growth has been maintained, in part, by major expansions of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York . The retail sector of Buffalo's economy has remained strong throughout the economic recession due to additional revenue from Canadian shoppers who wish to take advantage of lower prices and taxes on the American side of the border. A recent study found Buffalo's August 2011 unemployment rate to be 7.3% In 2010, Forbes rated Buffalo the 10th best place to raise a family in America.

History of Buffalo, NY

History Buffalo Panorama 1911 Passenger boats at Buffalo 1909 Pan-American Exposition  – Ethnology Building at Night History of Buffalo, New York Prior to the Iroquois occupation of the region, the region was settled by the Neutral Nation . Later, the Senecas of the Iroquois Confederacy conquered the Neutrals. 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 the few radial street plans in the US. During the War of 1812 , on December 30, 1813, ' Buffalo was burned by British forces. On November 4, 1825 the Erie Canal was completed with Buffalo strategically positioned at the western end of the system. At the time, the population was about 2,400. The Erie Canal brought a surge in population and commerce which led Buffalo to incorporate as a city in 1832, with a population of about 10,000 people. The City of Buffalo has long been home to African-Americans. An example is the 1828 village directory which listed 59 "Names of Coloured" heads of families. In 1845, construction was begun on the Macedonia Baptist Church .

Buffalo, NY City Statistics: