Buffalo has a rich history as a river-front city. Two hundred miles of fresh water shore borders the city, and although times have changed and shipping is no longer a major industry, Buffalo is currently working to rejuvenate its waterfront. Currently, there is a $100 million project in the works to enhance the lives of the city's citizens and draw tourists to the area. Additions along the waterfront include the recently completed Tow Path Park along the Niagara River and Gallagher Beach. Coming soon is the new State Park on Lake Erie.
Buffalo has become an increasingly diverse city. Irish, Italian, German and Polish immigrants came to Buffalo early in its history. While these groups combined still make up roughly 50 percent of the population - some even still living in the same area, such as the traditionally Irish South Buffalo - numerous other groups have started to call Buffalo home. Also, early in its history, Buffalo's waterfront once made it an important part of the Underground Railroad. Today, African-Americans make up just over 35 percent of the city's population. The newest trend in the city is Buffalo's West Side, which has become a cultural melting pot of all the city's ethnicities and cultures. A new growing influence, particularly in the West Side, is a strong emergence of Latino culture.
Weather in Buffalo
Snow, snow, snow. That's the perception most Americans have of the weather in Buffalo - and it's not that far off. A lot of the snow in Buffalo is created from the neighboring bodies of water and changing air temperatures. This means the white stuff falls quite frequently, and it generally starts pretty early in the winter months. But when the lakes freeze later in the winter, almost all of the snow stops.
Buffalo's winters almost always overshadow the warmer weather climate. Also, due to Lake Erie's presence, Buffalo enjoys the driest and sunniest weather of any major city in the Northeast of the country. However, the rain and naturally moderate humidity from Lake Erie enable Buffalo to remain a quite green and beautiful landscape in the summer months. While average temperatures in the winter can fall to the 20s, warmer temperatures peak at a comfortable 70 degrees during summer months.
Buffalo Today
- Greater Buffalo - the City of Buffalo and all of Erie County - was first chosen as an All America City and Community in 1996. The recognition is a lifetime designation.
- Greater Buffalo has also reached finalist status in 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2002.
- Buffalo is the second largest city in New York State after New York City.
- Reader's Digest named Buffalo the country's third environmentally cleanest city in 2005.
- USA Today named Buffalo the winner of its "City with a Heart" contest in 2005. The newspaper also named Buffalo the "friendliest city" in the nation.
- Cool Whip makes the city of Buffalo its national headquarters.
- Because of state laws, Buffalo's last call at bars is at 4 a.m. rather than 2 a.m. like most other cities. This was once to accommodate late-working factory and facility workers, but Buffalo has continued to allow it, to encourage the booming nightlife.
- Buffalo's airport was recently remodeled, and there are plans to make the Niagara area airport into an international hub for New York and all of Canada.
- Buffalo is the smallest city in the world to have a subway.
- All of the Cheerios in the world are made in Buffalo.
- Buffalo is home to the world's largest bicycle museum.
Buffalo Cuisine
The Buffalo area has an interesting cross section of foods. Cultures represented include Italian, Jewish, German, Polish and Greek.
An example of these foods includes:
- Beef-on-Weck (roast beef and horseradish on a salty, seeded roll called "kimmel," a specialty served only in Buffalo)
- Kielbasa and Hot Dogs
- Sponge Candy
- Buffalo Wings (past mayors of Buffalo have been known to wager Buffalo Wings against the mayor of opposing cities in sporting events)
- Pierogi
- The Pizza (Buffalo remains somewhat of a halfway point between Chicago and New York City, and their pizza also is a mix between NYC's thin-crust pies and Chicago's deep-dish pizza)
- Bagels (more of them are made in Buffalo than in any other U.S. city)
Sources:
http://www.buffalonet.org/
http://www.census.gov/population/documentation/twps0027/tab01.txt
http://www.buffalonian.com/history/index.html
http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/Home
http://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/media_kit_9.html
http://www.10best.com/Buffalo,NY/Annual_Events/Annual_Events/index.html