About Buffalo, NY     Buffalo, the Queen City of the Great Lakes, has a long and proud history and a bright future! The Buffalo / Niagara Falls area will surprise and delight you with outstanding theater, a world-class symphony, authentic American heritage sites, extraordinary architecture, non-stop nightlife, an historic zoo, one of the world's top collections of modern art, charming restaurants, great shopping, major league sports and an exciting array of family attractions. All this and the wonder of Niagara Falls! Buffalo is Business! If you thought Buffalo Niagara was a one-industry town, think again. From financial services to manufacturing, from medical research to professional support services, to high growth areas like technology services and development, dozens of industry sectors call Buffalo-Niagara home. Notable Businesses Include: HSBC, one of the world's largest financial banking institutions, has its North American headquarters in Buffalo. The bank's predecessor, Marine Midland was founded in 1850, in Buffalo, to finance the shipping trade along the Great Lakes.  HSBC is an international organization with almost 10,000 offices worldwide, in 77 countries, and on 5 continents. Other leading regional banking and financial companies, like M&T, Fleet Bank, and NationsBanc Mortgage Corporation, also are located here, resulting in a thriving financial services workforce.  M&T bank was founded 145 years ago in Western NY and is one of the largest commercial bank holding companies in the US. The University of Buffalo, the crown of the State Universities of New York (SUNY) is the largest public and most comprehensive of the state universities and is one of the largest employers in Metropolitan Buffalo.  It is the state's premier public center for graduate and professional education.  The total economic impact of the University of Buffalo was $1.28 million in 2001.  The total impact of university visitors on New York State's economy was $12.5 million in 2001.  The world-renowned Roswell Cancer Center is on the UB campus. Geico, an auto insurance firm will almost quadruple it's workforce to 2,500 employees in Buffalo alone, and has completed a 250,000 square foot facility in Amherst, a Buffalo suburb. Pro Bass, whose retail stores across the nation draw 75 million visitors each year will be opening a 200,000 square foot retail store by 2007, transforming downtown Buffalo into a major "must-see" destination. Manufacturing is a key part of Buffalo / Niagara's economy. Major corporations such as General Motors, Ford, Motorola, and American Axle produce various automotive components. Many of these companies have committed substantial capital investments to their facilities-over $400 million since 1995-because they have experienced first hand, the value of doing business the Buffalo / Niagara region. Other sizable manufacturing industries include food and kindred products, chemicals and allied products, and the aerospace and defense industry. Buffalo / Niagara also has a strong foothold in the new economy, with many successful technology-related companies located here. Ingram Micro, a distributor of microcomputer products, employs close to 2,000 workers, while ClientLogic, a leading global provider of outsourced marketing services and fulfillment infrastructures to technology and e-commerce companies, employs almost 1,400 workers. Skulogix, an e-commerce fulfillment company, has established their corporate headquarters here. Buffalo is The Place to Live! The Buffalo / Niagara Region is a dynamic place to live with a cost of living that ranked lowest of 48 cities in a 1998 federal study. It would cost more to live in almost any other region in the United States. Buffalo-Niagara Falls Cost of Living Information Buffalo-Niagara Falls Population Information Buffalo, NY Population Demographics Things are Close Together Buffalo is called the "20-minute city." Why? Because most points of interest in the region are only about 20 minutes apart. People who live here don't spend a lot of time commuting. A federal study showed that the average commuter in Buffalo spends 19 minutes a day getting to work, lowest among 50 major United States markets. Housing The region offers urban excitement and an array of suburban communities that range from eclectic to cosmopolitan. The average price for a home in the Buffalo / Niagara Falls, market system analysis (MSA) is $81,400. Residents enjoy close-knit neighborhoods, incredible architecture, and residential options to fit any taste. Buffalo-Niagara Falls Household Income Distribution Buffalo, NY Household Vacancy Information Buffalo History In the early 1800s, Buffalo was a sleepy village on the edge of what was then America's western frontier. Joseph Ellicott surveyed the town in 1804 for the Holland Land Company and laid out the City's distinctive radial street plan that is still evident today. Erie County was formed in 1821, a year before the City of Buffalo was incorporated. The Erie Canal opened in 1825 with Buffalo located at its western terminus, a location that was key to the City's metamorphosis into a major shipping hub for the burgeoning West. Located on the western side of Buffalo, the mouth of the Buffalo River also played an important role in the growth of the shipping industry, as many wharves, storehouses and other facilities opened to support the waterway. Over time, shipping volume continued to grow and a new industry, railroads, also began to flourish. Buffalo grew exponentially for the remainder of the 19th Century as business boomed and immigrants flooded into the City, particularly from Western Europe. The shipping industry generated tremendous capital that led to investments in other sectors, including manufacturing and banking. By 1900, more than 350,000 people resided in the City, and Buffalo had produced two Presidents of the United States, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland. It had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the United States and was home to one of the world's largest transportation ports. The area also attracted industrial entrepreneurs due to the electric power provided by Niagara Falls. This cheap power allowed steel plants, including Bethlehem Steel, Lackawanna Steel and Republic Steel, to flourish and enabled Buffaloto become one of the largest steel-producing locations in the U.S. The growth and prosperity of the City was celebrated in 1901 with an event of global proportions, the Pan-American Exposition. The Exposition highlighted the advances of the day, including the latest mechanical and electrical wonders. Sadly, the Exposition was also the site of the assassination of President William McKinley. The importance of the canal began to diminish with the increase in railroad shipping, although Buffalo's economy continued to thrive as a center for manufacturing and shipping steel, automobiles and airplanes. With the completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958, however, shipping from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean largely bypassed Buffalo. Eventually, most of Buffalo's steel plants shut down, which resulted in the loss of over 30,000 jobs. The 1980s and early 1990s brought tough times economically, as the area struggled to adapt to the new conditions. During the 1990s, the City's economy stabilized, and new industries are currently transforming the economy. The City's location on a major fiber optic telecommunications hub has spurred growth in high tech industries. Banking is also a major employer, with the headquarters for both M&T Bank and H.S.B.C. Bank U.S.A. located within the central business district. The area is home to several colleges and universities, including New York State's largest public university, the State University of New York at Buffalo. In addition, the bio-medical field is growing, as evidenced by the expanding Medical Corridor on High Street, just north of downtown. The area is home to world-class hospital and medical research facilities, most notably the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The waterfront, long vacant with old industrial lands, is seeing new activity; with entertainment development plans in the inner harbor area. Downtown Buffalo has regained its status as an entertainment destination with the re-emergence of the Theater District and the Chippewa Street Entertainment District. Plans are currently being made for dozens of new market-rate housing units that should bring additional life to the central business district.   External Links   Wikipedia UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO  LIVE WEB CAM BUFFALO NEW YORK    Click. Purchase. Manage. 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