About Buffalo

Buffalo is located in western New York State. It is the state’s second-largest city, after New York City, and is the county seat of Erie County. The Buffalo-Niagara metropolitan area has a diverse population of 1.1 million. Buffalo’s thriving arts, cultural, and nightlife scenes is considered the hub of the greater bi-national region in New York and Ontario.  As an “All America City,” a gateway to one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, and a center of commercial development and cultural activity, you will find your new location and exciting place to live.

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History

Early history
Prior to European colonization, the region’s inhabitants were the Ongiara, an Iroquois tribe called the Neutrals by French settlers, who found them helpful in mediating disputes with other tribes.

Most of western New York was granted by Charles II of England to the Duke of York (later known as James II of England), 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 by the evacuating French after the British captured Fort Niagara.

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Fast Facts

Population

City of Buffalo: 279,745

Greater Buffalo: 954,000

Metropolitan Area: 1,170,111

Median Age: 38

Ethnic Demographics

White:  83.80

African American:  11.70

Hispanic:  2.90

Other:  1.60

Neighborhoods

East Side

North Buffalo

South Buffalo

West Side

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Climate

By Car

Four Interstate highways run through the Buffalo-Niagara Metropolitan Area, Interstate 90, Interstate 190, Interstate 290, and Interstate 990. I-90 runs from Seattle to Boston and connects Buffalo’s southern suburbs with the city and the eastern and northern suburbs. I-190 runs from I-90 through downtown and up to Niagara Falls and onto the Canadian border at two spots. I-290 makes a 10 mile connection between I-190 and I-90, serving the area’s northern suburbs. I-990 starts at I-290 and runs over 6 miles up to the Millersport Highway, just south of Lockport. I-990 was intended to run to Lockport but was never completed.

US 219 and NY 400 are major expressways that run south of the city to the edge of the metropolitan area in Springville and East Aurora, respectively. US 219 is being eyed to become Interstate 67 to Maryland.

Public Transportation

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
181 Ellicott Street
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 855-7300
www.nfta.com

NFTA runs bus and rail service in Buffalo.  Standard fare for both is $1.50.  On buses, it’s an extra .25 for every zone crosses.  Transfers are 30 cents, get on from the bus driver before you get off.  There is an airport shuttle running from downtown that costs $1.75.

Air Transportation

Buffalo Niagara International Airport
4200 Genesee Street
Cheektowaga, NY 14225
(716) 630-6000
www.buffaloairport.com

Averaging approximately 110 daily flights with nonstop service to 18 cities, the BNIA plays an essential role in the development of business and tourism in the Buffalo Niagara region.

All ground transportation is located on the lower level of the terminal, outside of baggage claim.

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
181 Ellicott Street
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 855-7300
www.nfta.com

The NFTA runs a shuttle from downtown Buffalo to the airport for $1.75.

Newspapers

The Buffalo News
1 News Plaza
Buffalo, NY 14240
(716) 842-1111
www.buffalonews.com

The Buffalo News has a daily circulation of 180,000 readers, more than a quarter of a million on Sunday.  It’s the main paper in the city.  The News is currently owned by Berkshire Hathaway.

Sights

Niagara Falls
Buffalo is a mere 25 miles from what has been called one of the seven natural wonders of the world. For 12 million visitors a year, the breath-taking Falls are attraction enough to check out Buffalo. You will be living only 20 minutes from one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world! Niagara Falls lies on the border between Canada and the United States. There are three separate waterfalls within Niagara Falls including Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the smallest of the three, Bridal Veil Falls. Niagara Falls has a wide variety of attractions on both the New York and Ontario, Canada sides. Features include the Daredevil Museum, Aerospace Museum, Goat Island, and Cave of the Winds on the New York Side of the Falls. On the Ontario side there are attractions including Queen Victoria Park, Oaks Garden Theatre, and the Skylon Tower. Two attractions of Niagara Falls that are on both the New York and Ontario sides are Rainbow Bridge and Maid of the Mist boat tours. On the west side of Buffalo is Peace Bridge that crosses the Niagara River and Lake Erie into Canada.

Buffalo Zoo
300 Parkside Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14214
716-837-3900

The Buffalo Zoological Gardens is the third oldest institution of its kind in the United States.

Old Fort Niagara
Youngstown, NY 14174
716-745-7611

The site of historic battles and sieges, trading and conquest, Old Fort Niagara is an exciting place where the past lives on!

The Arts

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
499 Franklin St.
Buffalo, NY 14202
716-885-0331

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an internationally recognized symphony orchestra

MusicalFare Theatre Company
4380 Main St.
Amherst, NY 14226
716-839-8539

MusicalFare Theatre is Western New York’s only year-round, professional musical theatre company

Shea’s Performing Arts Center
646 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14202
716-847-1410

Shea’s Performing Arts Center is a 73-year-old cultural and historic landmark located in the historic Theatre District of downtown.

Sports

Buffalo Bandits
HSBC Arena
One Seymour H. Knox III Plaza
Buffalo, NY 14203-3096
(716) 855-4100
(888) 467-2273 (tickets)

National Lacrosse League

Buffalo Bills
Ralph Wilson Stadium
One Bills Drive
Orchard Park, NY 14127
(877) BB-TICKS
www.buffalobills.com

National Football League

Buffalo Bisons
Dunn Tire Park
275 Washington St.
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 843-4373
www.minorleaguebaseball.com

Triple A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians

Buffalo Sabres
HSBC Arena
One Seymour H. Knox III Plaza
Buffalo, NY 14203-3096
(716) 855-4100
(888) GO-SABRES (tickets)
www.sabres.com

Shopping

Central Park Plaza
40 Central Park Plaza
Buffalo, NY 14214
(716) 833-5500

Eastern Hills Mall
4545 Transit Rd
Buffalo, NY 14221View Map
(716) 631-5191

Main Place Mall
390 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14202-3702
(716) 855-1900

Mc Kinley Mall
Milestrip Rd at McKinley Pkwy
Buffalo, NY 14219
(716) 824-0462

Walden Galleria Mall
1 Walden Galleria
Buffalo, NY 14225-5408
(716) 681-7600
www.waldengalleria.com

Located close to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and the Four Points Hotel Buffalo Airport, this state-of-the-art mall offers the shopping experience of a lifetime with more than 200 upscale stores, restaurants, specialty boutiques, a food court and 12-screen movie house.

Nightlife

Last call is at 4 a.m. in Buffalo, rather than 2 a.m. like it is in most other areas of the nation. This is often attributed to the historic high density of industrial facilities and the demand of second and third shift patrons. It’s also because New York law allows bars to be open until 4 a.m. This law was actually designed to accommodate the thriving late nightlife of New York City, but the state’s “Second City” has adopted it as well.

Education

Community Colleges
Community colleges exist for two major purposes. The first is to serve as a bridge from high school to college by providing courses for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. Four out of 10 collegebound high-school graduates start their college education this way.

The second function of community colleges is to prepare students for the job market by offering entry-level career training as well as courses for adult students who want to upgrade their skills for the workplace. They often offer programs that are not available at four-year schools, like fashion design.

Liberal Arts Colleges
Liberal arts colleges offer a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Most are private and focus mainly on undergraduate students. Classes tend to be small and personal attention is available.

Online Learning
Recent years have witnessed the rise of online degree programs, to allow the busy professional a chance to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home on the path to getting a degree. The costs to students are typically the same as for traditional classes— and financial aid is equally available—while the cost to the institution can be much less.

There are online universities ranging from legitimate distance learning systems to fly-by-night degree-mills. It’s important to research a particular institution before deciding to enroll in their system. Generally, brick-and-mortar schools that also offer online classes are the safest, though there are plenty of fully accredited online universities out there.

Nearly 3 million students are believed to be taking online classes at institutions of higher education in the United States this year. That number has been growing about 25% a year recently. Now, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer online classes. By contrast, only about half of private, nonprofit schools offer them. Online schools offer everything from Associate’s degrees to Doctoral programs with available emphases in everything from Business Administration to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, but many are delivered completely online. Online courses generally require a computer with a broadband connection, but are now a serious option for the busy professional.

Public vs. Private
Public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources. Private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention and often more prestige.

Universities
Generally, a university is bigger than a college and offers more majors and research facilities. Class size often reflects institutional size and some classes may taught by graduate students.

Upper Division
Upper-division schools offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. Students then generally transfer to an upper-division college after completing an associate degree or after finishing a second year of study at a four-year college.

Higher Education

Canisius College
2001 Main St
Buffalo, NY 14208-1098
(716) 883-7000
www.canisius.edu

Erie Community College
121 Ellicott S
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 842-2770
www.ecc.edu

Medaille College
18 Agassiz Circle
Buffalo, NY 14214-2695
(716) 884-3281
www.medaille.edu

Niagara County Community College
3111 Saunders Settlement Rd
Sanborn, NY 14132
(716) 614-6222
www.niagaracc.suny.edu

Niagara University
Niagara University, NY 14109
(716) 285-1212
www.niagara.edu

Suny College at Buffalo
1300 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
(716) 878-4000
www.suny.edu

Suny at Buffalo
3435 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214
(716) 645-2000
www.buffalostate.edu

University at Buffalo
17 Capen Hall
Buffalo, New York 14260-1660
888-UB-ADMIT
www.buffalo.edu

The University at Buffalo was founded in 1846 as a private medical college and merged with the State University of New York system in 1962. Today UB is New York State’s premier public center for graduate and professional education, as well as the state’s largest and most comprehensive public university.

K-12

Buffalo Board of Education
720 City Hall
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 816-3743

Public
Buffalo School District
713 City Hall
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 816-3600
www.buffaloschools.org

The Buffalo School District is regarded as one of the premiere urban school systems in New York State. Serving 38,000 students in nearly 70 facilities, the district strives to bring exemplary teaching practices and unparalleled opportunities to its diverse student population.

Private Schools
The city itself is home to 47 private schools while the metropolitan region has 150 such institutions. Most private schools have a Roman Catholic affiliation; however, there are schools affiliated with other religions, such as Islam, and many nonsectarian options.