Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River on the Canada–United States border. It is the second-most populous city in New York, with a population of 278,349 at the 2020 census. The Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, with over 1.16 million residents, is the 51st-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Buffalo is the county seat of Erie County. Before the 17th century, the region was inhabited by nomadic Paleo-Indians who were succeeded by the Neutral, Erie, and Iroquois nations. In the early 17th century, the French began to explore the region. In the 18th century, Iroquois land surrounding Buffalo Creek was ceded through the Holland Land Purchase, and a small village was established at its headwaters. Buffalo was selected as the terminus of the Erie Canal in 1825, which led to its incorporation in 1832 and stimulated its growth as the primary inland port between the Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean. Transshipment made Buffalo the world's largest grain port in that era. After the coming of railroads greatly reduced the canal's importance, the city became the second-largest railway hub (after Chicago), and the city came to be dominated by steel production by the 20th century. Later, deindustrialization and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway saw the city's economy decline and diversify. It developed its service industries, such as health care, retail, tourism, logistics, and education, while retaining some manufacturing. In 2019, the gross domestic product of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area was $53 billion (~$64 billion in 2024). The city's cultural landmarks include the oldest urban parks system in the United States, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the Buffalo History Museum, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Shea's Performing Arts Center, the Buffalo Museum of Science, and several annual festivals. Its educational institutions include the University at Buffalo, Buffalo State University, Canisius University, and D'Youville University. Buffalo is also known for its winter weather, Buffalo wings, and two major-league sports teams: the National Football League's Buffalo Bills and the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres.

Infobox

Country

United States

State

New York

Region

Western New York

Metro

Buffalo–Niagara Falls

County

Erie

First settled (village)

1789; 236 years ago (1789)

Founded

1801; 224 years ago (1801)

Incorporated (city)

1832; 193 years ago (1832)

Named after

Buffalo River

• Type

Strong mayor-council

• Body

Buffalo Common Council

• Mayor

Christopher Scanlon (D) (acting)

• Deputy Mayor

Brian Gould (D)

• State Senators

April Baskin & Sean Ryan (D)

• Assemblymembers

William Conrad III (D), Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D), Patrick Burke (D), Patrick Chludzinski (R), & Jon Rivera (D)

• U.S. Rep.

Tim Kennedy (D)

• City

278,349

• Land

40.38 sq mi (104.58 km2)

• Water

12.10 sq mi (31.34 km2)

Elevation

600 ft (180 m)

• Rank

US: 80th NY: 2nd

• Density

6,893.5/sq mi (2,661.58/km2)

• Urban

948,864 (US: 50th)

• Urban density

2,787/sq mi (1,075.9/km2)

• Metro

$90.716 billion (2023)

Demonyms

Buffalonian

Time zone

UTC−05:00 (EST)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−04:00 (EDT)

ZIP code

142XX

Area codes

716, 624

FIPS code

36-11000

GNIS feature ID

0973345

Website

buffalony.gov