Buffalo, New York’s second largest city, was founded in 1832 and originally derived its name from Buffalo Creek. But the origin of the creek’s name has long been debated. Some believe that a prominent member of the Seneca nation was called Buffalo, while others contend that the name evolved from the French phrase “beau fleuve” for “beautiful river.” You can read more about those theories here.
Buffalo’s restaurants and retailers serve one of America’s best collections of regional food specialties, including its eponymous wings, beef on weck sandwiches, sponge candy, chicken finger subs, and unique takes on pizza, hot dogs, Tom and Jerry cocktails, and fish fries.
Buffalo is home to more than a half-dozen different Frank Lloyd Wright designs, including the spectacularly restored Martin House, the lakeside Graycliff Estate, and a boathouse, gas station and mausoleum constructed posthumously.
Our city’s thriving visual arts scene is anchored by the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, which features a world-renowned collection of modern art by visionaries like Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol; and the Burchfield Penney Art Center, which houses the signature collection of famed local watercolorist Charles Burchfield.
In recent years, Buffalo’s extraordinary collection of 19th and early 20th century architecture has been transformed for visitors. These include the Richardson Hotel, a National Historic Landmark designed by H.H. Richardson that was the former Buffalo State Asylum until the 1970s, and the conversion of historic grain silos along Buffalo’s waterfront into a zip line course, rock climbing wall, and performance space for spoken word.
The Erie Canal ended along Buffalo’s waterfront in 1825. Two centuries later, the area surrounding the canal’s Western terminus is now Canalside, a thriving entertainment district filled with attractions, a riverfront boardwalk, and an expansive outdoor skating rink built on a replica of the famous waterway.
Many iconic figures of American culture and politics lived a period of their lives in Buffalo, including Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Shirley Chisholm, Harold Arlen, Aretha Franklin and Rick James. You can see Twain’s original manuscript of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on display in the Central Library downtown, walk past Fitzgerald’s childhood home in the city’s historic Allentown neighborhood, or visit the graves of Chisholm and James in Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Buffalo was an important stop for thousands of 19th century freedom seekers who traveled the Underground Railroad in search of a new life in Canada. The point along the Niagara River where African Americans crossed to Canada has been renamed Freedom Park, and the Michigan Street Baptist Church, another Underground Railroad stop dating back to the 1840s, has recently undergone a multimillion dollar restoration.
Presidents Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland spent formative years of their lives in Buffalo on their journeys to the White House. Buffalo was also the site of the assassination of President William McKinley, and the inauguration of his successor, Theodore Roosevelt. Visitors can see the assassination weapon on display at The Buffalo History Museum, and retrace Roosevelt’s first steps as president at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.