

In 2019, the gross domestic product of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls MSA was $53 billion. It developed its service industries, such as health care, retail, tourism, logistics, and education, while retaining some manufacturing.

Lawrence Seaway saw the city's economy decline and diversify. Later, deindustrialization and the opening of the St. During the mid-19th century, Buffalo transitioned to manufacturing, which came to be dominated by steel production. After the coming of railroads reduced the canal's importance, the city became the second-largest railway hub (after Chicago). Transshipment made Buffalo the world's largest grain port of that era. The canal stimulated its growth as the primary inland port between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1825, after its harbor was improved, Buffalo was selected as the terminus of the Erie Canal, which led to its incorporation in 1832. 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. In the early 17th century, the French began to explore the region. Buffalo is in Western New York, which is the largest population and economic center between Boston and Cleveland.īefore the 17th century, the region was inhabited by nomadic Paleo-Indians who were succeeded by the Neutral, Erie, and Iroquois nations. The city and nearby Niagara Falls together make up the two-county Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which had an estimated population of 1.1 million in 2020, making it the 49th largest MSA in the United States. With a population of 278,349 according to the 2020 census, Buffalo is the 78th-largest city in the United States. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Southern Ontario. state of New York and the seat of Erie County. Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S.
