Buffalo is a major inland port and an important commercial and industrial centre. Situated at the western terminus of the New York State Barge Canal, the city has extensive harbour facilities, and is one of the country's largest rail junctions. As a port on the Great Lakes system, Buffalo has access to raw materials (notably grains, coal, and iron ore) from the Midwest and is furnished with an abundance of hydroelectric power generated around the Niagara Falls nearby. These factors have helped make it one of the country's leading flour-milling cities and an important car manufacturing centre.

Among its many educational institutions is the State University of New York at Buffalo (1846). Places of interest are the house (now a national historic site) where in 1901 Theodore Roosevelt took the presidential oath after William McKinley was assassinated, and the grave of Red Jacket, a leader and orator of the Seneca tribe. The city's famous residents have included two United States presidents, Grover Cleveland, who also served as mayor, and Millard Fillmore. Rich Stadium in nearby Orchard Park is the home of the Buffalo Bills American football team. The Buffalo Sabres professional ice hockey team plays at Memorial Auditorium.

Although the site was long traversed by French explorers and traders, it was not settled until 1780, when Native Americans of the Seneca tribe established a village. The settlement became known as Buffalo Creek, named after a nearby stream. The origin of the stream's name may be a corruption of beau fleuve, French for “beautiful river”. With the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 Buffalo flourished, becoming a major distribution point between the East and America's western frontier; by 1850 it had become the country's foremost flour-milling centre. Industrial development of the city was accelerated by the construction of hydroelectric generators at Niagara Falls in the 1890s and shipping activity was enhanced by the completion of the St Lawrence Seaway in 1959. Population (1980) 357,870; (1990) 328,123.

(Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation.)