Buffalo, a phoenix imprisoned by its ashes

Initially occupied by the Indian tribes until the middle of the 17th century, the region of Buffalo was gradually conquered by the Europeans. It was the object of numerous splits between Indians, English, French, and Americans for its appropriation, as when the British set the city on fire in 1812. After a relatively slow development, it was the real economic and industrial explosion that struck the city at the end of the 19th century. Buffalo embodied then a strategic point for the country thanks to its harbor and industrial facilities, its storage area (in particular for grains in the Silo District in the South of the city) and its geographical position by lake Erie, key point for commercial tactics with Canada. The first half of the 20th century saw Buffalo grow, shine and become a city full of resources, dynamic and prosperous. City Hall, that looks like a Citizen Kane’s building, stands at the heart of the city, offering a magnificent view of Niagara Falls. As a historical anecdote, the construction of the glorious City Hall was completed a week before the stock market crash of 1929. 

This first crash did not moreover bode well for Buffalo. Although it was not fatal for the city, it was certainly towards the end of the 1960s that adjectives such as "flourishing" and "prosperous" were given to describe it. The opening of the sea route of the Saint Laurent in 1957, the deindustrialization and the development of the tertiary sector, as well as massive American imports slowly changed Buffalo into then one of the most powerful ten cities of the country of the American Dream.

When we walk around, the great majority of the buildings of the city center embody the vestiges of this "golden era" which Buffalo knew experienced at the beginning of the 20th century. Following the example of Detroit, the border city seems emptied of its inhabitants, its energy, and the life that used to animate it. The Theater District on Main Street used to be the nerve center of American entertainment, burlesque shows which warmed the cold winter nights of the Roaring twenties, the epicenter of vibrant Buffalo during its glory days. Today, its streets seem almost deserted. The weather forecast is certainly at fault, in particular with the recent snowstorm, which paralyzed the so-called City of Lights, where the equivalent of more than year of snow-covered precipitation came down in one week, responsible for 13 deaths. But that is not all. From the bridge linking the Canadian territory to the US, you cannot miss the tens of old factories that were abandoned or are in ruin. Close to the port, Silo City, where grains were stocked in immense silos, the carcasses of what used to the primary mean of earnings for Buffalo’s inhabitants are exposed in the open air. 

The impact of this slow descent to hell or the most recent economic crisis of 2008 did not fail to be felt by the population. In Buffalo you can meet a number of homeless people near the train station and the main roads, police cars in strategic areas, and a strong high unemployment rate profoundly anchored there. The socio-geographic distribution of the population is no mere coincidence. A wide highway that practically surrounds the city creates segregation between the relatively well-to-do city center, the African-American district in the East and the Puerto Rican district in the West, near the Canadian border. The formerly humming engine of Buffalo seems, at first sight, to have gone out.

But let’s not be so pessimistic. Like a phoenix reborn from its ashes, Buffalo is seemingly gently waking up, or perhaps was never really asleep. With a little more than 261,000 inhabitants, its small scale makes it a warm city where we know each face or name. Also known as the "City of Good Neighbors", Buffalo has a sense of strong community and solidarity, especially during such difficult winter months. If your car is stuck in the snow, you will not have to wait even five minutes before someone lends you a hand. Religion also plays its role and many Buffalo churches are the foundation of a strong faith community, including Christian (more than 232 churches of all faiths).

The area of Allentown and Elmwood also showcase a new breath of fresh air on the activity of Buffalo, where more and more foodtrucks, locavores and vegetarian restaurants are emerging, which are by the way delicious: at Ashter's, their smoothies are creamy and grilled turkey salads are divine!

The Buffalo’s architecture has always been one of its greatest assets, from its first parks to old factories rehabilitated into artists' studios or concert halls. City Hall as the tower of One M & T Plaza, a project by architect Minoru Yamasaki at the origin of the World Trade Center in New York, are architectural feats that give the city that particular stamp. During the economic boom in the early 20th century, a phenomenon of gentrification allowed hundreds of villas and mansions to be built by great and powerful families, now often transformed into schools, reception rooms or homes to large institutions.

In other words, Buffalo is not hopeless. Despite many setbacks that she wiped endured and is still enduring, the City of Lights is on track to get a second breath. With its friendly people and buildings full of history, it is full of promise and certainly on the verge of a new era. Moreover, apart from its summers said to be one of the most enjoyable of the United States, it’s apparently the only city in the country where you can see one of the most beautiful sunsets on the lake. One reason among many others to go check it out.