Buffalo (pronounced /ˈbʌfəloʊ/) is the second most populous city in the state  of New York, second only to New York City.[1]  Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat  of Erie County.[5]  The city itself has a population of 292,648 (2000 Census).[1]  The Buffalo–Niagara–Cattaraugus Combined Statistical Area is home to 1,254,066 residents.
Originating around 1789 as a small trading community near the eponymous Buffalo Creek,[3] Buffalo grew quickly after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, with the city as its western terminus. By 1900, Buffalo was the 8th largest city in the country,[6] and went on to become a major railroad hub,[7] the largest grain-milling center in the country,[8] and the home of the largest steel-making operation in the world.[9] The latter part of the 20th Century saw a reversal of fortunes: by the year 1990 the city had fallen back below its 1900 population levels. The rerouting of Great Lakes shipping by the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway was a factor in the decline of the city. The closing or relocating of many of the steel mills and other heavy industries in the area also contributed to the decline.