Buffalo is located in western New York State on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, in front of Fort Erie, Ontario and close to the border between the USA and Canada. Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie County.
Buffalo City is the second largest city and the largest inland port in the state of New York. Lake Ontario has made the city one of the nation's leading inland ports, while the hydroelectric power supplied by Niagara Falls has attracted a diverse array of industries.
Buffalo has worked hard to capitalize on its strengths, location and natural resources to build a diversified economy based on financial services, life science research and services, and high-technology and computer equipment manufacturing.
The city has capitalized on the opportunity for foreign trade since 1988, when a free trade agreement was forged between the two countries.
At the same time, Buffalo has high-technology companies at the region, with its authorities support to promote the growth and the sustenance of the companies at the zone. Buffalo is considered one of the most wired municipalities in the U.S., with extensive fiber optic networks that are attractive to the high-tech entrepreneur.
The city of Buffalo is one of the world's premier tourist attractions drawing more than 10 million visitors annually. Toronto, Ontario, is less than two hours away from Buffalo. Tourists, shoppers, and theater-goers visiting these popular spots add significantly to Buffalo's economy.
Buffalo characterizes itself as the City of Good Neighbors and is a cosmopolitan municipality with strong ethnic loyalties and a record of good inter-group interaction.
A great place to get the overview of Buffalo is from the Buffalo City Hall's Observation Tower, which affords an aerial view of the city and surrounding waterways. Popular sights in the downtown area include Sullivan's Guaranty Building, a 13-story skyscraper opened in 1896, Darwin Martin House and other good attractions.
The region experiences a fairly humid, continental-type climate, but with a definite maritime flavor due to strong modification from the Great Lakes. Summers are marked by plentiful sunshine and moderate humidity and temperature.
Rainfall is moderate but typically occurs at night. The stabilizing effect of Lake Erie continues to inhibit thunderstorms and enhance sunshine in the immediate Buffalo area through most of July.
The city has a reputation for severe winters, usually spanning from mid-November to early April, which is slightly exaggerated. The effect of below-freezing winds gusting across the warmer lake water produces lake effect snow in amounts higher than most northern states. The lake effect also produces a somewhat longer winter season, but additionally contributes to frequent thaws.