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79-777: The territory around Buffalo Creek was conquered by the Seneca in the 1600s from the Wenrohronon , also called Wenro. Sometime between 1660 and 1690 the Seneca began to occupy the area. This was during the period of the Beaver Wars, when the Iroquois nations worked to expand their territory and hunting grounds. During the American Revolution , the Sullivan Expedition of 1779 destroyed many towns of

158-610: A humid continental climate heavily influenced by both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario . Winters are long and cold, often lasting from around mid-November to early April. There are often snows before and after that period, as well. Western New York is known for its lake effect snows, which can result in highly localized, sometimes intense and even historic snow events. Lake effect storms are a result of cold air picking up water vapor as it blows over warm lake waters. Lake effect snows are usually most active between November and February and typically diminish when Lake Erie freezes over. Generally,

237-688: A 447-square-mile (1,160 km ) watershed in Western New York state, emptying into the eastern end of Lake Erie at the City of Buffalo . The river has three tributaries: Cayuga Creek , Buffalo Creek , and Cazenovia Creek . The Buffalo River has been important to the development of western New York, including as the terminus for the Erie Canal beginning in 1825, and later as an industrial area with uses including grain elevators, steel mills and chemical production. When shipping began to bypass

316-719: A Friday fish fry special. The fish fry retains particular popularity during Lent , when Catholics are still barred from eating meat on Friday. Italian-American food is a specialty in western New York. Most towns in the region have pizzerias. The Texas hot , introduced by Greek immigrants in the 1920s, has a strong following in the region, and several hot dog stands offer the dish. Longstanding Texas hot stands include Ted's Hot Dogs in Buffalo (1927), Rigas Texas Hot in Wellsville (1921), and Johnny's Lunch in Jamestown (1936;

395-506: A Great Lakes/Interior Northeastern area, with a dose of Appalachia in the Southern Tier , an overlapping region of the state. Buffalo appears to have similarities to other Great Lakes cities/areas, while having Northeastern proclivities. The similarities with Chicago and Milwaukee run the list from sharing a common industrial base traditionally built around steel and automobile manufacturing. The cities were both developed during

474-716: A Seneca settlement. On July 8, 1788, Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham met with Indians of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (including Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca) at Buffalo Creek to execute a deed or treaty for rights to their lands in New York State east of the Genesee River (see Phelps and Gorham Purchase ). In 1838, the Treaty of Buffalo Creek dealt with

553-454: A celebration ceremony, he poured Atlantic Ocean water into the Lake, and collected lake water to place in the ocean after his return trip to New York City. It is believed that the city of Buffalo was named after Buffalo Creek. There are several unsourced theories for the origin of the creek's name. Early French and Moravian explorers reported the abundance of buffalo (or American bison) on

632-564: A daily rural route between Buffalo and various locations in Pennsylvania; New York Trailways also serves Buffalo and Rochester, connecting to various locations, as does Greyhound Bus Lines . One discount " Chinatown service " operates in Western New York; Ocean Travel runs an overnight express service between Buffalo, Rochester and New York City. In its early history, Western New York was settled by native cultures including

711-564: A large grant of land. The Tuscarora went to Lewiston . The remaining Seneca, Cayugas , and Onondaga peoples, led by Sayenqueraghta (Old King) and his son-in-law Roland Montour , chose to settle at Buffalo Creek. Because the Seneca had been allies of the defeated British, the US forced them to cede most of their territory. By the Treaty of Big Tree in 1797, the Seneca relinquished all of Western New York except for twelve reservations, including Buffalo Creek. This reservation encompassed much of

790-530: Is "The City of Light". Buffalo experienced steady growth during the 19th century and at one point was one of the 10 most populated cities in the United States. According to some, Rochester was "America's First Boomtown" and was a key player in the flour industry (hence its initial nickname "Flour City"). Its growth was attributed to both the completion of the Erie Canal and its resulting significance in

869-544: Is its largest urban center. Letchworth State Park is a major geographical feature. The fourth region is that of the western Finger Lakes Region composed of parts of Seneca, Steuben, Schuyler, and Chemung counties. While parts of the Finger Lakes are considered within Western New York (as either a region or quadrant) the eastern portions are typically considered a part of Central New York. The Genesee region and Western Finger Lakes region are often combined and described as

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948-536: Is primarily agricultural and wooded areas, with the exception of several small residential communities. The two branches meet near East Aurora , after which Cazenovia Creek flows through the towns of Aurora , Elma , and West Seneca, and the city of Buffalo until its confluence with the Buffalo River. The Buffalo Creek area is believed to have been held by the Neutral Nation prior to the 1650s, when

1027-579: Is the northernmost tributary in the watershed. This 40-mile-long (64 km) creek begins in primarily farmland/wooded areas and passes through several residential communities, including Cheektowaga, Lancaster, and Depew, before its confluence with Buffalo Creek. The East Branch of Cazenovia Creek begins in Sardinia , and the West Branch begins in Concord . The land adjacent to these two branches

1106-573: The Buffalo and Rochester areas as two different metropolitan areas. If it were counted as a state, the population of Western New York would rank as the 37th most populated state in the United States. The following cities are found in the 17 western counties: Batavia , Buffalo , Canandaigua , Corning , Dunkirk , Elmira , Geneva , Hornell , Jamestown , Lackawanna , Lockport , Niagara Falls , North Tonawanda , Olean , Rochester , Salamanca , Tonawanda . The following villages are found in

1185-673: The Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres . Team loyalties of sports fans in the rest of upstate New York are more divided. Most baseball fans support the Cleveland Guardians , New York Yankees and New York Mets , although the Toronto Blue Jays have seen an increase in support due to the influx of Canadians in the area - as well as the region's proximity to Toronto, the Blue Jays' increased on-field success in

1264-572: The Buffalo Sabres , the region is also home to a number of Toronto Maple Leafs , New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins supporters. "Friday night fish fry " is also regionally popular, a holdover from when Catholics were forbidden to eat meat on Fridays. It is usually skinless cod although most restaurants in the area claim they use the higher quality haddock, and is frequently beer-battered, deep fried, and served with French fries and cole slaw. Numerous restaurants in Western New York have

1343-754: The Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY area, the Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY area, and the Elmira-Corning, NY area. Western New York is in some contexts considered a sub-region of " Upstate New York " (when that term is used to describe all of New York State outside Long Island and the New York City metropolitan area ); in most cases however, New Yorkers identify by specific regionalities such as Western New York or Central New York in preference to

1422-877: The COVID-19 pandemic . More commonly, WNY has been defined to include at least Genesee , Orleans , and Wyoming counties as well. Almost all descriptions of WNY in the Buffalo media market define it as this 8 county area. Most organizations that use WNY in their name including the WNY College Consortium, the WNY Genealogical Society, WNY PRISM, the Psychological Association of WNY, and the WNY Land Conservancy describe themselves as working in these 8 counties. Others, such as Clarion Publications,

1501-598: The Finger Lakes region. Western New York also includes several Seneca Nation enclaves. If it were counted as a single area, the population of Western New York would number just over 2.6 million, and would rank as the 24th largest metropolitan area of the United States, between the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and the Sacramento, California metropolitan area . However, the U.S. Census Bureau has classified

1580-701: The Fox sisters was relocated to Lily Dale in 1916. Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement , reported receiving the Book of Mormon in Palmyra, Wayne County. The women's civic organization Zonta was founded in Buffalo in 1919. In the late 20th century this area became part of the Rust Belt of the United States, being a focal point for the transportation of grain, steel, and coal. The opening of

1659-661: The Genesee Valley in the region, although those legally belong in the Finger Lakes Region and are separate from Western New York Region. The State of New York sometimes defines the WNY region as including just five counties: Allegany , Cattaraugus , Chautauqua , Erie , and Niagara . The state's Empire State Development Corporation and state health authorities have both mapped the region this way. The state has also used this regional boundary to set policy during

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1738-585: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation established the Buffalo River Urban Canoe Trail and published a guide in the 1990s describing the bridges, factories and other points of interest along the river. In 2011, Buffalo River Fest Park was opened along the river, including docks, a boardwalk, and a band stand. Western New York Western New York ( WNY ) is the westernmost region of

1817-602: The Northwest Territory established the next year and formed part of a new state.) Native title, with the exception of several reservations, was extinguished in the Treaty of Canandaigua in 1794, while the Phelps and Gorham Purchase and Holland Purchase opened the territory for settling. During the War of 1812 Western New York was part of the borderland frontier between the United States and British Canada and became

1896-577: The Rochester Metropolitan Area . The northern part of Western New York features four railroad stations in service on the Empire Corridor : Rochester , Buffalo-Depew , Buffalo-Exchange Street and Niagara Falls . The Buffalo-Exchange Street and Niagara Falls stations do not see as much rail service as the other two Western New York stations due to the fact that, west of Depew Station, Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited leaves

1975-783: The Seneca Nation of Indians , the Olean Area Transit System and Access Allegany to provide public transportation to most of the Southern Tier. In addition to the public transportation authorities, which provide limited intercity connections, several commercial intercity bus services also operate. Coach USA operates a loop service between Buffalo, Jamestown and Olean; the bus connects to a route to New York City in Olean and to Megabus service to Toronto and New York City in Buffalo. Fullington Trailways operates

2054-645: The Seneca nation and its Iroquois allies conquered the territory during the Beaver Wars . In the spring of 1780, the British established an Indian village on Buffalo Creek for the mostly Seneca people who had been forced off their lands by the destructive Sullivan Expedition of 1779. They had fled to Fort Niagara for refuge with the British. After the war, the Buffalo Creek area was developed further as

2133-442: The U.S. state of New York . The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY includes the cities of Buffalo , Niagara Falls , Jamestown , and the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of Niagara Frontier , and Chautauqua-Alleghany (or the western Southern Tier ). Many would also place Rochester and

2212-528: The Welland Canal in 1957 effectively rendered the narrower Erie Canal obsolete, further exacerbating economic problems in the region. The area saw an economic decline during the period of deindustrialization , leaving many empty steel mills including those of Bethlehem Steel , which was the 2nd largest steel mill in the world. The plant located in Lackawanna , New York provided nearly 25,000 jobs to

2291-554: The 1620s; some relics of their presence, including Fort Niagara and a portage road that follows modern New York State Route 394 between Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake , are still visible in the region. Western New York's land was acquired from the Iroquois through the Nanfan Treaty , which ceded the territory to England at the end of the Beaver Wars in 1701. At the time, four of the British colonies ( Pennsylvania , New York , Massachusetts and Connecticut ) laid claim to

2370-1905: The 17 western counties: Addison , Akron , Albion , Alden , Alexander , Alfred , Allegany , Almond , Andover , Angelica , Angola , Arcade , Arkport , Attica , Avoca , Avon , Barker , Bath , Belmont , Bemus Point , Bergen , Blasdell , Bloomfield , Bolivar , Brockport , Brocton , Burdett , Caledonia , Canaseraga , Canisteo , Cassadaga , Castile , Cattaraugus , Celoron , Cherry Creek , Churchville , Clarence , Clifton Springs , Clyde , Cohocton , Corfu , Cuba , Dansville , Delevan , Depew , Dresden , Dundee , Dunkirk , East Aurora , East Randolph , East Rochester , Eden , Elba , Ellicottville , Elmira Heights , Fairport , Falconer , Farnham , Forestville , Franklinville , Fredonia , Gainesville , Geneseo , Gowanda , Hamburg , Hammondsport , Hilton , Holley , Honeoye Falls , Horseheads , Interlaken , Kenmore , Lakewood , Lancaster , Le Roy , Leicester , Lewiston , Lima , Limestone , Little Valley , Livonia , Lodi , Lyndonville , Lyons , Lockport , Macedon , Manchester , Mayville , Medina , Middleport , Millport , Montour Falls , Mount Morris , Naples , Newark , Newfane , North Collins , North Hornell , North Tonawanda , Nunda , Oakfield , Odessa , Orchard Park , Ovid , Painted Post , Palmyra , Panama , Pavilion , Penn Yan , Perry , Perrysburg , Phelps , Pike , Pittsford , Portville , Randolph , Red Creek , Richburg , Riverside , Rushville , Savona , Scottsville , Sherman , Shortsville , Silver Creek , Silver Springs , Sinclairville , Sloan , Sodus , Sodus Point , South Corning , South Dayton , Spencerport , Springville , Tonawanda , Van Etten , Victor , Warsaw , Waterloo , Watkins Glen , Wayland , Webster , Wellsburg , Wellsville , Westfield , Williamsville , Wilson , Wolcott , Wyoming and Youngstown . Western New York has

2449-548: The 1885 Erie County Fair (known as the Hamburg Fair) in Hamburg, New York , Frank and Charles Menches sold a ground beef sandwich, which is one of the earliest claims of the invention of the hamburger . Beef on Weck is a regional favorite and a local invention in which sliced warm roast beef is piled high on a Kummelweck roll topped with caraway seeds and large grained salt, au jus and horseradish are often added to

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2528-486: The American economy during the 19th century. Large scale immigration from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Great Britain and Germany soon followed into the region. The New Religious Movement known as Spiritualism was among several that arose in the early 19th century burned-over district of Western New York. Its major center is Lily Dale , one of the largest spiritualism communities in the United States. The original house of

2607-464: The Buffalo area. Outside of the cities, agriculture has always been a major factor in the economy, especially dairy farming . Ski country runs through Western New York. Glenwood and Ellicottville both have multiple ski resorts within their boundaries; Ellicottville, in particular, has seen massive gentrification from the development of the large ski resorts within the town boundaries and has attempted to build on that growth by branding itself as

2686-463: The Colera family is also tied to several other Jamestown stands such as AJ Texas Hots, which launched in 1968, and Michael's, which operated from 1976 to 2021). The region produces many agricultural products, including milk, maple syrup, apples, cherries, potatoes, sweet corn, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and grapes. As with the rest of Upstate New York , dairy farming is an important part of

2765-533: The Empire Corridor en route to the Midwest. For a period of time, there were proposals to service these four stations with high-speed rail . A major objective of implementing high-speed rail service was to better connect Western New York as well as the rest of Upstate New York with New York City. However, little of substance has come of these proposals. Service to other parts of Western New York ended from

2844-538: The Erie Canal in the 1950s, and later heavy industry declined, the transportation and industrial uses of the river were greatly reduced. Many adjacent factories and grain mills were abandoned. The river and adjacent sites have been the focus of efforts over several decades to improve water quality and restore habitat, most recently in 2011 with the commencement of the Buffalo River Restoration Project. The Buffalo River flows eastward from

2923-655: The Genesee river, together with parcels from the Buffalo Creek and Cattaraugus Reservations in 1826 by Thomas Ogden, Benjamin W. Rodgers, and Robert Troup incentivized further efforts to dispossess the Haudenosaunee nations. Beginning in 1837, four agents of the Ogden Land Company, Heman Potter a Buffalo attorney, Orlando Allen, James Stryker, and Henry P. Wilcox bribed, intimidated and deceived 43 of

3002-587: The Hopewell. The territory of Western New York, until the 17th century, was held by the Neutral Nation in the northern Niagara region and the Wenrohronon and Erie Indians around the Allegheny River . The Seneca nation and their allies in the Iroquois Confederacy eliminated those tribes in wars during the Beaver Wars between 1638 and 1701, with any survivors being assimilated into the Senecas (in

3081-461: The Rochester area is the " white hot ", a hot dog with a slight variation of ingredients that appears without the distinctive pink color of most hot dogs; when ordering a hot dog in Rochester it is common to be asked to clarify whether it should be "red or white". In urban areas in Western New York, education, business, light manufacturing and tourism have replaced heavy manufacturing which left

3160-571: The Seneca, as they were allies of the British. The homeless people fled to the protection of the British at Fort Niagara . At one point the British were reported to be feeding and housing over 5000 refugees. Following a terrible winter of 1779–80 at Niagara, the Iroquois began to disperse. Joseph Brant took a group of mixed tribal members to the Grand River in Canada, where the Crown promised them

3239-541: The Western Southern Tier ) comprises Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties. The region is mountainous. The largest urban center is Jamestown , and Lake Chautauqua and Allegany State Park are major geographical features. The third region, the Genesee Region, comprises Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Orleans, Ontario, and Yates counties and parts of Genessee and Wyoming counties. Rochester

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3318-505: The area at the end of World War II. Rochester and Buffalo were especially hard-hit with the exodus of manufacturing jobs to other areas of the United States and nations like China and Mexico. Niagara Falls was also hard-hit and has shed half of its population since its peak in 1960. Today, major corporations in Western New York include Kodak , Wegmans , Bausch & Lomb , Xerox , M&T Bank , KeyBank and Moog , among many others. General Motors continues to operate three facilities in

3397-565: The area of the Holland Purchase and the Phelps and Gorham Purchase . The area is primarily served by Buffalo and Rochester media markets , although there is considerable overlap between these two markets, as well as other American and Canadian media markets (particularly from nearby Toronto ). In terms of the combined statistical areas used by the United States Census Bureau , Western New York consists of

3476-612: The case of the Erie and Neutral) or Huron (in the case of the Wenro). The Neutral territory is currently held by Tuscaroras , who moved up from the Carolinas while refugees from the Erie tribes moved south to the Carolinas. French forces settled in parts of what is now Western New York through much of the 17th century, beginning with Étienne Brûlé 's pass-through of the region in 1615 and Joseph de La Roche Daillon 's missionary journeys in

3555-549: The cleanup of the Buffalo River In 2011, the Buffalo River Restoration Project commenced, which includes major dredging to remove contaminated sediment, habitat restoration, and site access projects. According to a statement by the Army Corps of Engineers in the spring of 2012, the project will result in the Buffalo River being removed from the list of Areas of Concern in three to five years. The Buffalo office of

3634-423: The disposition of the remaining land in New York held by the nations of the Iroquois Confederation. The federal government released a total of about 5 million acres for sale. In 1825, the Buffalo River was the western terminus for the Erie Canal , constructed through the Mohawk River valley in New York state. Entry to the river from the Canal was gained via the mouth of a small tributary, Little Buffalo Creek, which

3713-401: The economy. New York State is a leading producer among the states of dairy, maple, and wine. Perhaps the best-known food specialty of Western New York is Buffalo chicken wings (known locally simply as 'wings' or 'chicken wings'). The two best-known places to get wings are Duff's and the Anchor Bar , which have a strong local rivalry in Buffalo and both are expanding outside the city. At

3792-416: The facility doubles as a gateway to Canada, and a good portion of its passengers (33%) are Canadian. The second major airport in Western New York, Greater Rochester International Airport , does not see as much traffic as Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. Still, located just three nautical miles southwest of Downtown Rochester, the facility provides convenient access to airline service for many residents of

3871-402: The flour industry. Olean was originally planned to be a similar major hub, but it proved to be at a major disadvantage: located near the headwaters of the Allegheny River (a factor its planners had hoped would make the city a gateway to the Midwest), the river was too shallow to support large boat travel or shipping on a consistent basis. As a region, Western New York played a significant role in

3950-403: The growing season. Lost in its famed winters, Western New York summers are among the sunniest in the Northeast [REDACTED]   Canada and are generally very pleasant. Thanks in part to breezes blowing over Lakes Erie and Ontario (which are usually cooler than the air temperature in the summer), most of Western New York enjoy generally cooler and more comfortable summers than other regions in

4029-428: The heaviest amount of snow in Western New York during the winter falls near the southern end of Erie County as well as in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Wyoming counties. Spring and fall in Western New York are usually short and changeable. The presence of the lakes allows for fruit growing and wine production along areas adjacent to both lakes, which retard the development of damaging spring and fall frost, thereby extending

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4108-425: The land sale that required the treaty fell through, the US negotiated a new treaty, which the Senate ratified in 1842. At the same time late in 1842, the land company established by David A. Ogden found buyers for a 5,000 acre portion of the Buffalo Creek Reservation; these were members of the Ebenezer Society , and their leader Christian Metz soon occupied the house of Chief John Seneca. The Buffalo Creek reservation

4187-410: The local economy. Republic Steel also had a large integrated steel mill located in South Buffalo . General Motors in Tonawanda is the largest vehicle engine plant in the world, which still is a major contributor to the Buffalo area economy. Ford Motor Company also maintains a large manufacturing facility in Woodlawn , New York, which is just south of Buffalo . Western New York is culturally

4266-465: The mid-1960s to 1970. The Erie Lackawanna 's Phoebe Snow served on a southeastern trajectory from Buffalo to Elmira , Binghamton , Scranton and Hoboken ; service ended in 1966. The E-L's Lake Cities originated in Chicago , passing through Western New York's Jamestown , then through the rest of the Southern Tier , Orange County and terminating at Hoboken, NJ; service ended on January 6, 1970. The Pennsylvania Railroad 's Buffalo Day Express

4345-440: The mid-2010s, and the affiliation with the longstanding minor league Buffalo Bisons . The Pittsburgh Pirates have some following in southwestern New York, and teams with national fanbases such as the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs also have followings. The region has no clear favorite professional basketball franchise, with the Brooklyn Nets , Cleveland Cavaliers , New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors all claiming parts of

4424-399: The more than 80 Seneca chiefs to agree to the Treaty of Buffalo Creek , which was part of the Indian Removal policy initiated by President Andrew Jackson 's administration. It required the Seneca of western New York to cede all of their reservation lands and move west of the Mississippi River , specifically to Wisconsin and Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), within five years. After

4503-404: The name Buffalo Creek four times in his journal of 1764, indicating that the name was in common use at that time. Numerous other Buffalo Creeks are feature names in the United States, many in eastern states. Scholars believe it is likely most were named after the animal, as was done with numerous Beaver Creeks, Otter Creeks, etc. The Buffalo River and to a lesser degree its tributaries have been

4582-419: The point of confluence, passing through residential and heavily industrialized parts of the city. The river includes a 6.2-mile (10.0 km) federal navigation channel maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers at a depth of 23 feet (7.0 m) below lake level (along with an additional 1.4 miles [2.3 km] of the City Ship Canal). Because of this designation, bridges in the navigable part of

4661-455: The present site of the city of Buffalo, New York , as well as its southern and western suburbs. By 1817 an estimate placed the population on the reservation at around 700 Seneca, plus small numbers of other displaced people. In 1804, Joseph Ellicott laid out the village of Buffalo, and his office in Batavia was making sales for the Holland Land Company . The purchase of Seneca reservations at Caneadea, Big Tree, Squawky Hill, and Gardeau, along

4740-448: The publisher of the WNY Travel Guide and WesternNY.com, have used the term Western New York to describe a much larger area consisting of 17 counties. In addition to those counties mentioned, they add Chemung , Livingston , Monroe , Ontario , Schuyler , Seneca , Steuben , Wayne , and Yates as well. The rest of this article uses that definition. The 17 counties have a land area of 11,764 square miles (30,470 km ). They include

4819-447: The region as part of their regional broadcasting territories. (Western New York puts more emphasis on college basketball , where the "Big 4" Division I programs—Canisius, Niagara, St. Bonaventure and UB—all have strong followings and rivalries; while most attention has been centered around the men's college basketball teams, the recent success of UB and St. Bonaventure's women's teams has led to increased attention to women's basketball in

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4898-488: The region. A few shortline railroads also offer rail service, including the New York and Lake Erie Railroad and the Arcade and Attica Railroad . The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority runs regular bus service throughout the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority serves Rochester and surrounding counties, and the Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System serves Chautauqua County. First Transit contracts with

4977-419: The region. Rochester Components Operations, formerly known as Rochester Division, produces fuel system components. Lockport Operations, formerly Harrison Thermal Systems, produces cooling system components and was awarded $ 154 million for additional and future products in 2022. Finally, Tonawanda Power Train originally opened in 1938 as a Chevrolet engine plant and continues producing 4 and 8 cylinder engines in

5056-513: The region. The college basketball scene once had enough clout to help drive Buffalo's NBA team, the 1970s-era Buffalo Braves , out of the city.) Syracuse University sports, being the closest major-conference school to the region, also has a sizable following in western New York, particularly in basketball. College football interest is minimal, with no team having a major following (not even UB, who has struggled to maintain its Division I football program despite modest success). For hockey, other than

5135-491: The river are required to allow for passage of high vessels, and many of them are drawbridges . The very low hydraulic gradient of the river, along with the dredging, gives the river an estuarine -like character. Much of the shoreline is hardened by riprap , bulkhead Towns of Arcade , Java , and Sheldon , before flowing into Erie County. The creek flows through Elma and West Seneca , before its confluence with Cayuga Creek in West Seneca. Cayuga Creek

5214-438: The same climatic zone. Interstate System U.S. Routes Western New York has two airports that provide significant regular passenger service, Buffalo-Niagara International Airport and Greater Rochester International Airport . Buffalo-Niagara International Airport is the most patronized airport facility in Western New York. While it primarily serves as the regional airport for the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Area ,

5293-442: The same or similar dish under other names, usually containing the word "plate". The Rochester Red Wings baseball team concessions at Frontier Field , for example, offer the "Home Plate". A component of the garbage plate and many other local dishes is a topping known in Rochester as "hot sauce." The term in this context does not refer to a pepper sauce , but to a spiced sauce containing bits of meat. Another food associated with

5372-431: The same period in American history , so the street patterns, architecture , and ethnic communities share a similar appearance. Linguistically, Western New York is part of the Inland North region of American English, which means it is subject to the Northern Cities vowel shift ; a distinct variant of that accent, " Buffalo English ", is heard in many parts of the region. Finally, most Western New York sports fans support

5451-419: The sandwich. Butter lambs are a popular tradition in Buffalo during the Lenten season leading into Easter . The Broadway Market, a market in Buffalo, is famous for this product. The Rochester area is known for the Garbage Plate . It was created and continues to be served by Nick Tahou Hots on West Main Street. The name "Garbage Plate" is trademarked by Nick Tahou's, but other Rochester restaurants serve

5530-438: The scene of various military actions. The two major Western New York cities, Buffalo and Rochester, benefited greatly from the opening of the Erie Canal . With its strategic position at the western end of the Erie Canal, the eastern end of Lake Erie and proximity to Niagara Falls and Canada, Buffalo emerged as a major port. Niagara Falls provided Buffalo with a ready supply of power, so much so that one of its enduring nicknames

5609-495: The site of heavy industry, although this has declined in recent decades. This, along with large combined sewer overflows along the river, has resulted in highly contaminated sediments and impaired water quality. In 1987, most of the Buffalo River along with the City Ship Canal was listed as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern in The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada. For over 60 years Stanley Spisiak , known as Mr. Buffalo River, fought for

5688-556: The south shore of Lake Erie , but their presence on the banks of Buffalo Creek is still a matter of debate. The origin of the name of the creek is still uncertain. Neither the Seneca name ( Te-osah-wa , "Place of the Basswoods") or the French name ("River of Horses") survived, so the current name likely dates to the British occupation, which began with the capture of Fort Niagara in 1759. The British engineer John Montresor mentions

5767-537: The states' Revolutionary War debts, the states were required to extinguish their western land claims . Massachusetts extinguished its claim to the territory in exchange for receiving the profits from its sale to settlers. New York was the only colony not to extinguish its western claim, and by way of the 1786 Treaty of Hartford , the land, with the exception of a small triangle that was ceded to Pennsylvania in 1792 , officially became Western New York. (Had New York extinguished its claim, it would have likely become part of

5846-740: The surrounding land. The Seneca developed the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino on this property, the revenues of which are used for economic development. A branch of its "Seneca One Stop" convenience store chain is being erected on the plot in 2020, with plans to open it in 2021. The Seneca Nation hosts an annual event opened to the public that commemorates the signing of the Buffalo Creek Treaty of 1842. 42°51′45″N 78°39′45″W  /  42.86250°N 78.66250°W  / 42.86250; -78.66250 Buffalo River (New York) The Buffalo River drains

5925-576: The unsettled territory, as did New France until the Seven Years' War . Most of Western New York was officially off-limits to all of the colonies as a result of the establishment of an Indian Reserve over the area following the Seven Years' War. By the 1780s, only New York and Massachusetts still maintained their claims to the territory, which was separated from mainland New York by a Preemption Line . Under federal policy designed to extinguish

6004-556: The vague and broader term Upstate New York. Western New York is generally considered to have 2-4 subregions: The Greater Niagara Region (or the Niagara Frontier), comprises Niagara and Erie counties and parts of Genesee and Wyoming counties. It is named for its major features, the Niagara river and Niagara Falls . Buffalo is its largest urban center. The Chautauqua–Allegheny Region (also known as Southwestern New York or

6083-540: Was another route serving Western New York, traveling south to Baltimore via Olean and Harrisburg ; this train was discontinued in 1967, but an unnamed Penn Central (PC) successor lasted through April 30, 1971, when AMTRAK assumed most of the remaining U.S. rail passenger service but declined to serve the Baltimore-Harrisburg-Buffalo route of the former PRR/PC. The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad and WNY&P both operate freight service in

6162-620: Was excavated and stabilized to form the Commercial Slip leading from the Erie Canal. The Buffalo River formed the southwest boundary of the rough pentagon that enclosed the "Five Points" or " Canal Street " district, bounded on the northeast by the Erie Canal. When the Canal was completed in 1825, New York Governor Dewitt Clinton's vessel was towed from the Canal through the Commercial Slip and Buffalo River to Lake Erie. There in

6241-483: Was the only reservation to be dissolved: the Seneca were allowed to keep their Cattaraugus , Oil Springs , Allegany and Tonawanda reservations after legal battles in the 1850s fought by Onondaga chief Samuel George and other leaders. The modern Buffalo Creek Reservation consists of a nine-acre plot of land, which was part of the original reservation. In 2010, the Seneca bought the land from Carl Paladino , whose Ellicott Development Company continues to own much of

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