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Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 55,593. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario (also a city), both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they share. It is part of both the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Western New York region.
[edit] History    The City of Niagara Falls was incorporated on March 17, 1892. New York State Governor Roswell P. Flower signed a bill into law forming the city. Thomas Vincent Welch who was a member of the charter committee and then a New York state assemblyman, but more importantly a second-generation Irishman, was there when the bill was signed, and responsible for asking Governor Flower to sign the bill on St. Patrick's Day. Historically, the city was built around factories that utilized the power of the falling water for energy. Now the downtown area borders a park (Niagara Falls State Park) affording a close-up view of the American, Horseshoe and Bridal Veil Falls. The European migration into the area began in the 17th century with missionaries and explorers. This influx of newcomers may have been a catalyst for already hostile native tribes to turn to open warfare in competition for the fur trade. By the end of the 19th century, the city was a heavy industrial area, due in no small part to the huge power potential offered by the swiftly-flowing Niagara River. There were many chemical industries in Niagara Falls that used the power of the mighty Niagara River. Most of those have since closed and or moved away. The neighborhood of Love Canal gained national media attention in 1978 when United States President Jimmy Carter declared a federal emergency there, and hundreds of residents were relocated.[1] Starting in 1920, the area had been used as a landfill for chemical waste disposal (and later, industrial toxic waste) before its development as a residential area. The Superfund law, which protects people, families, communities and others from heavily contaminated toxic waste sites, was enacted in 1980 in response to the Love Canal situation. While its Canadian twin, Niagara Falls, Ontario, began massively building up its tourism industry in the 1990s, allowing for casinos and tall tower hotels, essentially becoming the "Las Vegas of Canada", Niagara Falls, NY did not grow in the same way. However, in 2004, the Seneca Nation of Indians opened the Seneca Niagara Casino in the former Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center, thereby establishing sovereign Native American territory in the midst of the city. The city has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] [edit] Economy    The economy for the city was originally based around the Falls itself, or at least the power generated by the massive waterfall. This cheap and abundant source of power was the driving force behind the rapid rise of area industry. Around the turn of the 20th century, thousands of immigrants from predominantly European nations such as Italy and Poland came to the area to work the chemical, steel, and manufacturing plants owned by present-day companies such as Occidental. The city's importance declined in the later half of the 20th century for several reasons, perhaps the most devastating being corrupt government, high wages for blue collar workers in comparison to other areas of the country, strength of unions, and high taxes.[unreliable source?] Goods which had previously been cheap to produce in Niagara Falls could now be produced far cheaper elsewhere.[citation needed] Another major toll was suburban migration, a national trend. The city, which once boasted well over 100,000 people at its peak, has seen its population decline by some 50%, as industries shut down and people left for the employment opportunities of the South and West. As such, crime is a problem for the city and its tourism sector with petty thieves often targeting tourists and homeowners alike. The unemployment rate in the City of Niagara Falls was around 12 percent as of May 2009. [3] Slowly efforts are being made to bring a new era of economic prosperity to the City of Niagara Falls and the rest of Niagara County, however minor progress is often overshadowed by larger failures. Local and state government officials have vowed to embrace the physical and cultural advantages that the Niagara region naturally possesses — whether speaking of the Niagara Gorge, burgeoning wine trail, historical landmarks, Little Italy Niagara or Niagara Falls itself. This move away from the city's industrial past to embrace a more sustainable tourism-based economy has led the city to reinvent itself in marketing in recent years. In late 2001, the State of New York established the USA Niagara Development Corporation, a subsidiary to the State's economic development agency, to focus specifically on facilitating development in downtown Niagara Falls, NY. However, the organization has been strongly criticized for doing little to improve Niagara Falls' economy and generating no significant progress since it was founded. [4] [5] The Falls' current development strategy is said to be focused on a pragmatic approach to revitalizing vacant and underutilized buildings in the downtown area as high profile catalyst projects with real economic impact. But the cost to demolish the city's many abandoned buildings makes it impossible for all the eyesores to be dealt with, according to officials, [6] but some have criticized the city of wasting funds elsewhere. [7] The opening of the new Conference Center Niagara Falls in 2005; the redevelopment of the historic United Office Building and the Hotel Niagara; the restoration of "Old" Falls Street, once the primary tourist thoroughfare downtown; the redevelopment of the former Holiday Inn Select as a new Crowne Plaza Resort with several restaurants including the city's first Starbucks Coffee; and other attractions such as the planned Niagara Experience Center; and of course, the Seneca Niagara Casino, attempt to reposition Niagara Falls as a premiere destination. Niagara Falls is currently visited by almost ten million people each year and is considered one of the United States' top ten tourist destinations.[citation needed] The official tourism promotion agency, Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation ( NTCC), was adopted in 2005. [8] "The Mission of the NTCC is quite simple: to enhance the economic prosperity of Niagara County by promoting, selling and marketing the County as a premier destination for meetings, conventions and leisure tourism. While everyone agrees that Niagara Falls is the region’s main attraction, there are a plethora of other attractions that make Niagara USA such a special place to visit." The NTCC has launched several campaigns, domestically and internationally,to promote Niagara Falls Hotels, Niagara Attractions, and various events and festivals in Niagara County. [9] The NTCC's efforts have also been criticized as the city continues to struggle financially and marketing efforts have not generated a significant turnaround. [10] Despite all its efforts, Niagara Falls, NY struggles to keep up with its Canadian neighbor, Niagara Falls, Ontario which has a much more vibrant tourism industry and stronger economy. [11] [edit] GeographyNiagara Falls is located at 43°5′39″N 79°1′2″W / 43.09417°N 79.01722°W (43.094305, -79.017339)[12]. The city is located at the international boundary between the United States of America and Canada. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 square miles (43.5 km²), of that, 14.1 square miles (36.4 km²) of it is land and 2.8 square miles (7.1 km²) of it (16.37%) is water. [edit] TopographyThe city is built along the Niagara Falls waterfalls and the Niagara Gorge on the Niagara River which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. [edit] Adjacent cities and towns
[edit] TransportationAir
Rail
Ground
NFTA replaced two local bus operators in the 1950s: Lockport Bus Lines and Niagara Falls Municipal Transit System. Major highways in the City of Niagara Falls 
[edit] Demographics As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 55,593 people, 24,099 households, and 14,266 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,955.7 people per square mile (1,527.7/km²). There were 27,837 housing units at an average density of 1,980.7 per square mile (765.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.21% White, 18.72% African American, 1.64% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population. There were 24,099 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.2% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,800, and the median income for a family was $34,377. Males had a median income of $31,672 versus $22,124 for females. [edit] MediaNewspapers  The city has two newspapers, the Niagara Gazette, which is published daily, and the Niagara Falls Reporter, which is published weekly. The Buffalo News is the closest major newspaper in the area and has a Niagara County, NY bureau that extensively covers Niagara Falls and its surrounding communities. Radio Television Lockport Community Television is the only local station. All other feeds are from Buffalo, NY or from stations within Southern Ontario. The Our Schools Channel 21 (OCS-21) is a High School run Television Station that broadcasts on the Educational Public Access Station (Channel 21) through out Niagara County. All work is done by Niagara Falls High School Media Production Students under the direct supervision of Media Education Director; Mr. Rich Meranto. The station broadcasts programming both LIVE and Pre-Taped featuring school performances, Community events, school video announcements, sports programming and shows with many community leaders. Popular Culture The NBC television show The Office filmed season 6 episode Niagara in Niagara Falls. [edit] EducationResidents are zoned to the Niagara Falls City School District. When LaSalle High School closed in June, 2000, a new Niagara Falls High School was built. The new school merged LaSalle and the former Niagara Falls High School. The old Niagara Falls High School building at Pine Avenue and Portage Road became an Art and Cultural Center. Niagara University is the closest post-secondary/college in the city. [edit] Sports
[edit] Notable people
[edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
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