Buffalo, New York, USA
1895 - Buffalo

Buffalo, a city, port of entry, and seat of justice of Erie co., N.Y., is situated at the eastern extremity of Lake Erie, in lat. 42°53' N., lon. 78° 55' W., being 352 miles W. of Albany by the Erie Canal (300 miles by the New York Central Railroad), 460 miles N.W. of New York by the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad, 22 miles S.S.E. of Niagara Falls, 182 miles N.E. of Cleveland by the Lake Shore and Nickel Plate Railroads (203 miles by water), and 290 miles E. by N. of Detroit by the Michigan Central. It has railway connections with Goderich on Lake Huron, 159 miles distant, with Detroit and Sarnia, and with Toronto and Montreal, all via the Grand Trunk Rail way. Other railroads terminating there are the West Shore, the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg, the Western New York & Pennsylvania, and the branches of the Reading System.

The city has a water front of about 5 miles, being about 21 miles on the lake and 2 1/ 2 miles on the Niagara River. The site on the lake front gradually rises, and at the distance of about 2 miles becomes an extended undulating plain 50 feet above the water-level of the harbor, A portion of the river front is a bold bluff 60 feet above the water level of the river and of the Erie Canal, which passes near it. The more elevated portion of the site affords fine views of the city, the Niagara River, the Canada shore, the lake and Bay, and the hilly country to the S.E. Buffalo, especially the W. side residence portion, is handsomely built. Its streets are broad and straight, and for the most part intersect one another at right angles. Main street, extending about 6 miles, Niagara street 5 miles, and Delaware avenue 3 miles, are particularly worthy of mention. At the point where the waters of the lake merge in the Niagara River, Buffalo Creek enters the lake from the E. and the Erie Canal from the N.W., being nearly parallel in their passage through the city and harbor. The streets in the more elevated portions of the city are bordered with a profusion of shade-trees, and the more important avenues have many fine residences. Over 100 miles of asphalt pavement adds much to elegance and comfort. Shade-trees also adorn the public squares and small parks, of which there are 15.
Favorably located for business, and with many advantages as a place of residence, Buffalo shows a ratio of increase in population far above the average of that of cities in the eastern and older portion of the United States, taking rank as the eleventh in population in the census of 1890...

Buffalo, originally laid out by the Holland Company in 1801, became in 1812 a military post. It was burnt in December, 1813, when of the 200 houses composing the village all but two were destroyed by the British and Indians. By act of Congress $80,000 was voted to compensate the sufferers for the loss sustained. In April, 1832, it was incorporated as a city, and in 1852 the charter was amended so as to include Black Rock. The act of the legislature was ratified by the people in 1853, and on the first day of January, 1854, it went into operation. Pop, in 1810, 1508; in 1820,2095; in 1830,8653; in 1840, 18,213; in 1850, 42,251; in 1860,85,500; in 1870, 117,714; in 1880, 155,134; in 1890,254,457; and in 1892 (state census), 278,796.

Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott

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