Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York. The city is located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River.

Originating around 1789 as a small trading community near the eponymous Buffalo Creek, Buffalo grew promptly after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, with the city as its western terminus. By 1900, Buffalo was the eighth largest city in the country, and went on to become a major railroad center, the largest grain-milling center in the country, and the home of the largest steel-making operation in the world.

History
The area was originally settled by the Neutral Nation. Later, the Senecas of the Iroquois Confederacy conquered the Neutrals.

During the War of 1812, the village of Buffalo was burned by British forces on December 30, 1813 . On November 4, 1825, the Erie Canal was completed with Buffalo strategically positioned at the western end of the system. The Erie Canal brought in a boom in the population and commerce which led Buffalo to incorporate as a city in 1832, with a population of about 10,000 people.

On February 16, 1861, Abraham Lincoln visited Buffalo on his way to accept the presidency of the United States. He stayed at the American Hotel on Main Street between Eagle Street and Court Street. The Civil War years saw an increase in the population, increasing from 81,029 to 94,210 in 1865. In addition to sending many soldiers to the Union effort, Buffalo manufacturers supplied crucial war material.