Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. 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 Areaand the Western New York region.
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The City of Niagara Falls, New YorkHistory |
The European migration into the area began in the 17th century with missionaries and explorers. The first recorded European to visit the area was Frenchman Robert de la Salle, accompanied by Belgian priest Louis Hennepin, who was the first known European to see the falls. 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.
The City of Niagara Falls was incorporated on March 17, 1892 from the villages of Manchester and Suspension Bridge, which were parts of the Town of Niagara. 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. George W. Wright was elected the first mayor of Niagara Falls.[1]
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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.
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 flowingNiagara River. There were many industries in Niagara Falls that used the power of the mighty Niagara River. Tourism was considered a secondary niche, while industry was the main producer of jobs and economic backbone.
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In 1927, the city annexed the village of La Salle from the Town of Niagara. The village was named for Robert de la Salle.
Ever since the early 1900s, the center of the tourist district was Falls Street, a vibrant and carnival-like street that ran into the main part of the city. Although Falls Street no longer exists in the capacity that it once did, efforts are currently being made by the government and private companies to revitalize and restore what is left of the historic thoroughfare.
The 1950s and early 1960s witnessed an economic boom, as several industries moved into the city to take advantage of the hydroelectric power offered, due to a higher demand for household and industrial products. Paper, rubber, plastics, petrochemicals and abrasives were among the major industries located in the city. This brief period of prosperity would end by the mid-1960s, as the locally owned Schoellkopf Power Project later collapsed into the Niagara River, ending an industrial era.
To take advantage of the hydroelectric power offered, New York City urban planner Robert Moses built a new power plant in nearby Lewiston, New York. However, Niagara Falls did not get much of the power created; Most of it went downstate to fuel growing demands for New York City.
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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.[2] 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.
The post-Love Canal Niagara Falls witnessed a reversal of fortunes, as what was once cheap to produce in Niagara Falls was now far cheaper to outsource to other countries. Several factories closed, and the population has since dropped by half, as blue-collar workers fled the city in search of jobs elsewhere. The city's economy plummeted downward when a failed Urban Renewal project took place resulting in the destruction of Falls Street and the tourist district. Another catalyst of the economic decline was the presence of the New York Power Authority, who sent power toDownstate New York with almost none of it going to Niagara Falls, who had to buy expensive power from outside New York State.
In 1995, the city government was the defendent in NAACP v. City of Niagara Falls, which named, among others, then-Mayor Jacob Palillo; City Council Members, G. Tom Sottile, Barbara A. Geracitano, Andrew Walker, Henry Buchalski, Michael Gawel, Anthony Quaranto, John G. Accardo; and City Clerk, Elsie Paradise. NAACP charged that the city was violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At the time, Niagara Falls' government consisted of a mayor, who acted as chief executive, and seven city council members elected at-large. The NAACP further argued that the city had not given enough representation to African Americans living in the city, which at that time comprised 15.58% of the city's population. The court ruled in favor of the city, which kept its system of government.
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Currently, the city's main industry is tourism. 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, however, continues to struggle economically.
In 2001, the entire corrupt leadership of Laborers Local 91 plead of were found guilty of extortion, racketeering and other crimes following an exposé by Mike Hudson of the Niagara Falls Reporter. However, union boss Michael "Butch" Quarcini died before trial began, although the rest of the union leadership was sentenced.
In early 2010, former Niagara Falls Mayor Vincent Anello was indicted on federal charges of corruption. Although not related to his political career, Anello, a master electrician by trade, was also sentenced to 13 months in jail for pension fraud regarding a pension from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, of which he is a member.
The decline of the city was given national exposure by Bloomberg Businessweek magazine in a cover story.
On November 30, 2010, the New York State Attorney General entered into an agreement with the city and its police department to create new policies to govern police practices in response to claims of excessive force and police misconduct. The city will create policies and procedures to prevent and respond to allegations of excessive force, and to ensure that police are properly trained and complaints are properly investigated. Prior claims filed by residents will be evaluated by an independent panel.[3]
The city has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] It also has three national historic districts including: Chilton Avenue-Orchard Parkway Historic District,Deveaux School Historic District, and the Park Place Historic District.
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 area is subject to the migration of manufacturing jobs to developing countries common to the rust belt. 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. The unemployment rate in the City of Niagara Falls was around 10 percent as of October 2010.[5] Approximately 60 percent of residents in Niagara Falls receive public assistance such as food stamps, welfare, unemployment insurance and Medicaid[citation needed].
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Also blamed for the economic decline is the presence of the New York Power Authority, whom politicians, reporters and residents have blamed for charging the city high electric bills, rendering the draw of cheap power obsolete. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and especially the Niagara Frontier Parks Commission (a division of the department), has also been blamed for placing souvenir stands, parking lots and restaurants within Niagara Falls State Park, which may have resulted in tourists not patronizing businesses in the city. Recently, state officials have been negotiating with state park and NYPA officials, such as Assemblyman John Ceretto of Lewiston asking the NYPA if they would nominate a resident of Niagara County to the Board of Directors, since the Robert Moses Niagara Power Project in Lewiston is the most profitable project undertaken by NYPA and generates the most power.
Because of this economic downturn, the city government has passed several tax hikes, making Niagara Falls among the highest-taxed cities in the United States.
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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 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.[6][7]
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The Falls' current development strategy is 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 may make it impossible to address all the eyesores, according to officials,[8] but some have criticized the city of wasting funds elsewhere.[9] The opening of the newConference 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, which is now a promenade; 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.
The arrival of the Seneca Niagara Casino was one effort to renew in the city's moribund downtown. However, the anticipated renewal that the casino was supposed to catalyze has not come; Property values in the casino's area have skyrocketed, ultimately not allowing new small businesses to move into the area.
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.[10] "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.[11] The NTCC's efforts have also been criticized as the city continues to struggle financially and marketing efforts have not generated a significant turnaround.[12] A recent audit also found millions of dollars of tax dollars spent by high-ranking NTCC officials on tuxedo rentals, trips to Europe and Asia, expensive meals and backrubs.[13]
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.[14]
From 1982 to 2000, a shopping mall called Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet operated downtown on city land leased to Cordish Companies. The mall was built in a failed effort to revitalize the downtown. The owner, David Cordish, was criticized for not maintaining the building. Cordish eventually shuttered the building and stopped paying rent in anticipation that the company would be bought out of the lease. In October 2010, Cordish announced that he would give the facility to Niagara County Community College for free to develop a hospitality school, culinary school, restaurant and bookstore. NCCC recently announced that they would develop 75,000 square feet (7,000 m2) of the vacant mall, giving the rest of it to the City of Niagara Falls to further develop it. NCCC began construction work in 2011.
There is also an outlet mall called Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls, formerly "Prime Outlets Niagara", which is not actually part of the city, but of the town of Niagara, New York, which shares a post office with the city.
The Wintergarden was an all-glass indoor arboretum designed by Cesar Pelli adjacent to the Rainbow Centre. It operated as an arboretum from its 1977 opening until 2003, and as Smokin Joe's Family Fun Center from 2003 to 2005, after the city sold it to local developer Joseph Anderson. It sat adjacent to the derelict Rainbow Centre until its being demolished demolished in 2009 to make way for Old Falls Street, plus the fact that it cost too much to heat during the typically harsh winters in the area.
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