Northeast

By Tom Kucharski, CEO of Invest Buffalo Niagara When Ralph Wilson selected Buffalo to be the home of the new Bills franchise in the American Football League in the 1950s, it was one of the nation’s 10 highest populated cities, making it a natural fit. However, a general shift around the country away from traditional manufacturing as a major base for economic activity, combined with a number of other factors, led to a decline in the city’s employment and population bases in the ensuing decades. Over the past 25 years, Buffalo has reversed that trend, emerging as a city on the rise. The region recently saw its first population growth in over 70 years, according to the 2020 census. That growth has been spurred by a diversification of the local economy, attracting businesses in industries such as advanced manufacturing, food processing and life sciences. Companies were especially enticed by the region’s low cost of doing business and affordable energy supplied by the nearby Niagara River. A key to maintaining that momentum has been Buffalo’s self-reinvestment, including massive redevelopment projects centered around reclaiming the city’s waterfront district. The first wave of these efforts began about a decade ago. Specifically, prior to …