Buffalo is the second-largest city in New York (after New York City), and the seat of Erie County. A commercial and industrial center since the 19th century, Buffalo is also a hub of transportation. Situated on the eastern end of Lake Erie, the city serves as an inland port with access to grain and other raw materials from the Midwest. The Welland Ship Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway provide a shipping outlet to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Erie Canal connects Buffalo to the rest of the New York State Canal System. The city is also a major railroad center, with fifteen freight depots and the Buffalo Central Terminal, a massive Art Deco station that provides passenger service.

The area was first settled by the French, who built Fort Niagara at the mouth of Buffalo Creek in 1758. The fort fell during the French and Indian War to the British, who took control of the region in 1763. The land was purchased by Dutch investors, who began selling parcels in 1801 through the Holland Land Company. An agent of the Holland Land Company, Joseph Ellicot, designed the city (modeling it after Washington D.C.) and christened it New Amsterdam. The settlers who flocked to the area chose to call the burgeoning city Buffalo Creek instead, later shortening it to Buffalo.