Welcome to Niagara Falls, NY

Overview

Niagara Falls is one of three cities in Niagara County (the others are North Tonawanda and Lockport). Niagara Falls is in the southwest corner of the county, bordered to the north and part of the east by the town of Niagara, to the east partly by the town of Niagara and the rest by the town of Wheatfield, and to the south and west by the Niagara River. (The city was carved from the town of Niagara and borders between the two can be tough to differentiate.) Niagara Falls, of course, is known world-wide as the home of the falls by the same name, a natural attraction considered one of the wonders of the world. Hydropower – harnessing the falls to generate electricity – is major business here, but tourism is tops.


Essentials

There are all kinds of places to shop and dine in Niagara and Niagara Falls. For groceries, there’s a Wegmans supermarket on Military Road and Tops Friendly Markets stores on Portage Road and Niagara Falls Boulevard. For retail, you’ll find a Walmart Supercenter, a Kmart, a Home Depot and the Niagara Falls Fashion Outlet Mall, as well as national-chain pharmacies and dollar stores. The Niagara Falls City School District serves residents who live here. Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and Mount St. Mary’s Hospital-Niagara Falls are both in the area. The Niagara Falls Public Library is at 1425 Main St.



Recreation & Entertainment

Did we mention the falls? Niagara Falls State Park has attractions like the Cave of the Winds and the Maid of the Mist, both of which get visitors an up-close look at the falls. Niagara Falls the city has the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center and Prospect Point, which has an observation deck and more. Seneca Niagara Casino attracts visitors from throughout the region and offers musical acts along with gambling.



Transportation & Traffic

Interstate 190 is a north-south highway across the eastern side of the city. Route 62, known as Niagara Falls Boulevard, is well traveled. Route 31 and Route 104 head east-west, and Route 61 goes north-south. The Robert Moses State Parkway and the LaSalle Expressway also pass through here. The two border crossings into and out of Canada that are in Niagara Falls can be very slow-moving.



Pros & Cons

Niagara Falls is a major tourist attraction visited by people from all over the world. Manufacturing used to be big business here, but tourism is tops now. The city has had its economic problems in recent decades, and contamination at Love Canal made national news years back. Just on the other side of the Niagara River is Canada and all of the attractions of Niagara Falls, Ontario.