When we learn or share the stories about the history of Buffalo, we can better understand our current situation and what may happen in the future. By focusing on our own stories of where we live we are more invested and interested in the content. We can learn about how our geography, access to fresh waterways, the Erie Canal, immigration of Europeans, industrial revolution, invention of electricity, tremendous architecture, aided in the rise of a great city. We also witness how the closures of businesses and factories and rise of technologies elsewhere, no longer relying on waterways for importing and exporting goods, ultimately led to our population decline and notorious "Rust Belt" name. Buffalo is undergoing a re-birth again, and the history of factors once made this city the "second largest in the United States" is bringing back new life again. Our diverse cultures that we celebrate with various festivals, our geography and ability to experience all four seasons, our incredible architecture and ability to repurpose old buildings, our access to fresh water as global warming continues to be a great threat, and being a city welcoming of refugees is what will will make this city thrive once again.
