Niagara Falls is an American city in Niagara County, New York State. It is located on the Niagara River opposite the Canadian city of Niagara Falls in the province of Ontario. The city has 48,671 (as of: 2020 census) inhabitants on an area of 43.6 km².
Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls). The height of the waterfall is 51 m, which is not very much, but in terms of water flow it is the third waterfall in the world, which is not surprising - the Niagara River, although short, connects the two lowest Great Lakes, that is, it is one of the deepest rivers in the world. Technically, the waterfall is divided into three. The most western (the farthest from the city) and the most spectacular is the Horseshoe Falls, where the river, indeed, has the shape of a horseshoe at the point of fall. It marks the border between Canada and the United States and is visible from both the American and Canadian sides, although the view from Canada is better. The other two waterfalls are located in the USA, and, accordingly, are clearly visible from Canada, and from the USA they can only be viewed from above or at an acute angle from the side. The Great East Falls is called American Falls. Next to it, a little to the west, is the relatively small Bridal Veil Falls. American Falls and Horseshoe are separated by Goat Island, located in the United States and turned into a park. A bridge across the eastern branch of the river leads to it. The easiest way to see the falls is to simply walk along the shore, starting below the American Falls and going through Goat Island to the Horseshoe. This is usually sufficient. For those who want more, there are advanced options, for example, take a pleasure boat that goes almost under the very waterfall.
In addition to Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls has a number of other
attractions:
Museums
Castellani Art Museum, Conference Center
Niagara Falls, 101 Old Falls St. Tel: +1 716-286-8200. The Niagara
University Museum of Art. Open: Tue – Sat 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sun 1 p.m. –
5 p.m. (Mon closed). Price: Admission free.
Daredevil Museum, 303
Rainbow Blvd. Phone: +1 716-282-4046. Small exhibition about the people
who made more or less successful attempts to survive a water ride across
Niagara Falls (in the most adventurous vehicles). Price: Admission free.
Niagara Aerospace Museum, 345 Third St. Tel: +1 716-278-0060. Museum
with exhibits on aerospace. Open: Seasonally changing. Price: Admission
$7 (seniors $6, children 5-18 $4).
Aquarium
Aquarium of
Niagara, 701 Whirlpool St. Tel: +1 716-285-3575. Old-fashioned,
medium-sized aquarium with penguins, sea lions and harbor seals as well
as fish. Open: daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (in summer until 7 p.m.).
Price: Admission $9 (seniors $7, children 4-12 $6).
tourist traps
The Haunted House of Wax, 222 S Rainbow Blvd. Phone: +1 716-804-0670.
Horror chamber with more or less tasteful scenes in wax.
Seneca
Niagara Casino & Hotel, 310 Fourth St. A hotel-casino opened in 2004 by
the Seneca Nation of Indians on Indian Territory in the heart of Niagara
Falls.
By plane
The nearest airport is Niagara Falls International
Airport (IAG), which is only served by the small charter airline Myrtle
Beach Direct Air.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), on
the outskirts of Buffalo, offers better connections, with direct daily
flights from many major American airports (e.g. New York City, Atlanta,
Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix). is
flown to.
By train
The American rail company Amtrak operates a
train station in both Canada and the US Niagara Falls. There are direct
connections via the Empire Service and Maple Leaf lines, e.g. to New
York City and Toronto.
By bus
The American bus company
Greyhound maintains a station in Niagara Falls.
In the street
If you are coming from New York City, the quickest drive (about 7½
hours) is as follows:
I-80 west
from Pocono, PA: I-380
from
Scranton, PA: I-81
from Binghamton, NY: I-86
from Kanona, NY:
I-390
from Henrietta, NY: I-90
from Buffalo, NY: I-290
from
Tonawanda, NY: I-190
The local transportation company Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority operates a dense network of bus routes in Niagara Falls and the surrounding area.
The city is dominated by Niagara Falls which attracts hundreds of
thousands of tourists to the city, however its Canadian sister city has
better offerings (shopping malls etc.). Nearby Niagara Falls
International Airport claims to be the birthplace of the first
supersonic airplane and the first commercial helicopter. The energy
generated in Niagara Falls using hydroelectric power plants (see list of
the largest hydroelectric power plants), which was available cheaply and
in large quantities and was used directly in the city, used to be a
great locational advantage for industry and secured jobs in the city.
In the course of globalization and significantly increasing labor
costs in the USA, however, this advantage was gradually lost, since
factories in countries such as China can be operated much more cheaply.
The city was also particularly hard hit by the recent global economic
crisis. The city's unemployment rate was 10.9 percent (March 2011), well
above the New York State average of 8.0 percent.
Niagara Falls has a train station with Amtrak-operated rail services
to New York City, as well as The Maple Leaf long-distance cross-border
train to Toronto operated jointly by VIA Rail Canada and Amtrak. This
train crosses the border between Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara
Falls, Ontario stations over the Whirlpool Bridge.
Located in the
immediate vicinity of Niagara Falls, the Rainbow Bridge allows
pedestrians and motorists to cross the border into Canada.