What Happened to Niagara Falls New York? 

That is exactly what I was going to say.

You are correct

I hate how New York politicians are so entrenched that they think they can do anything.

Exactly

There can be a specific reason but similar things happened in cities all across the country (declining downtown core and heightened crime) but particularly notable in the great lakes region.

I'm 38 but grew up on pine avenue..it was great as a kid.. food everywhere!! Awesome park.. Now it's a shithole

So yer saying the baby boomers destroyed the city

@@SillyBillies1 No he's saying corrupt politics and big business did . But you can look at it any way you want .

@@SillyBillies1 don't make the mistake thinking only the old can be curupt very easy way to get tricked by a young person

Urban renewal. Same as Ogdensburg NY.

Dude, me being from Miami, I actually got to enjoy the city just the way it was right now. Calm, quiet, closer to nature, I even took that hiking trail. Still though, I do wish all prosperity to the city man. Seeing all those empty stores, not too many people anywhere that is not the park really got me off guard, especially for such a nice place man.

Gotten worse since,

And yet, there are people commenting here who say that the U.S. town is better because it has a state park, but nothing else other than that, as if that'll help the town out. 🙄

Totally spot on, everything I was going to say.

looking across at Canada all green and scenic while driving along i90 with constant abandoned buildings and factories with windows busted out is depressing and embarrassing. we really trashed this entire area

Hahahaha….👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Americans love the trashy touristy stuff. Why is Las Vegas thriving again? Also Americans get value on their dollar due to the low value of the Canadian Peso. If you go north of Niagara Falls, take the Niagara Parkway. This are parks, trails, zip lines, wineries, Niagara-On-The-Lake which are less trashy. Hope to see you soon!

Ms Peach the jobs have to come from somewhere, so those "sleazy" tourist attractions help give people employment opportunities.

@Ms Peach All that you have to do is go outside of the Niagara Falls State Park and into the actual city, you will find the" Freak Show" and "Trashy Side Show Attractions." This place is bazaar, filled with sickness and brilliance. I love it and pity it at the same time. Within the last year, the love that our residents have for themselves and for our city has noticeably manifested. Some people and areas will further thrive while others will remain the same and even decline. Such is life. Most of the remaining residence here have been forced to dig deep within themselves, to find their creativity, to do the best with what limited means that they have. Desperation can often breed brilliance. We're not too different from quite a percentage of the rest of our country. However, because we are an impoverished community our defects may appear a bit more glaring to certain eyes. More will be revealed, more is always revealed.

@@betsyl8632 I agree with your statement. Desperation can often breed brilliance. This is true of my era where we all grew up poor in the Lower East Side of NYC. Not having money and wanting the good life produce some criminals but mostly academics within the Chinese American community. We were desperate for a better life and so we studied hard and found our fortune in life that way.

Gay comment, lady. Lots of beautiful nature on the Canadian side too. If you don't like the carnival, then just go for a little drive towards Niagara-on-the-Lake or somewhere. I, and many others, find the carnival quite fun. Tourists seem to agree.

Governance. One side of the river embraced tourism and commercialization; the other resisted it for decades.

I’m from your area! My mom is a canal kid, she has to get a physical for the health department five years to track the after affects. That’s so cool your Dad clerked for that!

So many days in the late 1970s and 80s, drinkin beer at Niagata state park, Bbq, frisbee, and of course, enjoying The Falls, whirlpool, observation tower, cave of the winds....The Nikola Tesla statue, maid of the mist, and the girls. Then back to Buffalo for wings and things.

buffalo has recovered alot. they have done a bunch of stuff along the lakefront.

Your so right about Syracuse and other cities in NY. The taxes are so incredibly high up north, where does all that money go?? Here in south GA-our taxes are reasonable and they really seem to be putting the money back into the city...now if only we could find a solution to the 100 degree days🤔

Another negative factor are the militant NIMBYs who oppose every damned new thing and obstruct progress and development with frivolous lawsuits causing costly delays. It is no wonder that major new investment avoids most of upstate NY.

buffalo is kinda bouncing back the issue with these cities is that they were all rust belt cities. they all declined afterwords

I remember reading that these cities are grubhubs for underworld activities in Upstate NY in the mid-50s to 70s. As opportunities dried up, people moved away and the local Mafia “regimes” died. Nowadays who knows what’s happening there?

It is the oldest State Park in the USA.

To keep us trapped from progressing beyond 19th century energy and social paradigms? yeah, sounds like something they would do.

Ya, rich guy convinced other rich guys to do it to create a legacy.

@@pwhitaker1963 i thought Yellowstone was first? I could be wrong i just remember hearing that somewhere

@@BendyDH Yes, Yellowstone was the first National Park.

The Whole State !!

You are right, one of the loveliest places in the U.S. destroyed by politicians.

Casinos never revitalize cities and communities they suck every last dollar out of them and leave them impoverished and addicted to gambling.

my Grandfather owned a barber shop on Pine Ave. its where my Mom grew up, my Aunt and Uncle lived 4 streets from Love Canal right up to last year, I live down state in Binghamton now, they did it to us too, EJ Shoes, IBM, Singer Links Kodak, Ansco I can go on about what happened here too, the industry here is Bars LOL because if your still here you drink!

I grew up near Niagara Falls in the 70s and you are 100% correct.

The only things to do/see in NF is the falls themselves and the outlets. That's it!

@@juancarlosnegron2358 Restaurants pretty much blow too besides maybe a few. Mexican spot and Fuji grill maybe.

My marriage didn't last long , but I enjoyed the time I spent at Niagara Falls. I grew up in the Adarondack Mountains in New York. The little town I grew up in there has gone way down in jobs and all. Now it's tourists. The only jobs are park service and government jobs. Welfare office,Post office and local or State Police. There's a prison job not far away. I left young,and get messed with about everytime I go home. It's just busyness for government to take more than they diserve I guess. Take your labor wages from taxes to finger pointing arrests to make local lawyers money and let me go. They need to find a real job actually working to produce food clothing or something useful. I'm sorry to hear that things are getting harder there. It's a nice place in my memories. I hope our Father will Bless You and the area there again. Perhaps the grain and freight will come back to life bringing prosperity back to the Niagara area being as trucking is falling apart. We need Trump back in office.

@@myemail5457 Sorry to say, I think you’re looking at God’s blessing right now.

Retired at 41? Not bad.

Made of the mist is a must.

Also on Goat Island take a visit at The Cave of the Winds

Don't forget bail reform and trippling of murder and other crimes😄 Lastly, the rural areas ...we make all the products and grow ALL the food and pay extremely high taxes for fuck-all. City folk wanna move here. Farmers meet regularly to discuss and reinforce: do not split or sell off your land to leftoid city dwellers. If it needs to be sold, it's sold to a fellow rural person.

You said what I was thinking

@@RunninUpThatHillh agreed. There's been a bunch of houses being built by NYC people out where I am. Not a fan of it at all. Nobody wants them here.

@@parkyt13 then buy the land yoirself or stfu Dont worry, farms will be large high rises before long and cities of them will exist and the inefficiant and forign chemical ferilizrr and insectocide/herbicide reliant american farming culuture can vanish along with theit crooked televangelists with all th3ir money snd their sister wives

Democrats, New York is ran by democrats

just over the bridge on the Canadian side there is an ice cream place called Sweet Jesus ice cream, oh you will be back LOL

Totally agree , especially the part about Falls St. As a Toronto born boy we regularly visited Falls St. , usually on foot . Walking across the Rainbow Bridge. I believe it cost a dime . But that demolition along with plopping that huge casino in the middle was a tragic mistake. However, on the positive side, you still have Goat Island which is a beautiful spot were you can get up-close to the river and falls.

That entire Rainbow Center Urban Redevelopment Project with the massive convention center was the huge costly mistake that killed Niagara Falls NY.

Taxes are the greatest scam in history. Think about ALL the taxes there are, where the hell does all that revenue go?

@@r.pres.4121 The convntion center was a good idea. Handing it over to the Senecas was idiocy born of corruption.

that would make the state good again and thats not what they want

Yes but on the other hand you can only get up close to the falls there at one spot while on the american side you can get close to both falls at multiple locations

There's an old saying...the US has the Falls, but Canada has the view!

You can experience the energy of the falls more on the NY side. There's value to both.

It's definitely not as nice on the USA side. You get a good view but it's at an angle and you can't see the whole thing.

Lol what a bitter old loser

You have the Olmsted parks on the U.S. side. A couple blocks behind the buildings on hill in Canada is a rundown city.

More like urban removal. Moved everyone out to build a mega mall that never materialized and had no backup plan in place. Plus the revolving door of mayors who do nothing more than line their own pockets with the money meant to help revive the city.

That is the primary cause of the decline of Niagara Falls NY.

Niagara Falls, NY has only one casino. Otherwise it is nothing but urban decay and abandonment along with toxic waste dumps.

Ask the Elia’s. Their rotten ex-nun relative had a ball messing up the falls. That family sucks. Look them up, you’ll see what I mean. Her name I believe was Irene Elia.

Sad for Raleigh.

They could compete. Most of the hotels and restaurants there started to price gouge on the tourists. If they could build up the NY side and keep the prices down, to start, they could get traction.

Just booked in Canada for Laborday 33% taxes crazy

My Ex lives in the falls on the ON side, she came over here a few weeks ago for our Sons 8th grade graduation and forgot to bring cash so she stopped at an ATM bahaha wont do that again, with ATM Fees and exchange rates cost her $32 canadian! our Youngest spends summers up there with her, he likes going to Sweet Jesus Ice Cream and ON on the lake

Niagara Falls has never been properly governed or managed. Corruption and incompetence was rampant, organized crime controlled most of the area, corners were cut in the urban redevelopment process, the same entrenched career politicians kept getting re-elected and younger people were discouraged from trying to get involved.

That makes sense, you're from Washington DC and you spend your money in a foreign country when you spend it in Americs . . Please tell me you don't work for the government because if you do you're an A-hole . And if you don't I apologize. 😁

@@toddbrooks2063 I'm not actually from DC, but that's the closest major town that everyone in the country does know. I don't work for the federal government. But that still shouldn't affect where I spend my money, it's mine and I should be able to spend it where I like. Niagara Falls in Canada is vastly more popular than the New York side so yeah I'd rather spend my money there. And I do spend money on the New York side, just not as much. It's not my fault you don't want to travel the world (or even North America). We share soo much in common with Canada that it doesn't make sense to just shut out 35 million people. There are a lot of amazing places outside this country that you'd be missing out on if you just stayed in the US. London, Cancun, Jamaica just to name a few.

@@LtexprsGaming I've traveled the world probably before you where born . Well you're correct when you say it's your money and spend it the way you see fit you earned it I guess . But in my opinion if you work for the government and brag about spending my tax dollars in a foreign country when you could spend it here you're an asshole . How's that get ya ?!?!

Exactly

Niagara Falls Ontario compared to Niagara Falls New York is a utopia, yeah Niagara Falls Ontario has an older downtown that is rundown especially near the train station but in my understanding there is no such thing as a perfect city. Niagara Falls Ontario is friendlier, violent crime rate is very very low and is relatively a safe place overall. A busier city is also a sign of a successful one with jobs and prosperity. Actually if you go to Niagara Falls Ontario during the week outside of the summer season an go out in the early mid evening period it will be quieter.

You outline so many of my thoughts, and capture the spirit of our neighbor to the North:)

Might happen? Americans and probably Canadians can't live on minimum wage. Chinese min wage about 300$ a month. Nothing is coming back.

Clam down it’s like an hour away lol

Great support for local business! Keep that corporate money flowing.

What's with your obsession with the Hard Rock Cafe? Don't you find that place unreasonably expensive?

@@alukuhito Expensive? Naw, it's call extortion! Prices through the roof! But every country I go to, if they have a Hard Rock there, I'll go and have lunch/dinner and pick up that Cafe's pin. I only collect pins of the ones I've actually been at. It's just a hobby now to go along with my vacations. The 2 at Niagara though is a hang out spot for my friends so I'm there often. My latest pin was from Hard Rock Cafe, Osaka, Japan. I gave them a pin from each side of the Falls and they treated me pretty darn good that afternoon!

@@maikutsukino4743 I see. When I lived in Toronto in the 90s, the Hard Rock had an anniversary deal where all the prices were the same as when they first opened. That was fun. It was affordable, but still not cheap. I haven't been to many, just Toronto, Nagoya, and Yokohama.

@@alukuhitoI had to exchange trains in Nagoya (going from Osaka to Matsumoto) and I was going to go to the Hard Rock there. What I didn't know until I asked around was that it closed in 2010 (I was there 2016). I really should have done my homework before I went! Next will be Toronto. Hopefully next year I'll return to Japan and Yokohama is my target Hard Rock. Good to talk to someone has been to the Hard Rock's in Japan! Including one I'll never get to see..... 😢

The solution: i) close the casino, ii) make the parks “National Parks”, iii) bankrupt the city or otherwise restructure its finances and lower taxes, iv) close the existing toxic dumps (they’re the size of ski mountains of toxic chemicals, still growing), v) demolish dilapidated abandoned buildings, house, and factories (clear the blight), and vi) establish policies and plans and controls to enable and encourage fair business investment. Once started in earnest, it will take at least 10 years to reshape the screwed up political, public and private environments. Until they make dramatic changes, it will only get worse (its hard to imagine it getting worse, but it will). Also, zone out any toxic factories- they’re still polluting the air and water, and vistas. With some of the best fishing in the world, the fish all contain poison toxins.

@@johnr5312 Thank you!! This are actual helpful solutions that the city needs! I love it!! Clearly if Niagara Falls was run by you it would probably be a second Toronto. I agree with the National Park concept. Edmonton is doing the same things its valley to become the Capital City National Park or some variation on that old chestnut of a name for the same concept that dates back to the 1970's here!

Donald Trump is the answer for everything, apparently he has never declared bankruptcy and has paid all his taxes too!

As long as you have a passport yea u can stay on both sides. Clifton Hill on the Canadian side is interesting, and Niagara State Park on the American is good for getting up close to both falls. Also about 5 mi down river from the falls is the whirlpool, those are some things of interest. As far as where to stay anything with a view of the falls is more exp so the further from the falls the cheaper.

With a passport or a nexus card and travel plans registered on the arrivecan app, you can go over any one of our three bridges (plus an additional nexus only bridge also in Niagara Falls) to Canada from Buffalo, Niagara Falls or Lewiston. When planning, remember that Niagara Falls is literally twenty minutes from Buffalo, a fantastic city for food, history, professional sports and world class music and art culture. My favorite attraction on the American side is the cave of the winds on Goat Island, even better than the maid of the mist, which is a must as well. The Canadian side is much more built up and expensive with a totally different vibe. Clifton Hill is full of kitschy museums (that my kids love) and touristy shops and bars but it’s bright, clean and well kept. As western New York locals, we like the attractions we don’t have on our side, like the butterfly conservatory. Also realize that Toronto is only one to two hours away by car, depending on traffic, and there are probably train and hotel deals to get you there more easily. I should mention that if you like casinos, both sides have them close to the falls and are worth looking into. Oh, another thing I don’t know much about but worth researching is the fishing opportunities. People come from all over the world to fish in both our Lakes, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and the upper and lower Niagara River. And the Canadian side has lots of wineries, just remembered that…. Ah, so many things we as locals forget to take advantage of until someone asks. I live on the shore of the island in the Niagara river right between Buffalo and Niagara Falls and see Canada ever day without appreciating it, thanks for the nudge. Come visit the Buffalo Niagara Region and look up travel blogs made by locals. Nfnylocal on insta is a friend of mine’s passion project. This region has the second largest city in New York State as well as the iconic falls so you will have to make a priority list but we are worth the trip. And, full disclosure, the city of Niagara Falls is tragically poor, but the state park and surrounding suburbs are thriving while Buffalo is undergoing a true renaissance

Niagara-on-the-Lake is pretty cool too though as you can guess from the name it is on Lake Ontario and not near the falls.

@@christinewittmann1806 thank you so much Christine for all your wonderful information about visiting the sites around the falls & surrounding areas. I’m taking a picture of your paragraph and keeping that with me when I travel to the northeastern US. I’m living in San Diego, so I’m pretty far away right now. But Lord Willing, I’ll be on the road next fall.

Nah, better off to stay in Canada, and spend one day to walk over the Rainbow Bridge to the State Park on the American side. If you go over mid-morning, one day should be enough to see everything over there. Make sure you walk all the way over to Goat Island and Three Sisters Island.

Jeeez, and you didn't blame a political party.

@@thatguyoverthere8355 It's impossible to point fingers. Since the establishment of mayorship in Niagara Falls, NY, there have been 15 Democrats and 16 Republicans serving as mayor. The City Council holds similar demographics. Right now there is a Democratic mayor and a Republican-majority Council. No one can come to an agreement concerning the betterment of the community. Steady, well-paying jobs are scarce. The taxes are high and the services are low. Niagara Falls is no longer the tourist destination it once was.There have been so many half completed projects and failures throughout the years that have cost millions upon millions of dollars. State parks are overpriced, the Wintergarden and adjacent Rainbow Center are gone (although I hear that there's a $3.99 million contract for the Center's "restoration design," whatever that means (we shall see), the Splashpark failed, there was a huge pit dug for a new aquarium that remained a downtown eyesore for years, Old Falls Street looks like a bomb hit it, buildings are either boarded up or sit there with broken windows, even the Turtle and hot air ballon ride are gone. No worries, though, tourists can still take a 20-mimute helicopter ride for as little as $198+tax per person to see Niagara Falls in all it's failed glory. It's sad that the two best things downtown are the casino and Twist O' The Mist ice cream, although I do enjoy both immensely. This city has gone to hell and it doesn't look like it's ever coming back.

are ya old enough to remember the TV commercials? I love New York, you sang that didnt ya :)

That's the natives money

The Casino wasn't built with public money. There 's a lot of corrupt politics involved, think Sheldon Silver. Albany is this area's biggest problem.

K onda?

Can I see it from an airplane? As close as I'm getting.

my wife and i moved in 1980...best move of our lives..

Not a great wonder, just a waterfall.