Monday, February 25, 2008

Poor Niagara Falls, NY . . .

Niagara Falls, NY, always Utica's rival in terms of population in the mid-20th Century, has fallen on hard times. Crossing the border from Niagara Falls, Ontario into Niagara Falls, NY, you get the feeling of what it must have been like crossing from West to East Berlin at the height of the cold war. Glittering lights, new buildings and gardens are behind you; filth, trash, decaying structures, darkness and a sense of hopelessness lie ahead.

This happened in spite of being at one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. This happened in spite of having a casino in the middle of downtown.

It all goes to show you that even with the best of assets, with poor leadership, poor and uninformed judgment, and poor policies by the State of New York, little is possible.

Read all about it in the Buffalo News:
Niagara Falls developers leave downtown a land of empty promises

2 comments:

Chris Van Patten said...

I was just in Niagara falls, NY (a college interview at a nearby school) and this is 100% accurate. The town doesn't just have the appearance of a ghost town - it is. It is really quite sad because they have quite a magnificent natural wonder they could exploit but the government is getting in the way.

Anonymous said...

Go to any city that has a casino and see what you have? Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Utica/Rome, just to name a few.