The East Side is a large district of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, and the city's physically largest neighborhood. It is bordered by Main Street to the north and west, I-190 and the Kaisertown neighborhood to the south, and the town of

Cheektowaga Cheektowaga () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town has grown to a population of 89,877. The town is in the north-central part of the county, and is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. The town is the ...

to the east. Large, ornate 19th-century churches, most of them

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, and modest -story wood-frame cottages, often with progressively smaller rear additions that give a telescoping effect, characterize the district. The East Side was once the second largest Polish-American community in the United States. Jefferson Avenue, and the intersection of Broadway and Fillmore, serve as its most heavily used commercial districts. Within the East Side are several smaller communities, including the Lovejoy District in the east and Broadway-Fillmore. Deindustrialization and

disinvestment Disinvestment refers to the use of a concerted economic boycott to pressure a government, industry, or company towards a change in policy, or in the case of governments, even regime change. The term was first used in the 1980s, most commonly in ...

in the second half of the twentieth century changed the East Side more than other Buffalo neighborhoods; much of the Polish community moved to Cheektowaga in that time frame. The current ethnic composition of the East Side is predominantly black. A disproportionate number of the city's vacant and abandoned houses are located here, as are many acres of

urban prairie Urban prairie is a term to describe vacant urban land that has reverted to green space. Previous structures occupying the urban lots have been demolished, leaving patchy areas of green space that are usually untended and unmanaged, forming an i ...

. Although the Buffalo neighborhood changed more than others, there is still a sense of community through local churches and markets. Notable destinations include the Broadway Market, St. Stanislaus - Bishop & Martyr Church, St. John Kanty's R.C. Church, St. Adalbert's Basilica, Corpus Christi R. C. Church Complex,

Buffalo Central Terminal Buffalo Central Terminal is an historic former railroad station in Buffalo, New York. An active station from 1929 to 1979, the 17-story Art Deco style station was designed by architects Fellheimer & Wagner for the New York Central Railroad. Th ...

, the

Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle The Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle is a non-profit membership-based organization founded in 1895. It is the oldest Polish American organization in Western New York and is the oldest surviving Polish library in Buffalo. The library hol ...

, and the Matt Urban Human Services Center. War Memorial Stadium was formerly part of the neighborhood, and was home of the Buffalo Bills from 1960 to 1972. The site is now home to the Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion.

External links

Broadway Fillmore Alive
- the Online Voice of East Buffalo's Historic Polonia
Central Terminal Restoration Corporation
- the homepage for the Buffalo Central Terminal Neighborhoods in Buffalo, New York Polish-American culture in Buffalo, New York African-American history in Buffalo, New York {{ErieCountyNY-geo-stub

See also

External links