The East Side is a large district of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

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

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, 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 Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpr ...

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 (or urban grassland) is vacant urban land that has reverted to urban open space, green space. The definition can vary across countries and disciplines, but at its broadest encompasses meadows, lawns, and gardens, as well as public an ...

. 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 Saint Adalbert Basilica, (referred to in Polish language, Polish as Bazylika Swietego Wojciecha) is a historic Roman Catholic church located on Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, New York (state), New York's East Side, Buffalo, East Side within the Roman ...

, Corpus Christi R. C. Church Complex,

Buffalo Central Terminal Buffalo Central Terminal is a 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. The ...

, the Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle, and the Matt Urban Human Services Center. War Memorial Stadium was formerly part of the neighborhood, and was home of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

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 Polish communities in the United States {{ErieCountyNY-geo-stub

See also

External links