Tim Kukulka
Aug 26, 2017 · 3 min read

The Silicon Falls

August 26th, 2017

There’s a buzz around the Western New York region, specifically in the Buffalo area of a resurgence that’s been brewing for years now. Still you might think of Buffalo as the booming steel town it once was but like Austin, Texas; Buffalo, New York is upon it’s rebirth; real estate prices are rising, industries are being reinvented and education is more alive and well than it has ever been.

So, this September there are a few notable launches that aside from Solar City and Tesla may have some significant ripples throughout the Lakes and nearby Niagara Falls. Let’s take a step back to why its possible that Buffalo may exist in the first place; and it’s significance in the symbolic bridging of the gap between Madison and Vine. When explorers, Native Americans and wanderers alike came upon the mouth of the mighty Niagara River they began the half marathon up it on its shores with a majestic awe of the abundance of fresh water flowing so freely. After realizing that their 8 ton plus ships would not make that same journey and that the elevation provided for safety and unknowingly even eventually to power to their lives; encampment was set up, and Buffalo, the village was born.

Fast forward and pause. In 2000 Buffalo housing and its infrastructure was crumbling and its future at stake, yet a community of people pulled together to put forth efforts that today, in the late summer of 2017 can be seen as fruitful, but still with a lot of room to grow.

The next phase has knocked on Buffalo’s door and will be making changes as we soon may see. There are the usual yearly advancements and money injections but there is an underlying tech-innovation boom that is about to occur here in Buffalo. Similar to that of Austin, Texas companies like Amazon Inc. is set to open its doors with employee orientation in mid-September paying workers $12.25 to sort boxes at their nearby Buffalo facility, Verizon is potentially planning a roll-out of network upgrades and Apple is following close behind gearing up strongly for the holidays and arming Buffalo’s citizens with it next new gadget.

Solar City and Tesla have had a few set backs yet this next phase could jump start the stalled business and really set Buffalo up for a warm winter of work ahead. With Amazon hiring and Apple and Verizon doing the same this rust belt city is becoming the blue-collar city it once was with different types of technology and products as majestic as the falls that powers some of these plants and factories.

So what’s next for Buffalo, will it embrace its new found glory and continue this restoration or will it look towards its roots of the city of good neighbors and stand as the queen city to Toronto that sits just to the north, or maybe even just glance away?

Buffalo may endure some stresses that growing cities do, but in its roots are strong, down to earth design and architecture and if you stand back and breath a second … it might give one the insight and enable the city to think clearly through the changes that may potentially make our culture so unique; as the sign reads on the Interstate 90 when you arrive from the East, “Buffalo — An All America City”.

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Tim Kukulka

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L'aeroplan de ma tête. Here to read and also write down my thoughts so that they aren't just bouncing.