Office of Teaching Initiatives

Western New York Region

Location
The Western New York Region is a major commercial and transportation center of upstate New York. It is strategically located on two Great Lakes, Erie and Ontario, and on the Canadian border, where it serves as a vital link with our northern neighbor.

Weather
Mean Daily Temperature:
    January 23.7° F
    July 70.1° F

Workforce

Business and Industry
Niagara Falls, the seventh wonder of the world, helps attract about 13 million annual visitors to the area, making tourism a major industry in Western New York. The region is the 16th largest manufacturing center in the nation. Manufacturers of such hard goods as transportation equipment, machinery and fabricated metal products have traditionally made their home in Western New York. Leading manufacturers and service companies who base their operations here include: Fisher-Price/Mattel (East Aurora), Delaware North (Buffalo), and Mark IV Industries (Amherst). Western New York is a growing high technology center, with a network of incubators and specialized technical assistance programs, such as the Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology at Alfred University, an integral part of the State's "Ceramics Corridor."

Agriculture is an important industry in all five counties and is the number one industry in New York State. Western New York is the largest wine-producing region of the State.

Transportation

• Air Service: Buffalo Niagara International Airport is the region's largest air passenger facility with more than 200 flights per day and 3.4 million passengers per year. Air passenger service is also available from Niagara Falls Airport and Chautauqua County Jamestown Airport. The Niagara Falls Airport also functions as an Air Force and Army Reserve Base.
  
  
• Rail Service: Amtrack provides passenger service west to Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Ontario, Canada
  
  

Higher Education Institutions
Western New York is home to over 30 institutions of higher education, ranging from large public universities to small private colleges. Over 140,000 people attend a school of higher education or other postsecondary training. The University of Buffalo is the largest campus in the State University of New York System, with enrollment of 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It is one of the major research universities in North America. Major colleges and universities are listed below, all of which offer teacher preparation programs.

Alfred University
SUNY at Buffalo
Canisius College
Niagara University
St. Bonaventure University
SUNY College at Fredonia
SUNY College at Buffalo
Daemen College
D'Youville College
Houghton College
Medaille College

Health Care-major hospitals
Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo
Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
Roswell Park Center Institute, Buffalo Veterans Hospital
Children's Hospital of Buffalo
Millard Fillmore Hospital
Sisters Hospital, Buffalo
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center

Quality of Life
Housing costs are among the lowest in the northeast. Although best known for Niagara Falls, the region's physical attributes are numerous and provide opportunities for fun throughout all four seasons. There are more than 500 parks and playgrounds, including Allegheny and Letchworth State Parks and the City of Buffalo's Olmsted-designed parks system. The Great Lakes offer swimming, boating and fishing, and the area offers more than 100 golf courses and a dozen alpine and cross-country ski resorts. Spectator sports include professional football, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, Triple A baseball, and a full complement of collegiate sports. Buffalo has the largest concentration of theaters in the State outside of New York City. The region is home to a symphony, an array of art galleries and museums, historic homes, architectural treasures, the Buffalo Zoo, and the world-famous Chautauqua Institution.

Information obtained from numerous New York State sources (1/24/2007).