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Niagara Falls ( ) is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and named after the famed Niagara Falls which they share. The city is within the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Western New York region. While the city was formerly occupied by Native Americans, Europeans who migrated to the Niagara Falls in the mid-17th century began to open businesses and develop infrastructure. Later in the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists and businessmen began harnessing the power of the Niagara River for electricity and the city began to attract manufacturers and other businesses that were drawn by the promise of inexpensive hydroelectric power. After the 1960s, however, the city and region witnessed an economic decline consistent with the rest of the Rust Belt as industries left the city and affluent families relocated to nearby suburbs. Globalization has played a large role in the decline of manufacturing in the city. Despite the decline in heavy industry, Niagara Falls State Park and the downtown area closest to the falls continue to thrive as a result of tourism. The population, however, has continued to decline from a peak of 102,394 in the 1960s due to the loss of manufacturing jobs in the area. ==History== Before Europeans entered the area, the area was dominated by the Neutral Nation of Native Americans. European migration into the area began in the 17th century. The first recorded European to visit the area was Frenchman Robert de la Salle, accompanied by Belgian priest Louis Hennepin, who was the first known European to see the falls. The influx of newcomers may have been a catalyst for already hostile native tribes to turn to open warfare in competition for the fur trade. The City of Niagara Falls was incorporated on March 17, 1892, from the villages of Manchester and Suspension Bridge, which were parts of the Town of Niagara. New York State Governor Roswell P. Flower signed a bill forming the city. Thomas Vincent Welch who was a member of the charter committee and then a New York state assemblyman, but more importantly a second-generation Irishman, was responsible for asking Governor Flower to sign the bill on St. Patrick's Day. George W. Wright was elected the first mayor of Niagara Falls. By the end of the 19th century, the city was a heavy industrial area, due in part to the power potential offered by the Niagara River. Tourism was considered a secondary niche, while industry was the main producer of jobs and the economic backbone. In 1927, the city annexed the village of La Salle from the Town of Niagara. The village was named for the French explorer Robert de La Salle, who built his ship, the Griffon on the shores of the river five miles East. Robert de la Salle. Ever since the early 20th century, the center of the tourist district was Falls Street. Much of Falls Street was razed in an ill-conceived urban renewal project. Ultimately, a convention center and casino were built to generate more tourism. Industry and tourism grew steadily throughout the first half of the 20th Century, due to a high demand for industrial products and the increased mobility of people to travel. Paper, rubber, plastics, petrochemicals, carbon insulators and abrasives were among the major industries located in the city. This prosperity would end by the late 1960s as aging industrial plants closed and moved to less expensive locations. In 1956, the Schoellkopf Power Plant on the lower river just downstream of the American Falls was critically damaged due to a massive collapse of the Niagara Gorge wall above it. This prompted the planning and construction of one of the largest hydroelectric plants to be built in North America at that time, causing a large influx of workers and families to move to the area. New York City urban planner Robert Moses built the new power plant in nearby Lewiston, New York. Much of the power went downstate to fuel growing demands for New York City. The contaminated Love Canal neighborhood gained national media attention in 1978 when toxins from a chemical waste landfill within the site forced United States President Jimmy Carter to declare the area a national disaster, with hundreds of residents relocating.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = University of Buffalo Libraries )〕 After the Love Canal disaster, the city witnessed a reversal of fortunes, as labor in Niagara Falls was cheaper to outsource to other countries. Several factories closed, the population dropped by half, and blue-collar workers fled the city in search of jobs elsewhere. Much like the nearby city of Buffalo, the city's economy plummeted downward when a failed urban renewal project took place resulting in the destruction of Falls Street and the tourist district. In 1995, the city was the defendant in ''NAACP v. City of Niagara Falls''. In the suit the NAACP said the city was violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At the time, Niagara Falls' government consisted of a mayor, who acted as chief executive, and seven city council members elected at-large. The NAACP also said the city had not given enough representation to African Americans living in the city, which at that time comprised 15.6% of the city's population. The court ruled in favor of the city, which kept its system of government. In 2001, the leadership of Laborers Local 91 was found guilty of extortion, racketeering and other crimes following an exposé by Mike Hudson of the ''Niagara Falls Reporter''. Union boss Michael "Butch" Quarcini died before trial began, while the rest of the union leadership was sentenced to prison. In early 2010, former Niagara Falls Mayor Vincent Anello was indicted on federal charges of corruption, alleging that the mayor accepted $40,000 in loans from a businessman who was later awarded a no-bid lease on city property. The charges were dropped as part of a plea deal after Anello plead guilty to unrelated charges of pension fraud, regarding a pension from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, of which he is a member. He was ultimately sentenced to 10 to 16 months in prison. The decline of the city was given national exposure by Bloomberg Businessweek in 2010. On November 30, 2010, the New York State Attorney General entered into an agreement with the city and its police department to create new policies to govern police practices in response to claims of excessive force and police misconduct. The city will create policies and procedures to prevent and respond to allegations of excessive force, and to ensure that police are properly trained and complaints are properly investigated. Prior claims filed by residents will be evaluated by an independent panel. The city has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places. It also has three national historic districts, including Chilton Avenue-Orchard Parkway Historic District, Deveaux School Historic District, and the Park Place Historic District. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Niagara Falls, New York」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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