Welcome to Western New York

Much activity in this region revolves around Buffalo, New York State's (very distant) second-largest city, with about 250,000 people. The area first developed thanks to the hydroelectric power of Niagara Falls and the Erie Canal, which linked the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The falls are now better known as a tourist destination, with 12 million visitors annually

Top experiences in Western New York

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USA's top 10 natural wonders

The third biggest country on earth, the USA packs spectacular biodiversity within its borders. Between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, you’ll encounter hot desert playas and plateaus, skyscraping mountain ranges topped by glaciers, rolling grasslands where millions of bison once roamed, tropical rain forests, active volcanic zones and polar tundra.

John Ford Point at Monument Valley. Image by Benoit Cappronnier / Lonely Planet / Getty Images
Sara Benson
Lonely Planet Writer

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