Buffalo is the second largest city in the US state of New York and the county seat of Erie County. Buffalo received its name from Buffalo Creek, named by the British engineer John Montresor in 1764. The first white settlers along the creek were prisoners from the American Revolutionary War, and the village was founded in 1789; the town was founded in 1801. By 1804, Buffalo had 400 residents, and the construction of the Erie Canal led to a population boom; Buffalo was incorporated as a city in 1832. From 1845 to 1855, Buffalo doubled in size, and, by 1855, two-thirds of the city's population were immigrants, primarily Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Germany. During the 1840s, runaway black slaves settled on the city's east side, and the city's port developed in that same decade. At the dawn of the 20th century, the city saw a rise in heavy industry, and it became a stronghold of labor unions and the Democratic Party as a result of the New Deal. During World War II, Buffalo became a manufacturing center, and it had a fully employed population. However, the main shipbuilding company closed down in 1962, and deindustrialization and suburbanization led to economic and population deterioration. Buffalo transitioned to a service industry economy, emphasizing healthcare, research, and higher education. In 2017, Buffalo had a population of 258,612 people.
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