Bird's Eye of Rust Belt Buffalo

What could be any less flattering a nickname for a city, eh? The word “rust” conjures up either a crappy taste in your mouth after a hard night of partying—or it just makes you think of a sad abandoned, neglected creaky item that was once proud.

The term “Rust Belt” was coined as something as an insult to refer to once industrious cities across the Great Lakes Region of America. This region managed to be at the forefront of manufacturing everything from steel to cars to pretty much anything that could be mass produced on an assembly line. Due the abundance of interconnected railroads and water ways (the Erie Canal being the one of the most famous), these regions were exploding with jobs giving rise to several decades of prosperity.

HOWEVER A toxic cocktail of the steel and mining industries slowly dying, along side automation and massive layoffs (coupled with some other painful economic factors) meant dozens of these former manufacturing powerhouses literally rotted away throughout the 1980s.

There is a bright side to all this. In recent years many of these rust belt cities are slowly making a comeback. Buffalo, New York has been pumping money into offering unique ways to celebrate its rusty roots. Entertainment venues have popped up in what used to be old grain factories. The waterways have become local hotspots for outdoor festivals and live concerts. Featured in the video are Buffalo Riverworks, Canalside, Naval Park and General Mills (yes, the people who make some of your favorite childhood cereals). As the economic focus of Buffalo evolves, it will be interesting to see what new projects will arise to merge history with the future.