The Frankish Reich Posted October 21, 2021 Posted October 21, 2021 On 10/20/2021 at 5:54 AM, Over 29 years of fanhood said: And sunlight, don’t forget sunlight. I know it’s a joke, but … I’m actually amazed that Buffalo stabilized and is still alive and kicking as a much smaller city. Turn the clock back 35 or 40 years and I would’ve seen no future at all for Buffalo. It grew to being a major industrial and shipping hub based on factors (location, what transportation and economic geographers call a “break in bulk” point from shipping to the canal and later to rail) that were becoming irrelevant. Same with the hydro power source. I started to see a better future with NAFTA - after all, there’s really only Buffalo, Detroit, and BC/Vancouver-Seattle as viable border/trade hubs. I thought we were maybe a decade away from an EU/Schengen style open border with Canada. 9/11 took the wind out of that sail. So what is the future of the Buffalo region? Growth? Continued slow decline? Stability as a minor regional center? I guess I’d vote for general stability but not great return to national (much less international) relevance. My dream of an open US-Canada border isn’t dead though … maybe in another generation. 1
All_Pro_Bills Posted October 21, 2021 Posted October 21, 2021 2 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said: I know it’s a joke, but … I’m actually amazed that Buffalo stabilized and is still alive and kicking as a much smaller city. Turn the clock back 35 or 40 years and I would’ve seen no future at all for Buffalo. It grew to being a major industrial and shipping hub based on factors (location, what transportation and economic geographers call a “break in bulk” point from shipping to the canal and later to rail) that were becoming irrelevant. Same with the hydro power source. I started to see a better future with NAFTA - after all, there’s really only Buffalo, Detroit, and BC/Vancouver-Seattle as viable border/trade hubs. I thought we were maybe a decade away from an EU/Schengen style open border with Canada. 9/11 took the wind out of that sail. So what is the future of the Buffalo region? Growth? Continued slow decline? Stability as a minor regional center? I guess I’d vote for general stability but not great return to national (much less international) relevance. My dream of an open US-Canada border isn’t dead though … maybe in another generation. To facilitate an open border policy rename Canada to North Mexico. 1
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