High Hopes: The Rise and Decline of Buffalo, New York

by Mark Goldman

In 1901 Buffalo was the national symbol of the country's optimism, pride, and braggadocio. Toward the close of the century, it epitomizes the sense of economic and demographic crisis prevalent in American industrial cities.

High Hopes analyzes and interprets the historical forces—external and internal— that have shaped New York's second largest city. It examines the historical shifts that have served as a catalyst in Buffalo's growth, charting the city's evolution from a small frontier community through its development as a major commercial center and its emergence and eventual decline as a significant industrial metropolis. Mark Goldman looks at the detailed patterns of local daily life from the settlement of the village in the early nineteenth century to the tragedy of Love Canal. In the process, he covers a wide range of topics, including work, ethnicity, family and community life, class structure, and values and beliefs. By bringing to bear on the events and developments that have shaped Buffalo a broad range of subjects and ideas, Goldman helps readers to understand the vast array of complex forces at work in the historical development of all American cities.

Genres: Nonfiction

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Bill Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The early chapters of this book are exactly what I look for in popular history . . . cogent accounts of events with an eye toward the bizarre. The first chapter, on the downward spiral that was the Pan American Exposition, is especially entertaining. McKinley killed, an elephant slated for execution for bad behavior, rioting crowds destroying the fair on its last night, all told in lively prose. Using that chapter as a symbol for the city's woes, Goldman takes us back to Buffalo's founding, and re-founding after being burned by the British, through the transformations wrought by the Erie Canal, the railroads, the Civil War, the coming of automobiles, and industrialization, chronicling a history of bad decisions, slow reactions, race hatred, and other urban woes. Buffalo here is Everytown, or at least every industrial town in the Northeast. While some of the chapters are enthralling, others -- like the one on the rise of industrialism -- are numbing in the string of facts and data that don't add much to the central thesis: bad planning results in bad outcomes. The real downturn in entertainment though came in the long chapter on Vietnam era student strife at the University of Buffalo, a near moment-by-moment account of events that are intrinsically interesting in the broad stroke but tedious in the detail. The other flaw with this book, astonishing in a volume from a university press, are the number of typos, misspelled words, and other textual errors, one on perhaps every other page, that distracted from even the amusing chapters. Good in concept but, perhaps like the city itself, a little more planning might have improved matters.

[Andrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few books on this serious. Traveling NY I remember visiting buffalo/Niagara falls region for the first time. It's downfall is mind shattering. So much industry, history, power and potential reduced to effectively a baren landscape; both downtown and surrounding areas. How could this happen? I wish there was more, maybe the author can expand in the future years.

[M.P. Mulligan]

In depth history of the 'city of No Illusions' Buffalo NY from 1805-1980s

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning chapters of the book seem to be well researched but the last couple of chapter seem to be based more on the author's opinions. The chapter on the 1960's and 1970's did not seem to fit in with the rest of the book. It dealt only with the problems at the University of Buffalo. The author concludes that the St. Lawrence Seaway and out-of-state ownership and mismanagement of Buffalo's largest companies is what brought Buffalo down. I am sure those things contributed to Buffalo's decline but I believe there were many other contributing factors - the climate, for one. The book ended on a depressing note and it seems as if the author did not have any hope that Buffalo could ever be a vibrant city again.

[Laura]

I can't wait to read this.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very best book on Buffalo's history.