The experience of the nation between 1962 and 1984 was a shuddering commotion of people, money, and commodities. The systems that had governed for more than 25 years grated from considerable stresses.
The 37 cities in New York State were not insulated from the volume of change. It is not unexpected that cities change. They share characteristics with people, with businesses, and with nature. They spring up, push their way through the economy, and attempt to achieve maturity, permanence, and relevance. Their evolution spawns much emotion in its inhabitants and visitors. For one city, remarkable for two reasons, its trajectory and as my birthplace, Niagara Falls, NY is literally among a handful of cities whose progress was as acute as it became grave. It was not a lone actor in its transformation and the various dramas in which it was a setting are comical, tragic, riveting, and poignant.
In business school we talk about political, economic, social, and technological trends. This website assembles and displays a portion of the information—national, regional, and local—that were emblematic of the crossroad. Please see the About Us section for more about the analysis, forthcoming book, and the author. To start understanding what happened, single click the sections below to view the visualizations.
Demographics
The figures represent the region's demographics.
To learn more, click on the image.
Commodities
The figures represent the performance of the commodities markets.
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Investments
The figures represent the performance of financial markets.
To learn more, click on the image.
Transformation
The figures represent the figurative fulcrum that the nation’s progressive experiment of fair housing, urban design, and public investment were sharply pulled up, through, and down.
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Hydroelectricity
The figures represent the use of water to create wealth.
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Commerce
The figures represent the business patterns of the industry classifications.
To learn more, click on the image.
