Tonight's Topic:

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Welcome Tonight's Topic The Suburbs
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What is a Suburb?

• Urbanized area near a city
• Located outside the city border with a separate
  government
• Dependent on the central city for culture and
  economy
• Has a name individual identity
• Largely residential
• May have manufacturing or light industry

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When did the suburbs begin to grow?

• Most people think of post W W II
• Contemporary history books make reference to
  Levittown
• Buffalo suburbs pre date that era beginning about
  1882

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Levittown - 1957 Picture from Life Magazine
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Characteristics of Suburban Neighborhoods

• Near main arteries to bring traffic in an out
  directly
• Streets have little or no thru access
• Most follow a grid pattern

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SuburbanizationPre streetcar days

• Natural boundary of a city was generally the
  distance a man could walk in 1 hour
• Horses Carriages for the wealthy
• Steam RR primarily for inter-city travel (i.e.
  Buffalo to Erie or Rochester)
• Horsecars were slow and dirtied the streets.

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Electric Trolley
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Trolley Car introduced to Buffalo 1892

• Direct Power generated locally (Niagara) but
  limits distance of rail line
• Five cent fare for 3 decades affordability
• Alternating current reached buffalo 1896
• AC made long distance travel possible
• Street railway received priority power

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Suburban growth Problems

• Buffalo Metro population in 1890 _at_ quarter
  million mark
• Industrial noise smoke foul odors encroached
  on older neighborhoods
• deterioration low rent
• Immigrants sought cheap housing
• Electric street railway offered cheep means of
  escape

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City Suburbs

• Early suburban growth developed withing the city
  limits
• Examples of city suburbs served by belt-line
  railroads trolleys
• Parkside ( 1880s)
• Kensington Area ( 1890s)
• City could provide needed services utilities

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Frederick Law Olmstead
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Frederick Law Olmstead
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Buffalo New York Park System Product of
Frederick Law Olmstead
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Problems of rapid growth

• Slower pace of the good old days missed by many
  residents
• Loss of more personal relationships
• Church, stores, police
• Politics was honorable in past not the machine
  run for financial gain
• Opportunities developed for innovative realtors
  in rural areas just beyond the city limits

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Kenmore The first suburb

• L.P.A. Eberhardt
• Bought up Farmland
• 1882 subdivided a 40 acre farm in North Buffalo
• 1888 bought Mang property Town of Tonawanda

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Primitive Conditions in Kenmore

• Streets were unpaved either muddy or dusty
• Utilities unavailable no sewer water street
  lighting
• No fire or police protection

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L.P.A.s first home 2749 Delaware Ave 1888 -
89
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Eberhardt Real Estate Office 2749 Delaware Ave.
c1910
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Delaware Ave. Kenmore Ave. c.1899
twin sentinels
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Early Kenmore Transit
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Development

• Kenmore Tonawanda Electric Railway built in
  1893 94
• Locally generated D.C. power also used for arc
  lighting for streets
• Single track line from Tonawanda to Buffalo
• Connections to Hertel line Buffalos west side
• Delaware Ave. paved with brick to Tonawanda
• Fast, clean transit stimulated suburban
  development.

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Kenmore incorporates 1899

• Several land companies develop homes along new
  streets
• L.P.A. and Fred Eberhardt
• Jacob Clare Rickert
• Myron A. Phelps
• Charles Large William Rowland
• Kinsey Realty Co.

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Census shows growth

• 1900 318 people
• 1910 1,020 people
• 1930 16,482 people (period of greatest
  growth)
• 1950 20,066 people
• 1960 21,261 people (peak population
• 1990 17,180

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Other Suburbs

• West Seneca 1851
• Cheektowaga
• Williamsville
• Tonawanda