In 1881, Buffalo was the first city in the United States to deploy electric streetlights, giving it the nickname "City of Light."
A few short years later, the immense power of nearby Niagara Falls was harnessed as a hydroelectric plant. Buffalo benefited from what was, at the time, one of the largest power sources in the world.
Buffalo began making widespread use of electricity in the years that followed. To this day, Niagara Falls is still the largest electricity producer in the state of New York.