Ecletic landscape in Buffalo's west side

When I started thinking of examples of an ethnic landscape,images of  buffalo's west side immediately poped into my head.  The new energy and development combined with the neighborhood's history, is a perfect example of ethnic identity having transforming a  landscape. It the most diverse part of buffalo, with many multiple ethnicities residing side by side. It's landscape refelcts the bridging of multiple cultural backgrounds in place that has long been divided along racial lines.

Buffalo's west side landscape has largely been transformed for what it looked like  at the turn of tweinth century.  At that time Buffalo's west side was largely an italian neighborhood, the residents  worked in manufacturing industries in the area. Yet post world war II era brought great change to this area. As buffalo's largest  manufactores and industries left so did the residents in the city. And for the next few decades after the war, buffalo' s west side experinced declining populations. Yet the imprints of an old italian neighbored are still there, many commercial spaces along grant street still havedecorated  italian flags on them and you can see italian names on the store fronts. The legacy of the italian neighborhood is still prevalent, places like guericos market is popular west side attraction and the buisness has been a staple of the westside for over 30 years. Chi Chi hardware store also on grant, is still run by chi chi himself who is of italian desecent. There are also traces of italian landscape on grant street, like the restaurant sasteria on breckenridge and niagara. everywhere in there mostly italian and its popular get together spot for italian families. There are always big italian families eating in the dining room. And there a few other restaurants like still open  as you go down niagara street towards the peace bridge.

The 1990s brought a new in flux  immgrients to the area. Large amounts of puerto ricans now reside in the west side. Also in the last ten years, the west side has become home to large community of refugees from somalia and burmese. making this multiethnic landscape. 

Right near lafeyette and grant you can see many puerto rican buisnesses. Many of them have puerto rican bright puerto rican decor signs hanging from the barborshops and hair salons.You can see signs in Spanish and community centers also carry spanish titles.  This serves as a ethnic marker of homeland identity, creating a  visible appreance of unified puerto rican community.  As you pass through the houses youll see houses decorated with catholic saints on the front lawns as well as family members sitting on the porches and outside of buisness,of the open aired gatherings in  homes and buisnesses is common in  latin america. here is a recreation of  their homeland's landscape in a new landscape.
The multicultural backgrounds of residents in this neighborhood is really what creates its unique landscape. There are several mosque one is on forest ave and their are other islamic centers in the neighborhood that cater to large msulim population. Grant street is also home to Somali Star, a somilan restaurant. You can see food markets with signs that say halal food. These are some of the most socially  revealing landscapes of change in the cultural values neighborhood.

The west side's ethinic landscape is symbolic of a "hybridzation of past and present cultural values". Its a celebration of what the buffalo was and what it could be in the future.