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What is the place-name etymology of Buffalo, New York?

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closed as general reference by Hugo, Will Hunting, aedia λ, MετάEd, simchona Jan 26 '12 at 1:14


Downvoted (no research done) and voted to close (general reference) as answer is on Wikipedia and etymonline.com, both found via Google search. –  Hugo Jan 25 '12 at 11:05

1 Answer 1

The city is named after Buffalo Creek. How Buffalo Creek got its name is unknown. There are many conflicting stories. See, for example, http://www.buffaloah.com/h/bflo/origin.html

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Thank you,Jay.I was hoping you wouldn't say it was a slam dunk from "beau fleuve",which I once believed with certainty.Mark Twain once quipped that it was called "Buffalo" because there weren't any buffalo to be seen. –  Bill S. Jan 25 '12 at 3:46
I didn't think buffalo were native to N America? –  mgb Jan 25 '12 at 4:03
@mgb American Bison are also known as buffalo. –  slim Jan 25 '12 at 9:01
