A vision for Niagara Falls’ future from a past resident
By Theresa Domagalski
Friday, July 30, 2026

It seems that the hometown of my youth no longer exists. During a visit to see my family this past spring, I was both disheartened and disturbed to witness the pervasive decay of the city of Niagara Falls.

In every pocket of the city, buildings lay vacant and boarded up, homes in disrepair, public and private properties showing evidence of long-standing neglect. There is no discernible evidence of forward progress, only the remnants of a now defunct past.

While the drivers of yesterday’s economy — the city’s former industrial manufacturing base and the tourism industry — no longer exist, they are evident by the unsightly blight along Buffalo Avenue and the ghostly appearance of what was once “downtown Niagara Falls” along Main Street and the vicinity around the Falls. Yet, there is no indication of what the gatekeepers of the city have done to infuse the city with an industry to replace those which have gone.

Perhaps some would assert that tourism continues to have an economic stronghold in the area. Yet, the fortuitous existence of a natural geographic wonder does not make for an economy without complimentary recreational, social and retail entities alongside. More is required to call a city a tourist haven than a mere few shops in close geographical proximity to the Falls.

What accounts for the failure to bring a new type of industry to the area? How is it that every section of the city has fallen into disrepair and visual disfigurement? Is it public apathy or complacency or hopelessness that explain current conditions? Is it mismanagement or lack of competence among the city’s gatekeepers? Perhaps all of these things.

Homeowners and residents must demand accountability, first from the hired and elected officials who have a fiduciary obligation to the community, and second, of themselves. Residents of Niagara Falls share in the culpability when they do not participate in electing government servants with the vision and skill to overturn the long decrepit state of affairs or when they permit hired city managers and employees to remain in office if their work performance has not shown demonstrable improvements for the city.

Only those who possess the foresight, creativity, energy, business acumen, and negotiating skill to actively and successfully secure a new economic niche should be permitted the opportunity to serve the community of Niagara Falls. Public servants should look to county and state government for economic and other types of assistance.

They should capitalize on the existing resources of the city — whether that of the power plant with its tremendous potential to introduce like-minded businesses, the existence of an international border along the city’s edge, or, even the legacy of the Love Canal, which might be used to woo environmental concerns to the region or feature the activism of the area at that time.

Residents and homeowners bear another responsibility as well. They should tidy up their properties by keeping the lawns trimmed and edged, by moving visual eyesores such as trash cans, litter and other personal property out of public sight, by painting or power washing their homes. Lend a hand to a neighbor — spontaneously mow a lawn, rake up leaves, help with a paint job.

Call and write those whom you have voted in to office to replace the cracked or uneven sidewalks in your neighborhood. Take an objective look at your hometown and consider what you can do personally to help turn around the dismal state of affairs. Do something.



Theresa Domagalski is a former Falls resident who now lives in Melbourne, Florida.
View Printable Story