Interstate 290 (I-290) is a 9.8-mile-long (15.8 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. It connects I-190 in Tonawanda with I-90 in Williamsville, via Amherst. It provides a route to Niagara Falls and Canada from the east that bypasses the city of Buffalo. I-290 also connects to I-990 and, through this connection, provides access to the Amherst campus of the University at Buffalo. Its official name is the Youngmann Memorial Highway, but, locally, it is colloquially referred to as "the 290" and "the Youngmann". The highway provides the fastest road link between Toronto and the heavily populated Northeastern US via I-90.

The Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area, designated by the United States Census Bureau, encompassing two counties - Erie and Niagara - in the state of New York. It has a population of over 1.1 million people and is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state. As of the 2020 U S. census, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 1,166,902. The larger Buffalo Niagara Region is an economic zone consisting of eight counties in Western New York.