Funny thing is I find the clifton hill cheesiness is what makes it niagara falls. Without that street it'll just feel like a normal town with great scenery. It's actually been like that since the 1960's with wax museums and rides and attractions. Kudos to them for being extremely different and it seems to work out for them employment wise and revenue for the city there's a bustling nightlife there to support the hotels/motels. The casino hires alot but i'm not sure if it does more good than harm cause gambling problems usually increase when it's that accessible to the local community.

Oh yeah and that's the tourist area of niagara falls not downtown. Downtown niagara falls is extremely quiet and deserted at night, I drove through it one night and everyone's asleep already.