Lewiston, New York
Encyclopedia
Lewiston is a village in Niagara County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census
. The village is named after Morgan Lewis
, an early 19th-century governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo
–Niagara Falls
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
The Village of Lewiston, NY (also known as Yehęwakwáʼthaʼ in Tuscarora
) is within the Town of Lewiston
. The Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park
lies at its southern border.
Lewiston is situated on the Niagara River
, just across the river from Canada
. It is half way between the world-famous Niagara Falls
and historic Fort Niagara
in Youngstown, New York
. Niagara Falls is about a ten-minute drive to the south. Visitors from Canada can take the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
across the Niagara River.
Popular summer festivals include the Outdoor Art Festival (the second weekend in August) and the Historic Lewiston Jazz Festival (the last weekend in August). The famous Kiwanis Peach Festival takes place during the second weekend of September. Several other festivals, such as the Harvest Fest, take place during the year. Most are held on or near Center Street, the Village's main street (18F North).
tribes of the Haudenosaunee based in present-day New York. In the early 18th century, they were joined by the Iroquoian Tuscarora from the South, who centuries before had migrated from the Great Lakes
area to North Carolina
. In 1722, the Iroquois accepted the Tuscarora as the Sixth Nation of the confederacy. The Tuscarora had a village here before the American Revolutionary War
called Yehęwakwáʼthaʼ.
During the war, Tuscarora and Oneida
Iroquois bands allied individually with the colonists or the British. Those who allied with the British went north with Joseph Brant
before the end of the war and are part of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Ontario
. Those allied with the American colonists stayed in New York. The Tuscarora Nation of New York is federally recognized and has occupied a reservation at Lewiston since the early 19th Century, although in the 1950s state and federal authorities took 22% of their reservation by eminent domain
to construct what is now the Robert Moses Power Plant reservoir.
The Village of Lewiston (formerly known as The Landing) was the site of the first European settlement in western New York in 1720, where trading started along the river. French
explorers
arriving from Canada across the river had visited the area as early as 1615. The village, incorporated in 1822, claims to be the "most historic square mile in America". It was named after Morgan Lewis
, an early 19th-century governor of New York.
In addition to its ancient indigenous
settlement, Lewiston became historically significant during European development of North America, and strategic in United States and Canadian history. It was the site from which the US invaded Canada in the Battle of Queenston Heights
which took place October 13, 1812. It was the first major battle of the War of 1812
. A commemorative sign marks the location where the American force embarked to cross the Niagara River. After the Americans lost the battle, a British retaliatory raid in December 1813 burned Lewiston to the ground and killed several civilians. While most American militia deserted, the local Tuscarora natives stood and fought a delaying action which bought enough time for the surviving citizens to escape. The Historical Association has announced plans to construct a large scale bronze monument of thanksgiving to the Tuscaroras entitled "Tuscarora Heroes" to be unveiled on the 200th anniversary of the attack on December 19, 2013.
The earliest recorded railway in the United States was an inclined wooden tramway built here in 1764 by John Montresor
(1736–1799), a British military engineer
. Called "The Cradles" and "The Old Lewiston Incline," it featured loaded carts pulled up wooden rails by rope. It facilitated the movement of goods over the Niagara Escarpment
in present-day Lewiston.
For many African Americans' escaping slavery
in the 1840s and 1850s, Lewiston was the final stop on the Underground Railroad
before they crossed the Niagara River to secure freedom in Canada. Lewiston is the setting for the book, Freedom Crossing, by Margaret Goff Clark. Many schools use the book as required reading for thousands of grade school students across the United States as they learn about the Underground Railroad movement. The Historical Association of Lewiston has prepared a "Freedom Crossing Study Guide". They dedicated the Freedom Crossing Monument
on October 14, 2009. The large-scale bronze monument stands on the bank of the Niagara River.
Catherine Hustler was credited with inventing the "cocktail
" mixed drink in Lewiston in the 19th century. She was featured as a character in James Fenimore Cooper
's novel The Spy
. Built in 1824, the Frontier House was known for a time as the finest hotel in the United States west of the Hudson River
. Lewiston was a trading center on the Niagara River. As economic development changed, it became a destination for recreation and vacationers.
Lewiston has completed a multi-million dollar upgrade of its business district, which has been renovated with brick sidewalks and period lanterns. Its waterfront park is also being improved with more green space and additional parking. A new landmark hotel has just been opened near the waterfront. The village has a number of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These have contributed to the sense of place that anchors the village and formed the base of its main street renovation.
Tourists and visitors flock to Lewiston, primarily in the summertime, to enjoy its many festivals, fine restaurants, Artpark
, and to learn about its history. Thousands enjoy taking the Whirlpool Jet Boat ride, which shoots through the Niagara River
Class 5 rapids and is considered one of the top five adventure rides in North America
.
In proximity to the Village of Lewiston, a 710 acres (2.9 km²) hazardous chemical waste landfill is privately operated on land within the towns of Lewiston and Porter. The company is paid to accept hazardous wastes from jurisdictions across the state and is regulated by the state. It is the only such landfill left in the Northeastern United States. Nearby is the former Army Ordnance Depot, which has a landfill containing heavy metal contamination, as well as radioactive material from the Manhattan Project
of World War II
, conducted at Tonawanda, New York
. This landfill is supervised by the Army Corps of Engineers (COE).
, the village has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (9.32%) is water.
Lewiston is a Niagara River
community, north of Niagara Falls, New York
. Across the river is the region of Niagara-on-the-Lake
in Ontario
, Canada
. The formation of Niagara Falls began in Lewiston 12,000 years ago. Since then, the falls have moved seven miles (11 km) south along the river due to erosion of land.
New York's historic Ridge Road
begins in Lewiston. New York State Route 18F
and New York State Route 18
have termini here, both at New York State Route 104
. The Robert Moses State Parkway
runs North and South along the Eastern edge of the village.
of 2000, there were 2,781 people, 1,268 households, and 735 families residing in the village. The population density
was 2,610.3 people per square mile (1,003.5/km²). There were 1,351 housing units at an average density of 487.5 persons/km² (1,268.1 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the village was 98.53% White, 0.11% African American
, 0.54% Native American, 0.36% Asia
n, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 1,268 households out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples
living together, 8.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.79.
, was among the first structures added as the village was rebuilt after being burnt to the ground during the War of 1812
. It is one of a number of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
s of Lewiston and Porter, are two major landfills for handling hazardous materials:
Niagara County, New York
Niagara County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,469. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra; meaning the strait or thunder of waters. It is the location of Niagara Falls and Fort Niagara, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. The village is named after Morgan Lewis
Morgan Lewis (governor)
Morgan Lewis was an American lawyer, politician and military commander.Of Welsh descent, he was the son of Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He graduated from Princeton in 1773 and began to study law on the advice of his father...
, an early 19th-century governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
–Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area
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 Western New York, with a population, as of the 2010 census, of 1,135,509 inhabitants...
.
The Village of Lewiston, NY (also known as Yehęwakwáʼthaʼ in Tuscarora
Tuscarora language
Tuscarora, sometimes called Ska:rù:rę, is an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people, spoken in southern Ontario, Canada, and northwestern New York around Niagara Falls, in the United States. The historic homeland of the Tuscarora was in eastern North Carolina, in and around the Goldsboro,...
) is within the Town of Lewiston
Lewiston (town), New York
Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York United States. The population was 16,262 at the 2010 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York....
. The Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park
Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park
Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park is located in the Village of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York, named after Earl Brydges. It is generally referred to as Artpark, and was created on the site of a former industrial waste dump...
lies at its southern border.
Lewiston is situated on the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
, just across the river from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is half way between the world-famous Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
and historic Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.-Origin:...
in Youngstown, New York
Youngstown, New York
Youngstown is a village in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 1,957 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. Niagara Falls is about a ten-minute drive to the south. Visitors from Canada can take the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
The Lewiston–Queenston Bridge is an arch bridge that crosses the Niagara River gorge just south of the Niagara Escarpment. The bridge was officially opened on November 1, 1962. It is an international bridge between the United States and Canada. It connects Interstate 190 in the town of Lewiston,...
across the Niagara River.
Popular summer festivals include the Outdoor Art Festival (the second weekend in August) and the Historic Lewiston Jazz Festival (the last weekend in August). The famous Kiwanis Peach Festival takes place during the second weekend of September. Several other festivals, such as the Harvest Fest, take place during the year. Most are held on or near Center Street, the Village's main street (18F North).
History
Various cultures of Native American tribes inhabited the Lewiston area for thousands of years, with the earliest known artifacts dating to 5000 B.C. By the 14th century, this area was inhabited by Iroquoian-speaking peoples. Before the mid-17th century, they had coalesced into the Five Nations, the historic IroquoisIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
tribes of the Haudenosaunee based in present-day New York. In the early 18th century, they were joined by the Iroquoian Tuscarora from the South, who centuries before had migrated from the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
area to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. In 1722, the Iroquois accepted the Tuscarora as the Sixth Nation of the confederacy. The Tuscarora had a village here before the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
called Yehęwakwáʼthaʼ.
During the war, Tuscarora and Oneida
Oneida tribe
The Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
Iroquois bands allied individually with the colonists or the British. Those who allied with the British went north with Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
before the end of the war and are part of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Those allied with the American colonists stayed in New York. The Tuscarora Nation of New York is federally recognized and has occupied a reservation at Lewiston since the early 19th Century, although in the 1950s state and federal authorities took 22% of their reservation by eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
to construct what is now the Robert Moses Power Plant reservoir.
The Village of Lewiston (formerly known as The Landing) was the site of the first European settlement in western New York in 1720, where trading started along the river. French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
explorers
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
arriving from Canada across the river had visited the area as early as 1615. The village, incorporated in 1822, claims to be the "most historic square mile in America". It was named after Morgan Lewis
Morgan Lewis (governor)
Morgan Lewis was an American lawyer, politician and military commander.Of Welsh descent, he was the son of Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He graduated from Princeton in 1773 and began to study law on the advice of his father...
, an early 19th-century governor of New York.
In addition to its ancient indigenous
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
settlement, Lewiston became historically significant during European development of North America, and strategic in United States and Canadian history. It was the site from which the US invaded Canada in the Battle of Queenston Heights
Battle of Queenston Heights
The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812 and resulted in a British victory. It took place on 13 October 1812, near Queenston, in the present-day province of Ontario...
which took place October 13, 1812. It was the first major battle of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. A commemorative sign marks the location where the American force embarked to cross the Niagara River. After the Americans lost the battle, a British retaliatory raid in December 1813 burned Lewiston to the ground and killed several civilians. While most American militia deserted, the local Tuscarora natives stood and fought a delaying action which bought enough time for the surviving citizens to escape. The Historical Association has announced plans to construct a large scale bronze monument of thanksgiving to the Tuscaroras entitled "Tuscarora Heroes" to be unveiled on the 200th anniversary of the attack on December 19, 2013.
The earliest recorded railway in the United States was an inclined wooden tramway built here in 1764 by John Montresor
John Montresor
Captain John Montresor was a British military engineer in North America.-Early life:Born in Gibraltar 22 April 1736 to British military engineer James Gabriel Montresor and his first wife, Mary Haswell, John Montresor spent his early life there...
(1736–1799), a British military engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
. Called "The Cradles" and "The Old Lewiston Incline," it featured loaded carts pulled up wooden rails by rope. It facilitated the movement of goods over the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
in present-day Lewiston.
For many African Americans' escaping slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in the 1840s and 1850s, Lewiston was the final stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
before they crossed the Niagara River to secure freedom in Canada. Lewiston is the setting for the book, Freedom Crossing, by Margaret Goff Clark. Many schools use the book as required reading for thousands of grade school students across the United States as they learn about the Underground Railroad movement. The Historical Association of Lewiston has prepared a "Freedom Crossing Study Guide". They dedicated the Freedom Crossing Monument
Freedom Crossing Monument
Freedom Crossing Monument is located on the bank of the Niagara River in Lewiston, New York, and honors the courage of fugitive slaves who sought a new life of freedom in Canada, and to the local volunteers who protected and helped them on their journey across the Niagara River...
on October 14, 2009. The large-scale bronze monument stands on the bank of the Niagara River.
Catherine Hustler was credited with inventing the "cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
" mixed drink in Lewiston in the 19th century. She was featured as a character in James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
's novel The Spy
The Spy
The Spy can refer to *The Spy: A Tale of the Neutral Ground, an 1821 novel by James Fenimore Cooper*The Spy, a 1914 film adaptation of the Cooper novel by director Otis Turner*The Spy, a 2010 novel by Clive Cussler...
. Built in 1824, the Frontier House was known for a time as the finest hotel in the United States west of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. Lewiston was a trading center on the Niagara River. As economic development changed, it became a destination for recreation and vacationers.
Lewiston has completed a multi-million dollar upgrade of its business district, which has been renovated with brick sidewalks and period lanterns. Its waterfront park is also being improved with more green space and additional parking. A new landmark hotel has just been opened near the waterfront. The village has a number of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These have contributed to the sense of place that anchors the village and formed the base of its main street renovation.
Tourists and visitors flock to Lewiston, primarily in the summertime, to enjoy its many festivals, fine restaurants, Artpark
Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park
Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park is located in the Village of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York, named after Earl Brydges. It is generally referred to as Artpark, and was created on the site of a former industrial waste dump...
, and to learn about its history. Thousands enjoy taking the Whirlpool Jet Boat ride, which shoots through the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
Class 5 rapids and is considered one of the top five adventure rides in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
In proximity to the Village of Lewiston, a 710 acres (2.9 km²) hazardous chemical waste landfill is privately operated on land within the towns of Lewiston and Porter. The company is paid to accept hazardous wastes from jurisdictions across the state and is regulated by the state. It is the only such landfill left in the Northeastern United States. Nearby is the former Army Ordnance Depot, which has a landfill containing heavy metal contamination, as well as radioactive material from the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, conducted at Tonawanda, New York
Tonawanda, New York
Tonawanda may refer to:*Glacial Lake Tonawanda*North Tonawanda, New York, a city in Niagara County, north across Tonawanda Creek from the City and Town*Tonawanda , New York, consisting of the Town of Tonawanda less the Village of Kenmore...
. This landfill is supervised by the Army Corps of Engineers (COE).
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (9.32%) is water.
Lewiston is a Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
community, north of Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
. Across the river is the region of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The formation of Niagara Falls began in Lewiston 12,000 years ago. Since then, the falls have moved seven miles (11 km) south along the river due to erosion of land.
New York's historic Ridge Road
Ridge Road (Western New York)
Ridge Road is a east–west road that traverses four counties in Upstate New York in the United States. It is named for the rise atop which the road was built, a mound of sand and gravel that was formed when it was the shoreline of ancient Glacial Lake Iroquois...
begins in Lewiston. New York State Route 18F
New York State Route 18F
New York State Route 18F is a long state highway in northwestern Niagara County, New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 104 and the Robert Moses State Parkway just east of the village of Lewiston. The northern terminus is at an...
and New York State Route 18
New York State Route 18
New York State Route 18 is an east–west state highway in western New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the south shore of Lake Ontario for most of its length between Niagara County and Monroe County...
have termini here, both at New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104 is a long east–west state highway in Upstate New York, United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to that of the southern shoreline of Lake...
. The Robert Moses State Parkway
Robert Moses State Parkway
The Robert Moses State Parkway is an long north–south highway in western Niagara County, New York, United States. Its southern terminus is at the LaSalle Expressway on the east bank of the Niagara River in Niagara Falls. The northern terminus is at NY 18 at Four Mile Creek State Park in...
runs North and South along the Eastern edge of the village.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,781 people, 1,268 households, and 735 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,610.3 people per square mile (1,003.5/km²). There were 1,351 housing units at an average density of 487.5 persons/km² (1,268.1 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the village was 98.53% White, 0.11% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.54% Native American, 0.36% Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race.
There were 1,268 households out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.79.
Notable residents
- Mike BellMike Bell (first baseman)Michael Allen Bell is a former Major League Baseball player for the Atlanta Braves and a number of minor league teams. He attended Georgia Tech in the off-season.-External links:*...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Rick DudleyRick DudleyRichard Clarence Dudley is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. Dudley was previously the general manager of several hockey teams. Dudley played in the World Hockey Association and in the National Hockey League. Dudley has also served as a head coach in the National...
, professional hockey player and coach - Vince MolyneauxVince MolyneauxVincent Leo Molyneaux was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Browns and Boston Red Sox season. Listed at 6' 0", 180 lb., Molyneaux batted and threw right-handed...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Daryl JohnstonDaryl JohnstonDaryl Peter "Moose" Johnston is a former National Football League fullback who played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 to 1999.-High school career:...
, fullback for the Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... - Catherine Gildiner, who wrote the best-selling memoir Too Close to the Falls
Notable architecture
The residence at 810 Center Street, which became the Clarkson HouseClarkson House (Lewiston, NY)
The Clarkson House is an 1818 building in Lewiston, New York that has been in use as a restaurant since 1958.-History:The Clarkson House building was "one of the first buildings constructed after the burning of the Village of Lewiston by the British during the War of 1812...
, was among the first structures added as the village was rebuilt after being burnt to the ground during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. It is one of a number of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Environmental issues
Nearby, within the townTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s of Lewiston and Porter, are two major landfills for handling hazardous materials:
- The Chemical Waste Management Hazardous Waste Landfill, the only hazardous chemical waste landfill in the northeastern United States
- The Lake Ontario Ordnance Works, a former Army Ordnance Depot, which contains land contaminated from its operations
- The Niagara Falls Storage Site which contains radioactive material from part of the Manhattan ProjectManhattan ProjectThe Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
conducted at Tonawanda, New YorkTonawanda, New YorkTonawanda may refer to:*Glacial Lake Tonawanda*North Tonawanda, New York, a city in Niagara County, north across Tonawanda Creek from the City and Town*Tonawanda , New York, consisting of the Town of Tonawanda less the Village of Kenmore...
.