Porter, New York
Encyclopedia
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 6,771 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Judge Augustus Porter
Augustus Porter
Augustus Porter , along with his brother Peter Buell Porter , purchased the land near Niagara Falls, United States at a public auction in order to open a grist mill and tannery around 1805...
.
The Town of Porter lies in the northwest corner of Niagara County and is north of the City of 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...
.
History
for thousands of years inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples, at the time of European encounter, this was territory of the powerful Iroquois Confederacy, based in present-day New York state.Permanent European-American settlement did not take place until after the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, about 1801, after most of the Iroquois had been forced to cede their lands to New York and had emigrated to Upper Canada.
The Town of Porter was created in 1812 from the Town of Cambria
Cambria, New York
Cambria is a town in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census. Cambria is an early name for Wales.The Town of Cambria is in the center of Niagara County.New York State Route 93 passes through the town.- History :...
, but further development was hindered by 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...
. The United States' war with Great Britain first included an embargo of trade with Canada, disrupting the local economy. Warfare along the border continued until 1814.
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 town has a total area of 37.7 square miles (97.6 km²), of which, 33.2 square miles (86 km²) of it is land and 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²) of it (12.00%) is water.
The northern boundary of the town is Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
and the Western boundary is 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...
, which is the international boundary between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 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...
.
Adjacent Cities & Towns
- Town of LewistonLewiston, New YorkLewiston 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,...
- south - Town of WilsonWilson (town), New YorkWilson is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 5,993 at the 2010 census. The town is said to be named after an early settler....
- east - Niagara-on-the-LakeNiagara-on-the-Lake, OntarioNiagara-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...
, OntarioOntarioOntario 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....
- west - Lake OntarioLake OntarioLake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
- north
Major Highways in the Town of Porter
New York State Route 18New York State Route 18New 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...
(Lake Rd., Creek Rd.), East-West Highway across the north part of town roughly paralleling Lake Ontario from Wilson town line then its orientation is in a more North-South direction as it passes Youngstown-Lockport Rd.(NY 93) as the route heads west.
New York State Route 18FNew York State Route 18FNew 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...
(Lowet River Rd., Lake Rd.), North-South roadway through the town from its northern terminus with NY 18, the route roughly parallels the rest of Lake Ontario that NY 18 doesn't as it heads west and then turns south as it passes Fort Niagara State Park, through the Village of Youngstown south out of the town into the Town of Lewiston.
New York State Route 93New York State Route 93New York State Route 93 is a state highway in western New York in the United States. It runs in a northwest–southeast direction between NY 18F near the Niagara River in the village of Youngstown and NY 5 just south of the village of Akron...
(Youngstown-Lockport Rd.), East-West roadway through the town from the Wilson town line on into the Village of Youngstown where it has its western terminus at NY 18F.
Robert Moses State ParkwayRobert Moses State ParkwayThe 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...
, North-South highway through the town from the Lewiston town line north to New York State Route 18 near Lake Ontario at Four Mile Creek State Park.
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 6,920 people, 2,616 households, and 1,935 families residing in the town. 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 208.3 people per square mile (80.5/km²). There were 2,846 housing units at an average density of 85.7 per square mile (33.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.66% White, 0.48% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.12% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 2,616 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% 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, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,425, and the median income for a family was $60,373. Males had a median income of $41,985 versus $27,027 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $23,951. About 2.2% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Porter
- BlairvilleBlairville, New YorkBlairville, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Porter in Niagara County, New York, USA.-References:...
– A hamlet southeast of Youngstown on Creek Road (Route 18). - Fillmore Chapel – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town.
- Fort NiagaraFort NiagaraFort 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:...
– An historic colonial fortification in Fort Niagara State Park. - Fort Niagara State ParkFort Niagara State ParkFort Niagara State Park is located in the Town of Porter in Niagara County, New York, USA. Historic Fort Niagara is located within the park. The park is northwest of Youngstown, New York near the northern terminus of the Robert Moses State Parkway....
– A park at the mouth of the Niagara River. - Four Mile Creek – A stream that flows northward through the west side of the town and enters Lake Ontario at the state park.
- Four Mile Creek State ParkFour Mile Creek State ParkFour Mile Creek State Park is located in the Town of Porter in Niagara County, New York. The park is at the mouth of Four Mile Creek on the shore of Lake Ontario....
– A lakeside park on the shore of Lake Ontario. - Porter CenterPorter Center, New YorkPorter Center, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Porter in Niagara County, New York, USA.-References:...
– A hamlet centrally located in the town on the Youngstown-Lockport Road (Route 93). - Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site – An official New York historic site that includes Fort Niagara.
- RansomvilleRansomville, New YorkRansomville is a hamlet located in the Town of Porter in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 1,488 at the 2000 census. Portions of the hamlet of Ransomville are also in Town of Wilson and Town of Cambria...
– A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town on Route 93. - Ransomville Speedway – A racetrack located northwest of Ransomville.
- Towers CornersTowers Corners, New YorkTowers Corners, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Porter in Niagara County, New York, USA.-References:...
– A hamlet by the intersection of Creek Road (Route 18) and the Youngstown-Lockport Road (Route 93), in the northeast part of the town. - YoungstownYoungstown, New YorkYoungstown 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....
– The Village of Youngstown is at the town's western border.