Cattaraugus is a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
in
Cattaraugus County
Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, United States. The population was 996 at the 2020 census.
The village lies in the northeast part of the town of
New Albion
New Albion, also known as ''Nova Albion'' (in reference to an archaic name for Britain), was the name of the continental area north of Mexico claimed by Sir Francis Drake for England when he landed on the North American west coast in 1579. Thi ...
, north of
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...
.
History
In 1828, the brothers Calvin and Arad Rich settled in the hills surrounding the area. Cattaraugus developed most after the arrival of the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...
in 1851. Shortly after, the village became a
boomtown
A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...
growing to 1,500 inhabitants and even being visited by US President
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...
. By 1860 the township boasted 305 dwellings, 1557 oxen, 383 horses, and 8 school districts with 649 children in school. In the same year, it is well documented
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
had come to visit. Other prominent visitors include US Presidents
Teddy Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
and
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
. As well as
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
who then named his housecat “Cattaraugus" The village was incorporated in 1882. Its name derives from
Cattaraugus Creek
Cattaraugus Creek is a stream, approximately long, in western New York in the United States.[Cattaraugus Village Commercial Historic District
Cattaraugus Village Commercial Historic District is a national historic district located at Cattaraugus in Cattaraugus County, New York. The district encompasses 19 contributing buildings in the central business district of Cattaraugus. The di ...](_blank)
was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2014.
Geography
Cattaraugus is located in the northern part of the town of New Albion at (42.330044, -78.865673).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the village has a total area of , all land.
NY Route 353 and
Skinner Hollow pass through the village. Cattaraugus County Route 12 (which follows the briefly designated
NY 264 of the 1930s), the only county route in the county to enter a village, enters the village from the northeast and terminates within the village. The village is built primarily on a hillside; the southwestern portion of the village (around Route 353) is on the highest ground, while a series of side streets run downhill from Route 353 heading northeast. Only two of the village's streets run uphill from Route 353: Rumsey Street (the easternmost tip of Waite Hollow Road) on the village's southern boundary and West Street at the peak of the hill.
Since 2013, the Seneca Transit System has provided public bus service to the village.
The
New York and Lake Erie Railroad
The New York & Lake Erie is a class III railroad operating in Western New York. The NYLE was formed in 1978 to operate a portion of former Erie trackage that Conrail no longer wanted. Today, the railroad operates between Gowanda to Conewango ...
terminates at a Setterstix plant in Cattaraugus after the portion of the railway southeast of Cattaraugus was decommissioned in the early 1990s. The rail service has been disrupted by floods and landslides since the late 2000s. The right-of-way of the portion heading southeast from Cattaraugus is now the
Pat McGee Trail The Pat McGee Trail is a rail trail in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States, named for Patricia McGee (1934-2005).
Background
Pat McGee was an area legislator of Cattaraugus County who lived in Franklinville, New York, [census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...]
of 2000, there were 1,075 people, 437 households, and 281 families residing in the village. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 959.6 people per square mile (370.6/km
2). There were 485 housing units at an average density of 432.9 per square mile (167.2/km
2). The racial makeup of the village was 98.51%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.56%
Native American, 0.28% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.65% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.40% of the population.
There were 437 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $30,664, and the median income for a family was $35,417. Males had a median income of $27,434 versus $19,833 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the village was $16,605. About 7.4% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The
Cattaraugus-Little Valley Central School is the largest employer in the village. The school's only active campus is located at the former Cattaraugus Central School building in the northeast corner of the village on County Route 12; it was constructed in 1954 as a high school, then expanded in 1991 for an elementary school wing and again in 2011 to accommodate added students from the takeover of Little Valley Central School. A former elementary school, abandoned since 1992, is in the center of the village.
Industry is a significant portion of the Cattaraugus economy, and two factories (one for the Chester-Jensen company and the other for
lollipop
A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker, sticky-pop, etc. Lollipops are availa ...
stick manufacturer
Setterstix) are located in the village; a third, Frank Ralphs (which manufactures composite panels), is located just south of the village line. Outside of that, Cattaraugus's economy mostly capitalizes on its location far away from most major municipalities (the nearest city of more than 10,000 is more than away in any direction). The only national franchise in Cattaraugus is a
Dollar General
Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of April 11, 2022, Dollar General operates 18,216 stores in the continental United States.
The company began in 1939 as a family-own ...
, which opened in 2010. Other businesses include the Bank of Cattaraugus (founded 1882, considered the first bank in the region), P & C Gas Measurement Service, a Brooks Market grocery store (now closed), Jenny Lee Country Store (now known as "The Feed Mill"), Pritchard's Hardware, and the Corner Drug Store pharmacy. The village's only automobile dealership, Illig Chevrolet Pontiac, closed in 2008 as a result of the
General Motors bankruptcy
The 2009 General Motors Chapter 11 sale of the assets of automobile manufacturer General Motors and some of its subsidiaries was implemented through Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code in the United States bankruptcy court for the Souther ...
.
Notable people
*
William Buffington Jr.
William Buffington Jr. (May 31, 1817 – January 21, 1881) was an American farmer, hotel keeper, and politician from New York.
Life
Buffington was born on May 31, 1817, in Cambridge, New York, the son of William Buffington Sr. and Harriet Ch ...
, former member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
*
Alexander Chambers
Alexander Chambers (August 23, 1832 – January 2, 1888) was a US Army officer, who became a general during the American Civil War.
Chambers was born in Cattaraugus, New York. He graduated from West Point with the class of 1853 (which als ...
, Union general in
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
*
John P. Darling, former New York state senator
*
Clarence B. Farrar Clarence Bynold Farrar, SM (November 27, 1874 – June 3, 1970) was an influential psychiatrist, the first Director of the Toronto Psychiatric Hospital (succeeded in 1966 by the Clarke Institute), and editor of ''The American Journal of Psychi ...
, influential psychiatrist
*
Ezra F. Kysor, architect
*
Joel H. Lyman,
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient
*
Samuel Allen Rice
Samuel Allen Rice (January 27, 1828 – July 6, 1864) was born in Cattaraugus, New York. He attended Franklin College (New Athens, Ohio) in Ohio and then graduated from Union College at Schenectady, New York in 1849. Then in 1851, he moved ...
, colonel in the 33rd regiment of Iowa during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
*
Peter Linebaugh
Peter Linebaugh is an American Marxist historian who specializes in British history, Irish history, labor history, and the history of the colonial Atlantic. He is a member of the Midnight Notes Collective.
Early life
Peter Linebaugh was born in ...
, radical historian, teacher, and author
References
External links
Town of New Albion/Village of Cattaraugus official websiteLittle Valley Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Villages in New York (state)
Villages in Cattaraugus County, New York