Little Valley is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

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 1,672 at the 2020 census. The town is named after its local geographical setting, a relative comparison of two tributaries (the other being the neighboring Great Valley) of the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

. The town of Little Valley is centrally located in the county, north of the city of Salamanca. The town contains 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 ...

also named Little Valley, which is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

History

The first settlement was made ''circa'' 1807, but was vacated due to frontier warfare in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

; settlement resumed in 1816, after the war ended. The town of Little Valley was formed in 1818 by splitting the town of Perry, which at the time covered the entire western half of the county. The northwest quadrant of the county became Perrysburg, while the southwest quadrant became Little Valley (also known as the town of Elkdale); at the same time, the town of Great Valley was split off from Olean, and the two towns' proximity and comparable topography gave the towns their names. Little Valley was once an important rail station on 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 ...

and notable for its cheese and dairy industry. The location of the railroad resulted in moving the county seat to the village of Little Valley, which was also later connected to Salamanca by a streetcar line. The towns of Conewango (1823), Napoli (1823),

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

(1830), New Albion (1830), and Bucktooth (1855, renamed Salamanca in 1864) were all formed from Little Valley.

Geography

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 town has a total area of , of which , or 0.02%, is water.

New York State Route 242 New York State Route 242 (NY 242) is a state highway that runs across Cattaraugus County, New York, in the United States. Although signed as an east–west route, it takes a more northeast–southwest course across the county from NY ...

and

New York State Route 353 New York State Route 353 (NY 353) is a north–south state highway located within Cattaraugus County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 417 in the city of Salamanca to a junction with U.S ...

are major truck roads through the town. They converge at Killborn Corners just east of the village of Little Valley. County Routes 88 (Baker Road) and 96 (Killborn Corners Road) act as bypasses. County Route 15 (Dublin Road), which picks up where Route 88 leaves off, continues northeast parallel to Route 242 between Little Valley and Ellicottville. County Routes 5 and 14 start in the northwest corner of the town and head toward New Albion and East Otto, respectively. 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, rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

that follows the path of the now-removed railroad, runs through the town parallel to Route 353. The Conservation Trail, a subset of the

Finger Lakes Trail The Finger Lakes Trail consists of a network of trails in New York. The trail system is administered by thFinger Lakes Trail Conference(FLTC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, composed primarily of volunteers. Description The FLT is primaril ...

(itself a subset of the North Country Trail), passes through the town connecting the state forests therein; the two trails share a roughly one-mile

wrong-way concurrency A concurrency in a road network is an instance of one physical roadway bearing two or more different route numbers. When two roadways share the same right-of-way, it is sometimes called a common section or commons. Other terminology for a concurre ...

in the town. Little Valley Creek flows through the town, as does a small tributary named Lees Hollow in the west central part of town. Whig Street Creek runs northeast-to-southwest across the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

Little Valley is north of the town of Salamanca and south of the town of

. The town is east of the town of Napoli and west of the town of Great Valley; a series of hills separate Little Valley and Great Valley, and they can only be traveled between each other directly through one seasonal highway (Mutton Hollow Road) or by a network of pedestrian, bicycle and horse trails. (Otherwise, major highways run through either Salamanca or Ellicottville.)

Demographics

As of the

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 1,788 people, 688 households, and 462 families residing in the town. 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 59.7 people per square mile (23.1/km²). There were 845 housing units at an average density of 28.2 per square mile (10.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.92%

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 ...

, 1.29%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.23% Native American, 0.06% from other races, and 1.51% 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 ...

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 1.23% of the population. There were 688 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% 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, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,000, and the median income for a family was $37,361. Males had a median income of $30,100 versus $21,897 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 town was $16,191. About 8.8% of families and 14.0% 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 19.5% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Little Valley

*Bucktooth State Forest – A small portion of this state forest crosses the southwestern corner of Little Valley. *Elkdale – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

near the south town line on NY Route 353. *Elkdale State Forest – A small state forest between Little Valley and Elkdale. *Killborn Corners – A small

knoll In geography, knoll is another term for a knowe or hillock, a small, low, round natural hill or mound. Knoll may also refer to: Places * Knoll Camp, site of an Iron Age hill fort Hampshire, England, United Kingdom * Knoll Lake, Leonard Canyon, Ar ...

and fork in the road (known locally as "The Y") that divides NY 353 and NY 242. * Little Valley – A village in the northwest corner of the town that serves as the county seat. *Little Valley Creek – A

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

that flows southward through the town and empties into the

in Salamanca. *Little Rock City – A location in the southeast part of the town, named after an unusual geological formation, called by various names such as "Salamanca Rock City" or "Rock City State Forest" (to distinguish it from Rock City Park in the Town of Olean). Legally known as the Rock City and

McCarty Hill McCarty Hill is a mountain in the Southern Tier of New York. It is located in Cattaraugus County, mostly in Little Valley and Great Valley, with portions in Ellicottville and Mansfield. In 1940, an steel fire lookout tower was built on the m ...

State Forests, which includes the rock city as well as several square miles of forest land covering most of the eastern half of the village. * Salamanca – A small, unpopulated part of the city of Salamanca juts northward into the southeastern region of the town. The anomalous spur primarily exists to cover the city's drinking water supply, which is located along the spur.

Attractions and businesses

Attractions and businesses in the town of Little Valley (not counting those in the village) include: *An

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

post (531), west of the village *A

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

/ AMVETS post (VFW 8734/AMVETS 8735), east of the village *The Cattaraugus County Department of Public Works building, located southwest of the village on Route 242 *Valley View

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

, a church near Killborn Corners *Whig Street Church, a nondenominational church (formerly United Brethren) located on Whig Street in the southeastern portion of the town *Little Valley Wesleyan Church, a church located on the town/village line across from the Cattaraugus County Fair Grounds on Route 353 *Little Valley Riders Club, a horseback riding organization *Legion Field, located just west of the American Legion post, previously leased by Little Valley Central School for athletic events. The Little Valley Panthers youth football team used Legion Field as their home through 2013, while soccer and baseball/softball teams also used the field regularly (both the Legion Field diamond and a softball diamond on the Riders Club grounds were mostly abandoned after the construction of a new ballpark in the village; Legion Field's diamond remains usable). Cattaraugus-Little Valley Central School mostly abandoned the field in 2013 and was sold off to private ownership in 2016. A local adult flag football league continues to use the field for athletic purposes. *The Crosspatch, a horse ranch *Elkdale Country Club, an 18-hole golf course *CJ Logging Equipment. The store was formerly the flagship of Lyons Equipment, a chain of logging equipment stores located throughout Appalachia, before the death of owner/founder John Lyons and the subsequent sale of the stores to Boonville-based CJ Logging. *Schubert Enterprises sign manufacturing, located between the Coach Inn and Zimbardi Performance Powder Coating *The Getzoni Agency (formerly the Rhodes Agency), local

Nationwide Insurance Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies, commonly shortened to Nationwide, is a group of large U.S. insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus, Ohio. The company also operates regional headquarters in Scotts ...

brokers *Zimbardi Performance Powder Coating, a

U-Haul U-Haul is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen in Ridgefield, Washington, who began it in the garage owned ...

and

Airgas Airgas, an Air Liquide company, is an American supplier of industrial, medical and specialty gases (delivered in packaged or cylinder form), as well as hardgoods and related products; one of the largest U.S. suppliers of safety products; and a ...

franchisee *Elkdale RV Resort

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 ...

, the first national chain store to arrive in either the town or village of Little Valley since A&P left in the 1960s, opened a store in the town on a site just east of the village in January 2017.

References

External links

Town of Little Valley official website

Little Valley Area Chamber of Commerce

{{authority control Towns in Cattaraugus County, New York