Sardinia is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Erie County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The town lies in the southeast corner of Erie County and is considered one of the county's "

Southtowns The Southtowns (also known as the Buffalo Southtowns, the South Towns, or Southtown) is a region of Western New York, United States, that lies within the snowbelt or ski country. It includes the southern suburbs of Buffalo, New York. This is t ...

". The town is southeast of Buffalo. The population was 2,775 at the 2010 census. The town is reportedly named after an old Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

, ''Sardinia'', and the homonymous Mediterranean island.

History

The area known today as the town of Sardinia was first settled ''circa'' 1809. George Richmond, from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, and Ezra Nott are considered the first settlers. By 1810, there were approximately fifteen other families in the area, most of whom lived along Cattaraugus Creek, near Genesee and Savage roads. The town of Sardinia was founded in 1821 from the eastern part of the town of Concord. By 1823, there were farms, churches, a post office, taverns, a

carding In Textile manufacturing, textile production, carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver (textiles), sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passi ...

mill, a woolen factory, a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

and a tannery. The

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

of Chaffee developed by the mid-19th century after the construction of the Springville and Sardinia Railroad. The hamlet of

Protection Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

also developed around this time and eventually served as a depot of the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad.

Historic buildings

The town of Sardinia has 38 historic buildings. The Old Sardinia Town Hall, also known as the First Baptist Church of Sardinia and now home to the historical society, and Rider-Hopkins Farm and Olmsted Camp are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Legal issues

A notable lawsuit is '' Gernatt Asphalt Products, Inc. v. Town of Sardinia'', in which the interests of the town were upheld by the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York (state), Unified Court System of the New York (state), State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeal ...

in regard to rezoning to prevent mining in 1996.

Schools

Most of Sardinia attends the Pioneer Central School District. Those not served by the Pioneer Central School District attend either the Holland School District or the Springville GI district.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.46%, is water. The south town line is defined by Cattaraugus Creek and is the border of Cattaraugus County (town of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

). The east town line is the border of Wyoming County (town of

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

). The East Branch of

Cazenovia Creek Cazenovia Creek is a creek in Western New York, United States. It is a tributary of the Buffalo River, which empties into Lake Erie. Cazenovia Creek and its watershed are entirely within Erie County. Course Cazenovia Creek is formed from its two ...

flows northward from Sardinia.

New York State Route 39 New York State Route 39 (NY 39) is an east–west state highway in the western New York, western portion of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins and ends at intersections with U.S. Route 20 in New York, U.S ...

crosses the town from west to east, and New York State Route 16 passes through from north to south.

Hydrography

The town of Sardinia is situated across three watersheds: Cazenovia Creek-Buffalo River watershed to the north; Buffalo Creek watershed to the northeast; and Cattaraugus Creek watershed to the south. Approximately of land are regulated wetlands by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), while less than are federal wetlands regulated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (US ACOE). Most regulated wetlands are located on the eastern portion of the town. The main watercourse in the town of Sardinia is Cattaraugus Creek, which is also one of the main waterways in Erie County. Cattaraugus Creek flows southwest towards Lake Erie. Other significant streams include: Hosmer Brook, Dresser Creek, Otis Creek and Richmond Gulf.Town of Sardinia. Comprehensive Plan. 2003

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,692 people, 944 households, and 731 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,017 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.59%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.33%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population. There were 944 households, out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.21. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,025, and the median income for a family was $45,556. Males had a median income of $32,333 versus $20,923 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,803. About 4.8% of families and 7.8% 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 ...

, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Eliza Nelson Fryer, educator and missionary * Archibald N. Randall, former Wisconsin state senator * Melville J. Salter, former Lt. Governor of Kansas * Charles Bennett Smith, former US congressman

Communities and locations in Sardinia

* Chaffee – A

by the east town line on NY-16. *Colegroves Corners – A former community that became part of Sardinia hamlet. * Glenwood – A community that includes the ski resort of Kissing Bridge. *Johnstons Corners – A location formed by the intersection of Allen and Savage roads, west of Chafee. *Matteson Corners – A former community in the north part of the town. *Paradise Lake – A small lake north of Sardinia hamlet. *Pratham – A former community in the town. *

– A location on the northern town line which was once a small community in the town. *Sardinia – A hamlet in the south part of the town on NY-39. *Shepards Corners – A location formed by the intersection of Genesee and Warner Gulf roads, south of Scott's Corners. *Scott's Corners – A location formed by the intersection of Allen and Warner Gulf roads northwest of Sardinia hamlet.

References

External links

Town of Sardinia official website

Historic Postcards from Sardinia, NY: A collection on New York Heritage

Pioneer Central School District
{{authority control Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area Towns in Erie County, New York Towns in New York (state)