Hamburg 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 o ...

in Erie County,

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. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 56,936. It is named after the city of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

, Germany. The town is on the western border of the county and is south of Buffalo. Hamburg is one of the Southtowns in Erie County. The villages of

and Blasdell are in the town.

History

Historical evidence shows the area was settled originally by the

Erie people The Erie people (also Eriechronon, Riquéronon, Erielhonan, Eriez, Nation du Chat) were Indigenous people historically living on the south shore of Lake Erie. An Iroquoian group, they lived in what is now western New York, northwestern Pennsylvan ...

. Around 1805 the settlement was known as "Barkerville", named after Zenas Barker, the postmaster. The earliest settlers were Nathaniel Titus and Dr. Ruth Belden in 1804, and the first landowner in the area was John Cummings, who built the first

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

in 1806. The town of Hamburg was formed by government decree on March 20, 1812, from the (now defunct) town of Willink. The first town meeting took place on April 7, 1812, at Jacob Wright's tavern at Wright's Corners, which was renamed Abbott's Corners, and now Armor. One of the early noted activities of the town board that year was to place a $5 bounty on wolf hides, due to the complaints of the local settlers who were being bothered by them. In 1815, mail routes were established. The earliest settlers in the area were from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

started arriving in the 1830s and set up many successful farms. On November 29, 1824, a meeting was held in Abbott's Corners at the home of early settler Seth Abbott. At a vote of those present, agreement was reached to form a library with the sum of $102. By 1850, the town was reduced by the formation of the towns of East Hamburgh and West Seneca. Around 1852, 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 ...

was built through the area. In 1868 the Erie County Fair came to the town and has been there since that time. In 1875, the weekly publication of the ''Erie County Independent'' began. This is now known as ''The Sun''. Telephone service in the area started in 1886. The village of Hamburg set itself off from the town in 1874 by incorporating as a village. Starting in 1890 and to support the growing regional steel industry, Polish and

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

began to arrive in the area. In 1897, a group of women known as the Nineteenth Century Club started a permanent free public library, known as the Hamburg Free Library. Until 1901 it was in various rented buildings. The Hamburg Free Library was moved into a Carnegie library on Center Street on November 8, 1915, where it remained until 1966 when the current library at 102 Buffalo Street opened. In 1898, the community of Blasdell set itself apart from the town by incorporating as a village. A trolley car system was established in the early 1900s. The

Kleis Site Kleis Site is an historic archeological site located at Hamburg in Erie County, New York. The site contains the remnants of a 17th-century Iroquoian village and burial ground, and is one of a small number of Native American villages on the Niag ...

, containing the remnants of a 17th-century Iroquoian village and

burial ground A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

, 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 ...

in 1979. In July 2012, Main Street in the village of Hamburg from Lake Street to Buffalo Street was granted state approval for nomination as a national historic district.

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 th ...

, , of which is land and , or 0.07%, is water.

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...

forms the western border of the town, and Eighteen Mile Creek forms the southern boundary.

Climate

Hamburg experiences a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing so ...

(Köppen Dfb), heavily influenced by

lake-effect snow Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water. The lower layer of air, heated up by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises up throug ...

from Lake Erie. It experienced a record 81.2 inches of snow November 16–18, 2022.

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 56,259 people, 21,999 households, and 15,157 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 1,362.7 people per square mile (526.1/km²). There were 22,833 housing units at an average density of 553.1 per square mile (213.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.93%

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 ...

, 0.49%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.38% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population. There were 21,999 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% 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 ...

living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.07. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $47,888, and the median income for a family was $56,974. Males had a median income of $41,440 versus $27,602 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 $21,943. About 3.2% of families and 4.5% 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 4.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The economy in the town is supported by a wide variety of sectors, including logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, commerce and education. In Blasdell, the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

operates a stamping plant with over one thousand employees. Also along the waterfront is the Lake Erie Industrial Park, formed by the town's industrial development agency. This site includes the primary

FedEx Ground FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of the FedEx Corporation, is an American ground package delivery company headquartered in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The company began as Roadway Package System (RPS), founded in 1985 by ...

warehouse for the Buffalo metropolitan area, employing 300 people, with an Amazon, Inc. distribution center under construction.

Arts and culture

The Erie County Fair has operated in Hamburg since 1868. Currently, the fair takes place at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. The Fair is situated on a plot of land near the village of Hamburg. The fair is produced by the Erie County Agricultural Society, and runs for twelve days in August. Since 1924, Strates Shows has operated the midway at the Fair. The Erie County fair is the third-largest county fair in the United States. It is claimed that the 1885 Erie County Fair, or "Hamburg Fair" is the place at which the hamburger sandwich was invented. According to the Fair, Frank and Charles Menches were food vendors at the 1885 Erie County Fair, and created a sandwich of use of ground beef, coffee, brown sugar and other ingredients, and sold with ketchup and sliced onions. They named the successful sandwich after the fair they invented it at. To this end, the annual Hamburg BurgerFest is held in Hamburg during the summer.

Sports

Sports teams in the town include the Frontier Falcons, representing Frontier Central High School, and the Hamburg Bulldogs, who represent Hamburg High School. The Red Raiders represent the St. Francis High School, a private, Franciscan/Catholic boys school.

Parks and recreation

The Seaway Trail, a

National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

, travels through Hamburg on New York Route 5, along the Lake Erie shoreline.

Woodlawn Beach State Park Woodlawn Beach State Park is a park located near the village of Blasdell on the eastern shore of Lake Erie in Erie County, New York. It was opened as a state park in 1996, and has been operated since 2011 by the Town of Hamburg under a ten ...

, on the shore of Lake Erie, was opened as a state park in 1996, and has been operated since 2011 by the town of Hamburg under a ten-year agreement with New York State.

Government

Hamburg is governed by a four-member town board. The town supervisor is Randy Hoak.

Education

Early childhood education

, there were ten

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...

s within the town, including two in the village of Blasdell.

Primary and secondary schools

The town of Hamburg is home to the

Frontier Central School District The Frontier Central School District is the primary public school district serving the town of Hamburg, New York. The district serves most of the area surrounding the village of Hamburg and is an independent public entity. With authority fro ...

, which is its primary

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, w ...

. The district serves students living outside of the village of Hamburg along the lake shore of the town, and is an independent public entity. Frontier was created in the 1950s, combining the Amsdell, Athol Springs, Big Tree, Blasdell, Lake View (Pinehurst), Shaleton, Wanakah (Cloverbank), and Woodlawn school districts dating to the 19th century. The district's offices are located at the Frontier Educational Center in Wanakah. The district serves over 4,500 students with its Big Tree, Blasdell, Cloverbank, and Pinehurst elementary schools, Frontier Middle School, and Frontier High School. In 2009, Big Tree Elementary School was recognized as a

Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

. In 2020, '' Buffalo Business First'' ranked Frontier as the fifteenth-best performing school district in the

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...

region. Other districts serve Hamburg along the town's boundaries, including the Hamburg (village), West Seneca and Orchard Park central school districts. The Hamburg Central School District mainly serves students living within the village of Hamburg, but also serves students living in areas adjacent to it. Both Frontier and Hamburg Central are members of the Erie 1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services system. The

, West Seneca and Orchard Park central school districts serve the village and small portions of the town.

Higher education

Hilbert College Hilbert College is a private Franciscan college in Hamburg, New York. The college is named after Mother Colette Hilbert of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph, who founded the school in 1957 to train teachers. Hilbert College enrolls approxim ...

is in the town of Hamburg, north of the village of Hamburg.

Media

The town's weekly newspaper is the '' Hamburg Sun''.

Infrastructure

The

New York State Thruway , direction_a = South , terminus_a = {{Jct, state=NY, I, 95 at the The Bronx, Bronx–Yonkers, New York City line , junction = {{plainlist, * {{jct, state=NY, I, 287, Parkway, Saw Mill, NY, 119 in Elmsford, New York, Elmsford * {{jct, state=NY, ...

(

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

U.S. Route 62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian border. It is the only east-west United States Numbered Highway that connects Mexico and Can ...

US 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

, and

NY Route 5 New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syra ...

pass through the town. NY 75 runs through the village of Hamburg, temporarily concurrent with Route 62. U.S. 20A diverges from US 20 north of the village of Hamburg as both routes proceed east. Five bus lines operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) serve the town. A

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

facility is between NY 5 and NY 75 near Athol Springs.

Notable people

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Y ...

, playwright * Lucius Allen, former

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, e ...

member *

Thomas L. Bunting Thomas Lathrop Bunting (April 24, 1844 – December 27, 1898) was an American businessman and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1891 to 1893. Biography Born in Eden, New York, Bunting was educated ...

, former U.S. congressman * Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing and author * Eugene Asa Carr,

U.S. 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 ...

general and

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 val ...

recipient *

Peter Case Peter Case (born April 5, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His career is wide-ranging, from rock n' roll and blues, to folk rock and solo acoustic performance. Biography Early career Case was born in Buffalo, New York, B ...

, singer/songwriter, founding member of the Nerves and the Plimsouls, and noted musicologist *

Clyde Brion Davis Clyde Brion Davis (May 22, 1894 – July 19, 1962) was an American writer and freelance journalist active from the mid-1920s until his death. He is best known for his novels ''The Anointed'' and ''The Great American Novel'', though he wrote ...

, author and journalist *

Manly Fleischmann Manly Fleischmann (1908-1987) was an attorney whose record of public service included positions in the Democratic Administration of Harry S Truman and in the Republican Administration of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. He served as Presid ...

, Defense Production Administrator for the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

, chairman of the Fleischmann Commission * Katharine Houghton Hepburn, feminist social reformer * Kathy Hochul, incumbent governor of New York * E. Howard Hunt, author, CIA officer and

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continu ...

conspirator *

John Huntly John Huntly was an American politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1882 and 1883. Additionally, he was town clerk of Avon, Wisconsin and a justice of the peace. He was a Republican. Huntly was born on April 10, 1847, in H ...

, former Wisconsin State Assembly member *

Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician and a professional football player. A member of the Republican Party from New York, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. B ...

, 1996

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

U.S. vice presidential nominee who lived in Hamburg. *

Jim Kubiak James Kubiak (born May 12, 1972) is a former professional football player and coach. He is currently the director of the WNY Quarterback Academy, and he was most recently the head football coach at Hilbert College for their first season in 2022. ...

, retired NFL quarterback (born in hamlet of Athol Springs) * Daniel N. Lockwood, former U.S. congressman *

John R. Pillion John Raymond Pillion (August 10, 1904 – December 31, 1978) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was born on August 10, 1904, in Conneaut, Ohio. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 1927. He practiced law in Erie ...

, former U.S. congressman * Francis J. Pordum, former

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 Ass ...

member (from Lake View) * Jack Quinn, President of

Erie Community College SUNY Erie is a public community college with three campuses in western New York that serve residents in and near Erie County. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and has locations in Williamsville (North Campus), Buff ...

, former U.S. congressman, former Town of Hamburg Supervisor *

Jack Quinn III John Francis "Jack" Quinn III is a former Republican New York State Assembly Member, representing Erie County.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 Ass ...

member *

Frank Resetarits Frank Resetarits is a lacrosse player from Hamburg, New York. As a high school player Resitarits ranks in the top three players all-time for points in a career. He played forward for the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League and attack ...

, lacrosse player * Stephen J. Roberts, veterinarian, professor, polo player and coach *

Erik Schlopy Erik Schlopy (born August 21, 1972) is former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. Born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Hamburg, New York, he competed in three Olympics: 1994, 2002, and 2006. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, ...

, former Olympic ski racer * Bob Schmidt, former pro football player * Jake Schum, NFL punter *

Kevin Smardz Kevin S. Smardz (born December 12, 1975) is an American Republican politician. In 2010, he was elected to an open seat in the New York State Assembly for the 146th district in southern Erie County, New York, which includes Blasdell, Boston, ...

, former New York State Assemblyman *

Tom Telesco Tom Telesco (born December 12, 1972) is a professional American football executive. He is the general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). Telesco was the Vice President of Football Operations with the I ...

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Tom Toles Thomas Gregory Toles (born October 22, 1951) is a retired American political cartoonist. He is the winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. His cartoons typically presented progressive viewpoints. Similar to Oliphant's use o ...

, editorial cartoonist * Susan Walsh, former competitive swimmer * Dave Wohlabaugh, retired NFL center * John Wrench, mathematician * Tommy Z, blues musician

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamburg (Town), New York Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area Towns in Erie County, New York