Lockport 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 Niagara 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. The population was 20,529 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from the series of canal locks on the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing ...

. The locks lift boats from the lowland of

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

past the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff ove ...

. The Town of Lockport is in the south-central part of the county and surrounds the City of Lockport.

History

Many early settlers were

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

and helped make the area a bastion of anti-slavery. The Town of Lockport was established in 1824 from

Cambria Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity). It emerged later, in the medieval period ...

and Royalton, the same year the canal was completed up to the City of Lockport.

Cold Springs Cemetery Cold Springs Cemetery (also known as Cold Spring Cemetery) is a historic cemetery located at Lockport in Niagara County, New York. Among the prominent burials are Erie Canal proponent Jesse Hawley, Cuthbert W. Pound, Chief Judge of the New Yo ...

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 2004.

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 ...

, the town has a total area of 44.7 square miles (115.8 km²), of which 44.6 square miles (115.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km²) (0.18%) is water. The south border of the town is formed by Tonawanda Creek. The

passes through the north part of the town and the City of Lockport.

New York State Route 78 New York State Route 78 (NY 78) is a state highway in western New York in the United States. While it is signed north–south, the southern portion runs in an east–west direction across Wyoming and Erie counties, from its beginnin ...

marks the west town line of Lockport.

Adjacent cities and towns

* Town of Cambria - west * Erie County, Town of Clarence - south * Town of Pendleton - southwest * Town of Royalton - east * Town of Newfane - north * Town of Hartland - northeast * City of Lockport - Town surrounds the City of Lockport.

Major highways in the Town of Lockport

New York State Route 31 New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 104 in the city of Niagara Falls. Its e ...

(Saunders Settlement Rd., Chesnut Ridge Rd., Rochester Rd.), east-west highway through the town from the Cambria town line through the City of Lockport to the Royalton town line. *

New York State Route 77 New York State Route 77 (NY 77) is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway runs for across mostly rural areas from an intersection with NY 78 and NY 98 in the Wyoming ...

(Chesnut Ridge Rd.), north-south roadway that begins at Chesnut Ridge Rd./Rochester Rd. intersection just outside the City of Lockport and continues through the town for a short distance before entering the Town of Royalton. *

(Transit Rd., Lake Ave.), north-south Highway through the town from the Amherst town line through the City of Lockport north to the Newfane town line. *

New York State Route 93 New York State Route 93 (NY 93) is a state highway in western New York in the United States. The route begins at an intersection with NY 18F in the village of Youngstown and runs in a general northwest–southeast direction a ...

(Dysinger Rd., Robinson Rd., Lockport Bypass, Saunders Settlement Rd., Town Line Rd.), east-west roadway from the Royalton town line, through the town south of the city. The route then travels north on the western outskirts of the City of Lockport by the way of the Lockport Bypass onto Saunders Settlement Rd. (NY 31). The route then runs concurrently with NY 31 until NY 31's intersection with NY 270 where that route has its northern terminus. NY 93 then travels north at that intersection and onward into the Town of Cambria when NY 93 reaches NY 104.

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 2010, there were 20,529 people, 8,293 households, and 5,482 families residing in the town. There were 8,680 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 91.1%

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 ...

, 4.8%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 1.0% 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 ...

, 0.6% from other races, and 2.1% 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 people of any race were 2.6% of the population. (2000 Census) There were 7,537 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,977, and the median income for a family was $55,414. Males had a median income of $41,166 versus $25,810 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 $22,194. About 6.5% of families and 7.7% 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 10.8% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

:''See City of Lockport''

Communities and locations in the Town of Lockport

*Carlisle Gardens () – A community bordering the east side of Lockport; primarily a residential neighborhood of detached, single family homes built in the 1920s. A typical neighborhood home is about 3 bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths approximately 1,500 sq. ft. Median age ca. 1925. Entry into the neighborhood is from Chestnut Ridge Road or Davison Road onto Windermere Road. *County Fair Grounds – North of the City of Lockport *Highland Park – A location north of the City of Lockport, next to the fair grounds * Nottingham Estates – A location east of the City of Lockport, and north of Route 31 *

Rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade' ...

– A hamlet on the south border of the town *Raymond () – A location northwest of Rapids *Ridge Lea – A location north of the City of Lockport *Shooktown () – A location east of the City of Lockport. The stretch of Akron Road from Lincoln Avenue northwest to the Lockport city line was settled by the Shook family approximately in the 1830s. The name began appearing on local maps in 1927, long after the last Shook owned property there, and was printed as late as 1978. * South Lockport – A community bordering the south side of the City of Lockport *Wrights Corners () – 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 ...

on the north town line, located at the junction of NY 78 (Lockport-Olcott Road / Lake Avenue) and

NY 104 New York State Route 104 (NY 104) is a east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follow ...

(Ridge Road), partly in the Town of Newfane * City of Lockport – Located in the north-central part of the town *

Lockport Mall Lockport Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in South Lockport, New York located on Transit Road ( NY 78). It opened in 1971 and included three anchor stores as well as a movie theater. The mall closed in 2006 except for the Bon-Ton department st ...

– A former

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that ...

located on

Transit Road New York State Route 78 (NY 78) is a state highway in western New York in the United States. While it is signed north–south, the southern portion runs in an east–west direction across Wyoming and Erie counties, from its beginning ...

in South Lockport. As of 2007, the mall was all but vacant, and demolition began in April 2011. Demolition had been mostly completed but was halted on 9 June 2011, after finding a number of federally protected baby seagulls had been nesting the roof. All that remains of the former mall is

The Bon-Ton Bon-Ton Holdings Inc. is an American online retailer and former department store chain founded in 1898. After rapid expansion in the 1990s and early 2000s, the original company had financial troubles, ultimately filing for bankruptcy in 2018 ...

department store building, which was turned into a VA Clinic and storage cubes. A new

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

supercenter now lies on part of the former footprint of the mall.

References

External links

Town of Lockport webpage

"For Lockportians Anywhere In The World...It's The Road Home"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockport (Town), New York Erie Canal Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area Towns in Niagara County, New York 1824 establishments in New York (state)