Attica 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 Wyoming 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 population was 1,846 as of 2023. The Town of Attica is on the northern boundary of the county and contains part of a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

also named

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

(the northern part of the village is within the adjacent town of

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

in Genesee County). The Department of Corrections is a major employer, as both the maximum security

Attica Correctional Facility Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison campus in the Town of Attica, New York, operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It was constructed in the 1930s in response to earlier riots ...

and medium-security Wyoming Correctional Facility are located here.

History

The Town of Attica was established in western New York in 1802 from a part of the Town of Sheldon. In 1816, part of Attica was taken to organize the new Town of Orangeville. Attica is the location of two state prisons:

's maximum-security

and medium-security Wyoming Correctional Facility, both located south of the Village of Attica. Since the 1930s Attica had been a prison town, and most correctional officers live here or nearby with their families. On September 9, 1971, in the

Attica Prison riot The Attica Prison riot took place at the state prison in Attica, New York; it started on September 9, 1971, and ended on September 13 with the highest number of fatalities in the history of United States prison uprisings. Of the 43 men who di ...

, more than 1200 inmates (of 2200) took over control of the prison. They sought to negotiate with authorities to improve living conditions. The state suppressed the uprising on September 13, 1971, with armed corrections officers, state police, and New York National Guard. Of the 43 men who died, law enforcement gunfire killed 10 hostages and 30 prisoners.

Geography

The town and county are located in western New York. The northern town line is the border of Genesee County. 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 (0.83%) is water.

Tonawanda Creek Tonawanda Creek is a small tributary of the Niagara River in Western New York, United States. After rising in Wyoming County, the stream flows through Genesee County before forming part of the boundary between Erie County and Niagara County ...

passes through the northwest part of the town. NY-98 intersects NY-238 and NY-354 at the village of Attica.

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 6,028 people, 1,497 households, and 1,053 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,603 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 72.79%

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 ...

, 21.07%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 5.18% from other races, and 0.30% 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 9.16% of the population. There were 1,497 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% 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, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 16.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 44.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 209.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 240.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,877, and the median income for a family was $49,375. Males had a median income of $32,060 versus $22,220 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 $17,817. About 3.7% of families and 6.3% 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 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Attica

– Part of the Village of Attica is in the north part of the town. The remainder is inside Genesee County. *Attica Center – A

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 ...

southeast of Attica Village on Route 238. *Vernal Corners – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town.

Education

Attica Central School District covers the vast majority of the town. Other parts of the town are in Wyoming Central School District, Warsaw Central School District, and

Alexander Central School District Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...

.
Text list
/ref>

References

External links

*
The Town of Attica
{{authority control Populated places established in 1811 Towns in Wyoming County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1811 establishments in New York (state)