East Amherst is a suburban

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 ...

located northeast of downtown Buffalo, in

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York (state), New York State. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 954,236. However, in the 2023 census, the Erie County population was 946,147 ...

, United States. It straddles the towns of Amherst and Clarence, and comprises the majority of ZIP code 14051.

History

East Amherst is a wealthy suburb centered in an area originally known as Transit Station, a name that has its origins in the

railroad station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such ...

of the

New York Central The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

"Peanut Line", so called from its narrow gauge tracks, that crossed Transit Road just north of Muegel Road. The New York Central Railway arrived in the area in 1854, with the completion of the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls railroads. By 1858, the completion of the railroad spurred the development of the area and other hamlets, such as Transit Station, now East Amherst, and Getzville. As its farmlands were developed into residential subdivisions, East Amherst began to emerge as the most frequently used name for the area. Today, East Amherst is home to the headquarters of fast food chain Mighty Taco, founded in 1973 in Buffalo. The administrative office of the Williamsville Central School District is located in East Amherst as well as 3 of the District’s 13 school buildings.

Fire and police services

Fire protection is primarily provided by the East Amherst Fire Department, as well as by Swormville Fire Company and Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company. The part of East Amherst within the town of Amherst is served by the Amherst Police Department. The part within the town of Clarence is served by the

New York State Police The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police of the U.S. state of New York; it is part of the New York State Executive Department and employs over 5,000 sworn state troopers and 711 non-sworn members. The New York State Police are re ...

and the Erie County Sheriff's Department.

Notable people

Dave Andreychuk David John Andreychuk (born September 29, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and Tampa Bay Lightni ...

, NHL player *

Scotty Bowman William Scott Bowman (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey head coach. He holds the record for most wins in National Hockey League (NHL) history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup ...

, Hall of Fame hockey coach *

Nick DeSimone Nick DeSimone (born November 21, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career He played college ice hockey at Union College. Undrafted, he signed a two-year co ...

. NHL player * Connor Fields, Professional

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

player in the

Premier Lacrosse League The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is a professional field lacrosse league in the United States. The league comprises eight teams. Its inaugural season debuted on June 1, 2019, and included a 14-week tour-based schedule taking place in 12 major- ...

* John Koelmel, former CEO of

First Niagara Bank First Niagara Bank was a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-insured regional bank, regional banking corporation headquartered in Buffalo (city), New York, Buffalo, New York. Its parent company, First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. was the 44th- ...

Brooks Orpik Richard Brooks Orpik (born September 26, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey Defenceman, defenseman who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). A stay-at-home defenseman ...

, NHL player *

Jason Pominville Jason John Pominville (born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian- American former professional ice hockey right winger. He played for the Buffalo Sabres and the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Amateur As a youth ...

, NHL player * Shane Sims, NHL player * Raymond Walter, New York State Assemblyman

References

External links

Information regarding Williamsville Central School District

{{Coord, 43, 01, 06, N, 78, 41, 48, W, type:city_region:US-NY, display=title Hamlets in Erie County, New York Hamlets in New York (state)