Leon 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 ...

Cattaraugus County Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...

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 * ...

. The population was 1,253 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the former

Kingdom of León The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias along the Bay of Biscay, northern coast of the peninsula ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, though it is pronounced like the American first name, " LEE-un". The town is on the western border of the county, northwest of the city of

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

History

The area that would become the town was first settled ''circa'' 1819. The town of Leon was founded in 1832 from a part of the town of Conewango. The Leon Grange No. 795 and

Leon United Methodist Church Leon United Methodist Church, now known as the Leon Historical Society Museum, is a historic United Methodist church building located at Leon in Cattaraugus County, New York. It was constructed in 1836 and is in the Gothic Revival style. It ...

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 ...

. Leon's post office, ZIP Code 14751, opened June 20, 1837. It closed on July 24, 2010.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.07%, is water. The west town line is the border of Chautauqua County.

Conewango Creek Conewango Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States. The creek's drainage covers much of southeastern Chautauqua County, New York, and western Cattaraugus County, New York. The creek' ...

, a tributary of the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

, crosses the northwest part of the town, and Mud Creek flows through the south part of the town.

U.S. Route 62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) is an east–west United States Highway in the southern and northeastern United States. It runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian b ...

is a major north-south highway through the western part of the town. County Route 6 intersects the road in the town center.

Adjacent towns and areas

Leon is south of the town of

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

and north of the town of Conewango. To the east is the town of

New Albion New Albion, also known as ''Nova Albion'' (in reference to Albion, an archaic name for Great Britain), was the name of the continental area north of Mexico claimed by Sir Francis Drake for Kingdom of England, England when he landed on the Nort ...

. The west boundary is shared by the town of Cherry Creek in Chautauqua County.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,380 people, 378 households, and 289 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 464 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.13%

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 ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.14% Asian, and 0.65% 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 0.29% of the population. There were 378 households, out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% 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, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.64 and the average family size was 4.30. In the town, the population was spread out, with 42.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,333, and the median income for a family was $32,946. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $22,266 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 $10,189. About 26.1% of families and 35.1% 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 50.2% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over. An estimated 76% of the population of Leon are members of the

Old Order Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss and Alsatian origins. As they maintain a degree of separation from surrounding populations, and ho ...

, a factor in the town's continued population growth since the middle of the 20th century, a rarity in a county where population has otherwise been in general decline.

Notable people

* Charles N. Daniels, former architect * Albert T. Fancher, former New York state senator * Wilbur F. Sanders, former U.S. senator

Communities and locations in Leon

– A stream flowing through the northern part of the town. *East Leon – 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 ...

in the northeast corner of the town on County Road 5. *Kendall Corners – A location by the eastern town line on County Road 5. *Leon (or "Leon Center") – The hamlet of Leon, centrally located in the town on County Road 6 and US Route 62. *Millmans Corners – A location west of Leon village by the east town line on Route 6. *Meyers Corners – A location at the north town line on Route 62. *Mud Creek – A stream flowing westward past Leon is a tributary of Conewango Creek. The first settlement was made along Mud Creek. *Rays Corners – A hamlet near the east town line on County Road 44. *Thompsonville – A former community in the southeast part of the town.

References

External links

Town of Leon official website

Little Valley Area Chamber of Commerce

{{authority control Towns in Cattaraugus County, New York Towns in New York (state)