Little Valley 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
Cattaraugus 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 1,672 at the 2020 census.
The town is named after its local geographical setting, a relative comparison of two tributaries (the other being the neighboring
Great Valley) 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 ...
.
The town of Little Valley is centrally located in the county, north 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 ...
. The town contains 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
Little Valley, which is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
.
History
The first settlement was made ''circa'' 1807, but was vacated due to
frontier warfare in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
; settlement resumed in 1816, after the war ended. The town of Little Valley was formed in 1818 by splitting the town of Perry, which at the time covered the entire western half of the county. The northwest quadrant of the county became
Perrysburg, while the southwest quadrant became Little Valley (also known as the town of Elkdale); at the same time, the town of
Great Valley was split off from
Olean, and the two towns' proximity and comparable topography gave the towns their names. Little Valley was once an important rail station on the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...
and notable for its cheese and dairy industry. The location of the railroad resulted in moving the county seat to the village of Little Valley, which was also later connected to Salamanca by a
streetcar
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...
line.
The towns of
Conewango (1823),
Napoli
Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...
(1823),
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
(1830),
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 ...
(1830), and
Bucktooth (1855, renamed Salamanca in 1864) were all formed from Little Valley.
Geography
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 , or 0.02%, is water.
New York State Route 242 and
New York State Route 353 are major truck roads through the town. They converge at Killborn Corners just east of the village of Little Valley. County Routes 88 (Baker Road) and 96 (Killborn Corners Road) act as bypasses. County Route 15 (Dublin Road), which picks up where Route 88 leaves off, continues northeast parallel to Route 242 between Little Valley and
Ellicottville. County Routes 5 and 14 start in the northwest corner of the town and head toward
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 ...
and
East Otto, respectively.
The
Pat McGee Trail, a hiking and snowmobile
rail trail
A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...
that follows the path of the now-removed railroad, runs through the town parallel to Route 353. The Conservation Trail, a subset of the
Finger Lakes Trail (itself a subset of the
North Country Trail
The North Country Trail (NCT, officially designated the North Country National Scenic Trail) is a long-distance hiking trail in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Northeastern United States, Northeastern United States. The trail exten ...
), passes through the town connecting the state forests therein; the two trails share a roughly one-mile
wrong-way concurrency Wrong way may refer to:
* a traffic sign to warn of wrong-way driving
* nickname of Douglas Corrigan (1907–1995), an American aviator who flew east from New York to Ireland instead of west to California in 1938
* nickname of Roy Riegels (1908–1 ...
in the town.
Little Valley Creek flows through the town, as does a small tributary named Lees Hollow in the west central part of town. Whig Street Creek runs northeast-to-southwest across the town.
Adjacent towns and areas
Little Valley is north of the town 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 ...
and south of the town of
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
. The town is east of the town of
Napoli
Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...
and west of the town of
Great Valley; a series of hills separate Little Valley and Great Valley, and they can only be traveled between each other directly through one seasonal highway (Mutton Hollow Road) or by a network of pedestrian, bicycle and horse trails. (Otherwise, major highways run through either Salamanca or Ellicottville.)
Climate
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 1,788 people, 688 households, and 462 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 845 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.92%
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 ...
, 1.29%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
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 ...
, 1.23%
Native American, 0.06% from
other races, and 1.51% 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 1.23% of the population.
There were 688 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% 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, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,000, and the median income for a family was $37,361. Males had a median income of $30,100 versus $21,897 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 $16,191. About 8.8% of families and 14.0% 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 19.5% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Little Valley
*
Bucktooth State Forest – A small portion of this state forest crosses the southwestern corner of Little Valley.
*Elkdale – 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 ...
near the south town line on
NY Route 353.
*Elkdale State Forest – A small state forest between Little Valley and Elkdale.
*Killborn Corners – A small
knoll
In geography, knoll is another term for a knowe or hillock, a small, low, round natural hill or mound.
Knoll may also refer to:
Places
* Knoll Camp, site of an Iron Age hill fort Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
* Knoll Lake, Leonard Canyon, ...
and fork in the road (known locally as "The Y") that divides
NY 353 and
NY 242.
*
Little Valley – A village in the northwest corner of the town that serves as the county seat.
*Little Valley Creek – A
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...
that flows southward through the town and empties into 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 ...
in
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 ...
.
*Little Rock City – A location in the southeast part of the town, named after an unusual geological formation, called by various names such as "Salamanca Rock City" or "Rock City State Forest" (to distinguish it from Rock City Park in the
Town of Olean). Legally known as the
Rock City and
McCarty Hill State Forests, which includes the rock city as well as several square miles of forest land covering most of the eastern half of the village.
*
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 ...
– A small, unpopulated part of the city of Salamanca juts northward into the southeastern region of the town. The anomalous spur primarily exists to cover the city's drinking water supply, which is located along the spur.
Attractions and organizations
Attractions and organizations in the town of Little Valley (not counting those in the village) include:
*An
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...
post (531), west of the village
*A
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...
/
AMVETS
American Veterans (AMVETS) is a non-partisan, volunteer-led organization formed by World War II veterans of the United States military. It advocates for its members as well as for causes that its members deem helpful to the nation at large. The g ...
post (VFW 8734/AMVETS 8735), east of the village
*The Cattaraugus County Department of Public Works building, located southwest of the village on Route 242
*Valley View
Baptist Church
Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...
, a church near Killborn Corners
*Whig Street Church, a nondenominational church (formerly
United Brethren) located on Whig Street in the southeastern portion of the town
*Little Valley Wesleyan Church, a church located on the town/village line across from the Cattaraugus County Fair Grounds on Route 353
*Little Valley Riders Club, a horseback riding organization
*Legion Field, located just west of the American Legion post, previously leased by Little Valley Central School for athletic events. The Little Valley Panthers youth football team used Legion Field as their home through 2013, while soccer and baseball/softball teams also used the field regularly (both the Legion Field diamond and a softball diamond on the Riders Club grounds were mostly abandoned after the construction of a new ballpark in the village; Legion Field's diamond remains usable). Cattaraugus-Little Valley Central School mostly abandoned the field in 2013 and was sold off to private ownership in 2016. A local adult
flag football
Flag football is a variant of gridiron football (American football or Canadian football depending on location) where, instead of Tackle (football move)#Gridiron football, tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or ...
league continues to use the field for athletic purposes.
*The Crosspatch, a horse ranch
*Elkdale Country Club, an 18-hole golf course
References
External links
Town of Little Valley official websiteLittle Valley Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Towns in Cattaraugus County, New York
Towns in New York (state)