Tonawanda (formally the Town of Tonawanda; ) 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
Erie 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. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 72,636. The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern inner ring
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
of
Buffalo. It is sometimes referred to, along with its constituent
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 ...
of
Kenmore, as "Ken-Ton". The town was established in 1836, and up to 1903 it included what is now the
city of Tonawanda.
History
The Town of Tonawanda is located at the former west-southwest shore of glacial
Lake Tonawanda. The lake followed the southern side of the
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is an approximately discontinuous, arc-shaped but generally northward-facing escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States. The escarpment begins south of Lake Ontario and circumscribes the top of the Great Lake ...
and drained when
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...
's hydrological path started to go over
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...
.
This area was under French control from the 17th century until it was ceded to the British after the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
.
The first European settlers arrived around 1805. Rapid growth began after the construction of 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 navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...
, completed in 1825. Tonawanda occupies the northwest corner of Erie County and is bounded on the north by the Erie Canal, which here follows
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 ...
.
The town of Tonawanda was established in 1836, by separation from the town of Buffalo (now part of the
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
of Buffalo). At that time it included land that later became part of the town of
Grand Island (established 1852) and the entire
city of Tonawanda (established 1904).
In 1899, Kenmore
incorporated as a village of the town, and remained the town's primary residential and commercial district until the rest of the town was heavily developed into
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
an housing in the 1940s and 1950s.
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 is land and , or 7.61%, is water.
The northern border of the town is the
city of Tonawanda and
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 ...
, which is part of the Erie Canal, and the western border is the
Niagara River
The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...
.
Ellicott Creek flows parallel to Tonawanda Creek in the northern part of the town, with a confluence just east of the Niagara River. The eastern border, marked by
U.S. Route 62 (Niagara Falls Boulevard), is the town of
Amherst. Forming the southern border is the village of
Kenmore and the city of Buffalo.
Adjacent cities and towns
*
Fort Erie,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
- southwest
*
City of Buffalo - south
*
Town of Amherst - east
*
City of North Tonawanda,
Niagara County - north
*
City of Tonawanda - north
*
Town of Grand Island - northwest
Major highways
*
Interstate 190 (
Niagara Section) passes through the western part of town from the Buffalo city line to the South Grand Island Bridges onto Grand Island north to
Niagara Falls, NY, and
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415. The city is located on the Niagara Peninsula along the western bank of the ...
.
*
Interstate 290 (
Youngmann Expressway) travels through the town from I-190 to US 62 and beyond to
Amherst.
*
U.S. Route 62, north-south highway that marks the east town line as Niagara Falls Boulevard.
*
New York State Route 265 (Military Road), north-south highway through western part of town from the Buffalo city line to the city of Tonawanda line.
*
New York State Route 266 (River Road), north-south roadway paralleling the Niagara River in the town from the Buffalo city line to the city of Tonawanda line.
*
New York State Route 324 (Sheridan Drive, Grand Island Boulevard), east-west highway through the town from Niagara Falls Boulevard (US 62) to River Road (NY 266) where it crosses the South Grand Island Bridge onto
Grand Island.
*
New York State Route 325 (Sheridan Drive), north-south road from Sheridan Drive/Grand Island Boulevard (NY 324) to River Road (NY 266). It is the only part of Sheridan Drive not signed as NY 324 and continues as Sheridan westward from where it NY 324 becomes Grand Island Boulevard.
*
New York State Route 384 (Delaware Avenue), north-south highway in the town from the Kenmore village line to the city of Tonawanda line.
*
New York State Route 425 (Twin Cities Memorial Highway), north-south highway in the northern part of town beginning at the I-290 and Colvin Boulevard interchange that heads north into the city of Tonawanda by way of the Twin Cities Memorial Highway.
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 2010, there were 78,155 people, 33,278 households, and 21,164 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 34,634 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.01%
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 ...
, 1.41%
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 ...
, 0.30%
Native American, 0.40%
Asian, 1.30%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.36% from
other races, and 1.60% 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 2.70% of the population.
There were 32,951 households, out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families.
Environmental issues
In 2009, citizen
environmental monitoring
Environmental monitoring is the processes and activities that are done to characterize and describe the state of the environment. It is used in the preparation of environmental impact assessments, and in many circumstances in which human activit ...
of air quality problems resulted in an investigation by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...
(EPA) into emissions from Tonawanda Coke Corporation (TCC), a producer of
foundry coke located on River Road, Tonawanda. In 1998 TCC had been cited by the EPA for violations of oil spill prevention sections of the federal
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the primary respo ...
following contamination of the nearby
Niagara River
The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...
. The investigations into air quality revealed TCC was using an unreported pressure-relief system to vent coke oven gases containing
benzene
Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...
direct to the atmosphere, operating a coke-quenching tower without pollution-control baffles, and dumping hazardous waste in the form of coal tar sludge.
In March 2013 TCC was convicted by a federal jury on 11 counts of violating the
Clean Air Act (CAA) and three counts of violating the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, is the primary federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.United States. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. , , ''et seq., ...
(RCRA). In March 2014 TCC was sentenced in federal court to pay a $12.5 million penalty and $12.2 million in community service payments for the violations. TCC's Environmental Control Manager, Mark L. Kamholz, was convicted of 11 counts of violating the CAA, one count of
obstruction of justice
In United States jurisdictions, obstruction of justice refers to a number of offenses that involve unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investiga ...
and three counts of violating the RCRA, and was sentenced to one year in prison, 100 hours of community service, and a $20,000 fine.
[
In July 2014 ]DuPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
was fined $440,000 for violations of the CAA at its plant at Sheridan Drive and River Road. The EPA found that the plant had inadequate pollution-control equipment, failed to maintain a monitoring system for the equipment, violated several reporting requirements and underreported air pollution on its annual statements. Emissions from the plant included methyl methacrylate
Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is an organic compound with the formula . This colorless liquid, the methyl ester of methacrylic acid (MAA), is a monomer produced on a large scale for the production of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA).
History
MMA ...
and vinyl fluoride
Vinyl fluoride is an organic halide with the chemical formula C2H3F. It is a colorless gas with a faint ether-like odor. It is used as the monomeric precursor to the fluoropolymer polyvinylfluoride.
Production
It was first prepared in 1901 by F ...
.
Culture
Landmarks
One of the Town of Tonawanda's best known landmarks is the blue Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
-era Grumman F9F-6P Cougar Naval airframe
The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system.
Airframe design is a field of aeros ...
displayed in Walter M. Kenney Field at the northwest corner of Brighton Road and Colvin Boulevard. The "blue jet", as it is often called, has been on loan to the town from the U.S. government since May 1959. Immediately behind the F9F-6P airframe is the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial, dedicated on August 18, 2009. Retired U.S. Army General and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell delivered the keynote address during the memorial's dedication ceremony before a crowd of more than 1,500.
The Town of Tonawanda Historical Society operates a museum out of a former German Evangelical Church constructed in 1849. This facility, located at 100 Knoche Road, is the oldest public building in the town.
Notable people
* Tom Askey, former NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
goaltender
* Wolf Blitzer, journalist and author, graduated from Kenmore West High School
* Marc A. Coppola, former New York state senator
* William Conrad III
William C Conrad III is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 140th district. Elected in November 2020, he assumed office on January 6, 2021.
Early life and education
Conrad is a nati ...
, member of the New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
* Herbert O. Fisher, chief test pilot for Curtiss-Wright
* Edward Gibson, former astronaut, Skylab 4
* Robert J. H. Kiphuth, former Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
swimming coach
* Ben Kish, former NFL safety
* Helene Macaulay, celebrity make-up artist
* Joe McCarthy, former Yankees and Hall of Fame manager
* Joe Mesi, former professional boxer
* Van Miller, retired sports announcer
* Henry J. Overbeck, Wisconsin state assemblyman
* Frank Parlato Investigative reporter, publisher
*Fletcher Pratt
Murray Fletcher Pratt (25 April 1897 – 10 June 1956) was an American people, American List of science fiction authors, writer of history, science fiction, and fantasy. He is best known for his works on naval history and the American Civil War an ...
, writer
* Tam Rose, former head coach of Tonawanda Kardex Lumbermen
The Tonawanda Kardex (also known as the Tonawanda Lumbermen and during its first season, the All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks) was an American football team active between 1916 and 1921. It played its games in Tonawanda (city), New York, Tonawanda, New ...
* Bill Scherrer, former MLB pitcher, current assistant GM for Chicago White Sox
Education
Tonawonda Town is mostly located in Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District, while a portion is in Sweet Home Central School District.[ ]
Text list
/ref>
Tonawanda has two public high schools, both in the Kenmore-Tonawanda UFSD: Kenmore West Senior High School and Kenmore East High School.
The town is also home to St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, Mount Saint Mary Academy, and Cardinal O'Hara High School.[ - Compare this map with the address of Cardinal O'Hara. Doing so shows the school is in Tonawanda Town, not Tonawanda City.]
St. Francis of Assisi School closed in 2014. In January 2014 it had 19 employees and 152 students.
Communities and locations in the Town of Tonawanda
* Brighton – neighborhood by the east town line.
* Brighton Park – park and golf course in the northeast part of the town.
* Ellicott Creek Park – park operated by the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
* Green Acres – neighborhood in the northeast corner of the town.
* Kenilworth
Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District of Warwickshire, England, southwest of Coventry and north of both Warwick and Leamington Spa. Situated at the centre of t ...
– neighborhood in the southeast corner of the town.
* Kenmore – village completely within the borders of the town.
* Lincoln Park – park in the southeast corner of the town.
* Old Town – neighborhood on the western edge of the town, between the industrial area and Niagara River
The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...
.
* Parkview – neighborhood in the northeast corner of the town, bordering Ellicott Creek Park.
* Sheridan Park – park and golf course in the western part of the town.
* Sheridan Parkside – neighborhood on the western part of the town, just east of Sheridan Park.
* Tonawanda – census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
within the town.
See also
* Tonawanda (disambiguation) Tonawanda may refer to:
* Tonawanda (CDP), New York, consisting of the Town of Tonawanda less the Village of Kenmore
*Tonawanda (city), New York, officially City of Tonawanda, bordered on three sides by the Town of Tonawanda
*Tonawanda (town), New ...
References
External links
Town of Tonawanda official website
{{Authority control
Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area
Towns in Erie County, New York
Towns in New York (state)