Amherst, New York | |
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 Amherst Municipal Building | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Amherst inErie County, New York (left) and of Erie County inNew York state (right) | |
  Amherst, New York  Amherst, New York  Amherst, New York | |
| Coordinates:42°58′42″N78°48′00″W / 42.97833°N 78.80000°W /42.97833; -78.80000 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| County | Erie |
| Incorporated | April 10, 1818 |
| Named after | Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town council |
| • Supervisor | Brian Kulpa (D) |
| • Deputy Supervisor | Deborah Bruch Bucki (D) |
| • Councilmembers | |
| • Clerk | Francina J. Spoth |
| Area | |
• Total | 53.58 sq mi (138.78 km2) |
| • Land | 53.20 sq mi (137.78 km2) |
| • Water | 0.39 sq mi (1.00 km2) 0.73% |
| Elevation | 594 ft (181 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total |  129,595 |
• Estimate (2019)[2] | 126,082 |
| • Density | 2,364.6/sq mi (912.96/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
|
| Area code | 716 |
| FIPS code | 36-029-02000 |
| Website | www |
Amherst (/ˈæmhərst/ ⓘ[3]) is atown inErie County, New York, United States. It is a suburb ofBuffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595.[4] This represents an increase from 122,366 as reported in the 2010 census.[5] It is the 14th most populated municipality in New York.
The second-largest in area and the most populous suburb of Buffalo, the town of Amherst encompasses the village ofWilliamsville as well as the hamlets ofEggertsville,Getzville,Snyder,Swormville, andEast Amherst. The town is in the northern part of Erie County and borders a section of theErie Canal.
Amherst is home to the north campus of theUniversity at Buffalo, a campus ofErie Community College, a satellite campus ofBryant & Stratton College, andDaemen University.
Amherst was created by the State of New York on April 10, 1818, from part of the town of Buffalo (later the city of Buffalo), which itself had previously been created from the town ofClarence. Amherst was named afterLord Jeffrey Amherst, commander-in-chief of the British army in North America from 1758 to 1763. Timothy S. Hopkins was elected the first supervisor of the town in 1819. Part of Amherst was later separated to form the town ofCheektowaga on March 22, 1839.[6]
The opening of theErie Canal in 1825 spurred Amherst's growth, bringing with it with new settlers and increased commerce. German immigrants settled in the northern part of the town as farmers, attracted by the fertile land in the area. The town's water resources encouraged the development of grist mills, saw mills, and other factories alongEllicott Creek.[7] Several communities and hamlets started to develop around this time, such asWilliamsville (1810s),Eggertsville andSnyder (1830s),East Amherst andSwormville (1850s), andGetzville (1860s).
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 53.6 square miles (138.8 km2), of which 53.2 square miles (137.8 km2) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km2), or 0.73%, is water.[8]
Much of Amherst was originallyfloodplain and marshland, portions of which have been drained in recent years to facilitate development of new homes and businesses.[citation needed] The central and southern parts of the town are heavily suburbanized. Despite this development, the hamlets of Eggertsville and Snyder and the village of Williamsville have managed to retain much of their original character. The northern part of the town is still relatively undeveloped, with the prominent exception of the portions along Niagara Falls Boulevard (U.S. Route 62) bordering the towns ofTonawanda andWheatfield. Some sections of northern and eastern Amherst have experienced problems with collapsing residential foundations as a result of unstable soil conditions. A few active farms may still be found in the northern part of the town.[citation needed]
Amherst is bordered on the north byTonawanda Creek andNiagara County.Ellicott Creek flows through the town.
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Areas within Amherst are referred to by the former post office station names and are not legally incorporated. During the 1990s, many of these regional post offices were closed and consolidated into the central Amherst 14226 post office on Bailey Avenue, leaving only a Williamsville (14221) post office on Sheridan Drive, a Getzville (14068) post office on Millersport Highway, and an East Amherst (14051) post office on Transit Road. Mailing addresses to areas within the town are Amherst, East Amherst, Eggertsville, Getzville, Snyder, and Williamsville. These postal districts are still recognized by the post office and widely referred to by citizens.
Some of these mailing addresses overlap: some areas of Clarence directly east of Transit Road have Williamsville addresses, although for the purposes of taxes, schools and community resources, these people are residents of the Town of Clarence.
The areas listed below are governed and run by the Town of Amherst except for the Village of Williamsville, an independent political entity.
Average high temperatures from May through October range from 60 to 81 degrees. Average high temperatures from November through March range from 31 to 47 degrees.[9]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 768 | — | |
| 1830 | 2,489 | 224.1% | |
| 1840 | 2,451 | −1.5% | |
| 1850 | 4,153 | 69.4% | |
| 1860 | 5,086 | 22.5% | |
| 1870 | 5,265 | 3.5% | |
| 1880 | 4,319 | −18.0% | |
| 1890 | 4,014 | −7.1% | |
| 1900 | 4,223 | 5.2% | |
| 1910 | 4,629 | 9.6% | |
| 1920 | 6,286 | 35.8% | |
| 1930 | 13,181 | 109.7% | |
| 1940 | 19,356 | 46.8% | |
| 1950 | 31,407 | 62.3% | |
| 1960 | 57,439 | 82.9% | |
| 1970 | 90,734 | 58.0% | |
| 1980 | 108,706 | 19.8% | |
| 1990 | 111,740 | 2.8% | |
| 2000 | 116,510 | 4.3% | |
| 2010 | 122,366 | 5.0% | |
| 2020 | 129,595 | 5.9% | |
| Historical Population Figures[10][11] | |||
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 122,366 people, 48,894 households, and 29,840 families residing in the town. There were 51,179 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 83.8%White, 5.7%African American, 0.2%Native American, 7.9%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 0.5% fromother races, and 1.8% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.3% of the population.[12]
There were 48,894 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% weremarried couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 31.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.98.[12]
The median income for a household in the town was $55,427, and the median income for a family was $68,951. Males had a median income of $51,667 versus $32,030 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $27,647. About 4.2% of families and 6.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.[12]
51.7% of residents (aged 25 and over) have obtained aBachelor's degree or higher, including 26.7% with a Graduate or professional degree.[12][13]
In July 2010,CNNMoney ranked Amherst 42nd in a list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America.[14] In 2012, CNNMoney.com ranked Amherst 50th.[15] In 2011 and 2012, Amherst was selected as one of America's 100 Best Communities for Young People by America's Promise Alliance.[16]
National Fuel andLife Storage are headquartered in Williamsville.
Many festivals are celebrated in Amherst throughout the year. The town is home to theBuffalo Niagara Heritage Village.
The Town of Amherst Archival Research Center is located within the Buffalo Niagara Historical Village, located at 3755 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst NY 14228. It was formerly located at the Harlem Road Community Center, 4255 Harlem Road, Amherst NY 14226 (previous to that it was housed in theFormer Reformed Mennonite Church[17] which was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2003.[18])
Amherst is home to theUniversity at Buffalo Stadium,Alumni Arena, andAmherst Audubon Field, all utilized by the University at BuffaloBuffalo Bulls.
TheNorthtown Center is the town'sice hockey arena. The arena is the home of theBuffalo Beauts of theNational Women's Hockey League, theUniversity at BuffaloBulls men'sice hockey team, and theBuffalo Wings, a professionalinline hockey team competing inMajor League Roller Hockey.
As of 2014, the Amherst Police Department employed 154 officers and 35 full and part-time civilian employees including the Chief, Assistant Chief, and eight captains.[19]
Amherst has been ranked as the "Safest City in America" 1996–1998, 2000–2003, and 2010.[citation needed] In many other years it ranked in the top 5. The ranking is based on annual reports by theFBI, including crime statistics in six categories:murder,rape,robbery,aggravated assault,burglary, andauto theft.
In 2006, Amherst was ranked the second safest city in the United States, afterBrick Township, New Jersey.[20] In 2011, it ranked 6th safest out of 400 cities.[21] Most recently in 2014, Amherst was ranked the #1 Safest City in America with a population between 100,000 and 500,000.[22]
There are five separate higher educational institutions with campuses in the town.
There are four separate public school districts within the town.[23]
Amherst is served by theAmherst Bee newspaper. In 1969Paul Kurtz founded the publishing housePrometheus Books in Amherst.
Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway) passes through the southern part of town.
Interstate 290 (Youngmann Memorial Highway) travels through the town diagonally from I-90 to US 62 and beyond toTonawanda
Interstate 990 (Lockport Expressway), located entirely within the Town of Amherst, runs in a roughly north–south direction through the southwest and central part of Amherst until it ends at Millersport Highway (NY 263).
U.S. Route 62 marks the western town line as Niagara Falls Boulevard as the route heads north, then as Sheridan Drive then Bailey Avenue heading south out of town.
New York State Route 5 (Main Street) passes through the town.
New York State Route 78 (Transit Road) marks the eastern town line.
New York State Route 240 (Harlem Road) is a north–south road from Sheridan Drive (NY 324) south heading out of town.
New York State Route 263 (Grover Cleveland Highway, Millersport Highway) is a north–south road from Bailey Avenue (US 62) to Transit Road. (NY 78).
New York State Route 270 (Campbell Boulevard) is a north–south road from Millersport Highway (NY 263) north out of town.
New York State Route 277 (North Forest Road, Union Road) is a north–south road from Sheridan Drive (NY 324) south out of town.
New York State Route 324 (Sheridan Drive) is an east–west road through the town from Niagara Falls Boulevard (US 62) east out of town.Millard Filmore Suburban Hospital is located in the center of town on Maple Road.[28]
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