Hamburg, New York | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Seal | |
| Motto(s): The Town That Friendship Built | |
 Location of Hamburg inErie County andNew York | |
  Hamburg, New York Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:42°44′40″N78°51′30″W / 42.74444°N 78.85833°W /42.74444; -78.85833 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Erie |
| Incorporated | 1812; 213 years ago (1812) |
| Named after | Hamburg, Germany |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town board |
| • Body | Hamburg Town Board |
| • Town Supervisor | Randall Hoak (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 41.35 sq mi (107.10 km2) |
| • Land | 41.32 sq mi (107.03 km2) |
| • Water | 0.027 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 732 ft (223 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 60,085 |
| • Density | 1,405.9/sq mi (542.83/km2) |
| Demonym | Hamburger |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
|
| Area code | 716 |
| FIPS code | 36-029-31654 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0952086 |
| Website | townofhamburgny |
Hamburg is atown inErie County,New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 60,085.[2] It is named after the city ofHamburg, Germany.[3] The town is on the western border of the county and is south ofBuffalo. Hamburg is one of theSouthtowns in Erie County. Thevillages ofHamburg andBlasdell are in the town, as is thecensus-designated place ofWanakah. The town of Hamburg was founded in 1812 in Armor.
.jpg)
Historical evidence shows the area was settled originally by theErie people.[4] Around 1805 the settlement was known as "Barkerville", named after Zenas Barker, the postmaster.[citation needed] The earliest settlers were Nathaniel Titus and Dr. Ruth Belden in 1804, and the first landowner in the area was John Cummings, who built the firstgrist mill in 1806.[5]
The town of Hamburg was formed by government decree on March 20, 1812, from the (now defunct) town ofWillink.[5] The first town meeting took place on April 7, 1812, at Jacob Wright's tavern at Wright's Corners, which was renamed Abbott's Corners, and now Armor. One of the early noted activities of the town board that year was to place a $5 bounty on wolf hides, due to the complaints of the local settlers who were being bothered by them.
In 1815, mail routes were established. The earliest settlers in the area were fromNew England.Germans started arriving in the 1830s and set up many successful farms. On November 29, 1824, a meeting was held in Abbott's Corners at the home of early settler Seth Abbott. At a vote of those present, agreement was reached to form a library with the sum of $102.[6]
By 1850, the town was reduced by the formation of the towns ofEast Hamburgh andWest Seneca.[5] Around 1852, theErie Railroad was built through the area. In 1868 theErie County Fair came to the town and has been there since that time. In 1875, the weekly publication of theErie County Independent began. This is now known asThe Sun. Telephone service in the area started in 1886.
Thevillage of Hamburg set itself off from the town in 1874 by incorporating as a village.
Starting in 1890 and to support the growing regional steel industry,Polish andItalians began to arrive in the area.[citation needed]
In 1897, a group of women known as the Nineteenth Century Club started a permanent free public library, known as the Hamburg Free Library. Until 1901 it was in various rented buildings. The Hamburg Free Library was moved into aCarnegie library on Center Street on November 8, 1915, where it remained until 1966 when the current library at 102 Buffalo Street opened.[citation needed]
In 1898, the community ofBlasdell set itself apart from the town by incorporating as a village.[citation needed]
Atrolley car system was established in the early 1900s.[citation needed]
TheKleis Site, containing the remnants of a 17th-centuryIroquoian village andburial ground, was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1979.[7]
In July 2012, Main Street in the village of Hamburg from Lake Street to Buffalo Street was granted state approval for nomination as anational historic district.[8]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, 41.4 square miles (107.1 km2), of which 41.3 square miles (107.0 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 0.07%, is water.[2]
Lake Erie forms the western border of the town, andEighteen Mile Creek forms the southern boundary.[9]
Hamburg experiences acontinental climate (Köppen Dfb), heavily influenced bylake-effect snow from Lake Erie. It experienced a record 81.2 inches (206.25 centimeters) of snow November 16–18, 2022.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 2,034 | — | |
| 1830 | 3,348 | 64.6% | |
| 1840 | 3,727 | 11.3% | |
| 1850 | 5,219 | 40.0% | |
| 1860 | 2,991 | −42.7% | |
| 1870 | 2,934 | −1.9% | |
| 1880 | 3,234 | 10.2% | |
| 1890 | 3,802 | 17.6% | |
| 1900 | 4,673 | 22.9% | |
| 1910 | 6,059 | 29.7% | |
| 1920 | 8,656 | 42.9% | |
| 1930 | 13,058 | 50.9% | |
| 1940 | 17,190 | 31.6% | |
| 1950 | 25,067 | 45.8% | |
| 1960 | 41,288 | 64.7% | |
| 1970 | 47,644 | 15.4% | |
| 1980 | 53,270 | 11.8% | |
| 1990 | 53,735 | 0.9% | |
| 2000 | 56,259 | 4.7% | |
| 2010 | 56,936 | 1.2% | |
| 2020 | 60,085 | 5.5% | |
| Historical Population Figures[10][11] | |||
As of thecensus[12] of 2000, there were 56,259 people, 21,999 households, and 15,157 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,362.7 inhabitants per square mile (526.1/km2). There were 22,833 housing units at an average density of 553.1 per square mile (213.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.93%White, 0.49%Black orAfrican American, 0.20%Native American, 0.39%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.38% fromother races, and 0.60% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.56% of the population.
There were 21,999 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% weremarried couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,888, and the median income for a family was $56,974. Males had a median income of $41,440 versus $27,602 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $21,943. About 3.2% of families and 4.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
The economy in the town is supported by a wide variety of sectors, including logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, commerce and education. In Blasdell, theFord Motor Company operates astamping plant with over one thousand employees.[13] Also along the waterfront is the Lake Erie Industrial Park, formed by the town's industrial development agency. This site includes the primaryFedEx Ground warehouse for the Buffalo metropolitan area, employing 300 people,[14] and anAmazon, Inc. distribution center.[15][16]
TheErie County Fair has operated in Hamburg since 1868. Currently, the fair takes place at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. The Fair is situated on a 275-acre (111 ha) plot of land near the village of Hamburg. The fair is produced by the Erie County Agricultural Society, and runs for twelve days in August. Since 1924, Strates Shows has operated the midway at the Fair. The Erie County fair is the third-largestcounty fair in the United States.[17]
It is claimed that the 1885 Erie County Fair, or "Hamburg Fair" is the place at which thehamburger sandwich was invented. According to the legend, Frank and Charles Menches were food vendors at the 1885 Erie County Fair, and created a sandwich of use of ground beef, coffee, brown sugar and other ingredients, and sold with ketchup and sliced onions. They named the successful sandwich after the fair they invented it at.[18] To this end, the annual Hamburg BurgerFest is held in Hamburg during the summer.[19]
Sports teams in the town include the Frontier Falcons, representing Frontier Central High School, and the Hamburg Bulldogs, who represent Hamburg High School. The Red Raiders represent the St. Francis High School, a private, Franciscan/Catholic boys school. The Hawks represent Hilbert College, a private Franciscan/Catholic college in town. Hilbert has numerous NCAA division three sports teams including but not limited to basketball, football, women's hockey, soccer and lacrosse.
TheSeaway Trail, aNational Scenic Byway, travels through Hamburg onNew York Route 5, along the Lake Erie shoreline.
Woodlawn Beach State Park, on the shore of Lake Erie, was opened as a state park in 1996,[20] and has been operated since 2011 by the town of Hamburg under a ten-year agreement with New York State.[21]
Hamburg is governed by a five-member town board. The town supervisor is Catherine Rybczynski. The town was founded in 1812.[22]
As of 2021[update], there were 10preschools within the town, including 2 in the village of Blasdell.[23]
The town of Hamburg is home to theFrontier Central School District, which is its primarypublicschool district. The district serves students living outside of thevillage of Hamburg along the lake shore of the town, and is an independent public entity. Frontier was created in the 1950s, combining the Amsdell,Athol Springs,Big Tree,Blasdell,Lake View (Pinehurst), Shaleton,Wanakah (Cloverbank), andWoodlawn school districts dating to the 19th century. The district's offices are located at the Frontier Educational Center inWanakah. The district serves over 4,500 students with itsBig Tree,Blasdell,Cloverbank, andPinehurst elementary schools,Frontier Middle School, andFrontier High School. In 2009, Big Tree Elementary School was recognized as aBlue Ribbon School. In 2020,Buffalo Business First ranked Frontier as the fifteenth-best performing school district in theWestern New York region.[24] Other districts serve Hamburg along the town's boundaries, including theHamburg,West Seneca andOrchard Park central school districts.
The Hamburg Central School District mainly serves students living within the village of Hamburg, but also serves students living in areas adjacent to it. Both Frontier and Hamburg Central are members of the Erie 1Board of Cooperative Educational Services system. TheHamburg,West Seneca andOrchard Park central school districts serve the village and small portions of the town.
Hilbert College is in Hamburg, north of the village of Hamburg.
The town's weekly newspaper is theHamburg Sun.
TheNew York State Thruway (Interstate 90),U.S. Route 62,US 20, andNY Route 5 pass through the town.NY 75 runs through the village of Hamburg, temporarilyconcurrent with Route 62.U.S. 20A diverges from US 20 north of the village of Hamburg as both routes proceed east.
Five bus lines operated by theNiagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA)[25] serve the town. Apark and ride facility is between NY 5 and NY 75 near Athol Springs.
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
Travel information from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata
Geographic data related toHamburg, New York atOpenStreetMap
