Cheektowaga () is a town in Erie County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town has grown to a population of 89,877. The town is in the north-central part of the county, and is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. The town is the second-largest suburb of Buffalo, after the Town of

Amherst Amherst may refer to: People * Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name * Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst'' * Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...

. The town of Cheektowaga contains the village of Sloan and half of the village of Depew. The remainder, outside the villages, is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

also named Cheektowaga. The town is home to the

Buffalo Niagara International Airport Buffalo Niagara International Airport is in Cheektowaga, New York. The airport serves Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls, New York United States, and the southern Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. It is the third-busiest airport i ...

, Erie County's principal airport. Villa Maria College,

Empire State College Empire State College (SUNY Empire or ESC) is a public university headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Empire State College is a multi-site institution offering associate ...

, and the

Walden Galleria Walden Galleria is a regional shopping mall located in Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo, New York located east of Interstate 90 and New York State Thruway Exit 52 off Walden Avenue. The Walden Galleria comprises more than of retail space, with 1 ...

are in Cheektowaga.

History

Cheektowaga's earliest known historic occupants were the Iroquoian-speaking

Neutral people The Neutral Confederacy (also Neutral Nation, Neutral people, or ''Attawandaron'' by neighbouring tribes) were an Iroquoian people who lived in what is now southwestern and south-central Ontario in Canada, North America. They lived throughout t ...

. They were pushed out by the more powerful

Seneca people The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west ...

, the most western of the Five Nations of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

Confederacy, who were seeking to control the fur trade. They named this site as ''Chictawauga'', meaning "land of the

crabapple ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 30–55 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples, wild apples, and rainberries. The genus is native to the temperate zon ...

s" in the

Seneca language Seneca (; in Seneca, or ) is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League; it is an Iroquoian language, spoken at the time of contact in the western portion of New York. While the name ''Seneca'', attested as ...

. It was not until well after the American Revolutionary War that European-American settlers began to live here permanently. The Seneca had been forced to cede most of their land to the United States after the war, as they had been British allies. Cheektowaga was formed from the Town of

on March 22, 1839. Upon the formation of West Seneca on October 16, 1851, it was reduced to its present limits—about . Throughout the 19th century, it was referred to by its original name, ''"Chictawauga"''. Originally a rural farming area, the town was extensively developed for suburban housing during the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

subdivision boom of the 1950s. Aided as well by the construction of highways to serve the area, factories such as the

Westinghouse Electric Corporation The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse. It was originally named "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company" and was renamed "Westinghouse Electric Corporation" in ...

plant on Genesee Street were built here (since demolished). The plant generated employment to the area for many decades. The town maintains a strong

blue-collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and powe ...

presence. Cheektowaga has a large Polish-American community, much of which relocated from Buffalo's East Side, and about 39.9% of population is of Polish heritage. The

opened in 1989, becoming the Buffalo Niagara region's largest mall. Cheektowaga is home to St. John Gualbert's Parish, which is a small Catholic church housing the Shrine of the Holy Relics of the Saints, believed to be one of the largest collections in the United States. Garrison Cemetery, Our Lady Help of Christians Chapel, and

Villa Maria Motherhouse Complex Villa Maria Motherhouse Complex, or Felician Sisters Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent Chapel and Convent, is a historic Roman Catholic convent located at Cheektowaga in Erie County, New York. It is included in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buff ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.21%, is water. The town is bordered by Lancaster on the east, West Seneca on the south, the city of Buffalo on the west, and on the north by

. The town includes the waterways of

Scajaquada Creek Scajaquada Creek ( ) is a stream in Erie County, New York, United States. The name is derived from Philip Kenjockety, a Native American described as the oldest resident of the region upon his death in 1808. The creek lends its name to the Scaj ...

Cayuga Creek Cayuga Creek is a small stream in western New York, United States, with stretches in both Erie County and Wyoming County. The creek enters Buffalo Creek in the northwest corner of the Town of West Seneca in Erie County, just upstream from the N ...

and Ellicott Creek.

Neighborhoods

* Bellevue - A neighborhood between Union Road and the Depew border. It is home to the Bellevue Fire Department and a portion of Cayuga Creek. It is also home to the historic Bellevue Hotel, a local bar and restaurant which has been in existence since the 19th century. * Cheektowaga - A

corresponding to all of the town outside the villages of Sloan and Depew. * Cleveland Hill - A neighborhood located on the north town line; has its own school district. * Depew - The village of Depew (shared with the town of Lancaster) is in the eastern part of the town. *

Doyle Doyle is a surname of Irish origin. The name is a back-formation from O'Doyle, which is an Anglicisation of the Irish (), meaning "descendant of ''Dubhghall''". There is another possible etymology: the Anglo-Norman surname ''D'Oyley'' with agglu ...

- A neighborhood in the Southwestern Corner of Town, bordered by The City of Buffalo's Kaisertown Neighborhood, and Town of West Seneca's Clinton Gardens Neighborhood. *

Forks In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods eit ...

- A former hamlet near Union Road (NY-277) and Broadway (NY-130) *Maryvale - A neighborhood located just west of the airport, this community is also a school district, containing Maryvale High School. * Pine Hill - A neighborhood on the border of Buffalo, featuring many cemeteries and Villa Maria College. * Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve – A conservation area in the south central part of the town. * Sloan - The village of Sloan, near the Buffalo border. Sloan is the seat of the Cheektowaga-Sloan school district. * South Cheektowaga / South Line - Neighborhood on the border of West Seneca near French Road and extending towards Stiglmeier Park. Several apartment complexes are located in this area. *U-Crest - A neighborhood near Union Road (NY-277) and Genesee Street (NY-33). * Williamsville - A small part of the village of Williamsville (shared with the town of

)

Fire Districts

The Town of Cheektowaga is served by 9 Volunteer Fire districts with 10 companies, and 12 Stations, and 2 Volunteer Municipal Fire Departments with 2 stations within the Town

Weather hazards

On July 30, 1987, an F1

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, alt ...

touched down in the Union Road and George Urban Boulevard area. It grew to an F2 before dissipating. Homes and business suffered serious damage, but there were no fatalities or severe injuries. This tornado is locally memorable as the one which ripped the roof off the Holiday Showcase Restaurant and damaged a nearby Putt Putt® miniature golf center. On June 30, 2006, another F1 tornado touched down not far from the site of the ''1987 tornado''. Again, homes and businesses - including the Holiday Showcase, which was remodeled soon after - were damaged, and a tractor trailer was knocked over on the NY State Thruway, but no one was killed. The Town also falls into the significant "Lake Effect" Snow band that crosses the area, and has been effected by historic Snow events including The Blizzard of '77, the Blizzard of '85, "The October Surprise", and " Snowvember"

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 94,019 people, 40,045 households, and 25,869 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 3,183.8 people per square mile (1,229.3/km²). There were 41,901 housing units at an average density of 1,418.9 per square mile (547.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.94%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 2.93%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.27% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population. There were 40,045 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.91. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,121, and the median income for a family was $46,646. Males had a median income of $34,538 versus $25,434 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $19,627. About 4.6% of families and 6.5% 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 8.7% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over. Major ancestries in the town are Polish (39.9%),

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

(29.9%),

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

(16.0%), Irish (14.1%),

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

(5.8%), and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

(2.7%).

Education

Higher education

There are two separate higher educational institutions with campuses in the town. * Villa Maria College *

Public schools

There are eight separate public school districts within the town. * Cheektowaga Central School District * Cheektowaga-Sloan Union Free School District * Cleveland Hill Union Free School District * Maryvale Union Free School District *

Depew Union Free School District Depew Union Free School District is a school district in Depew, New York, United States. The superintendent is Dr. Jeffrey Rabey. The district operates three schools: Depew High School, Depew Middle School, and Cayuga Heights Elementary School. ...

West Seneca Central School District The West Seneca Central School District is the third largest central school district in Western New York, and one of the largest school districts in New York State. It serves , including a majority of the town of West Seneca, and portions of the ...

Lancaster Central School District The Lancaster Central School District is a New York school district including the area surrounding Lancaster, New York Lancaster is a town in Erie County, New York, United States, centered 14 miles east of downtown Buffalo. Lancaster is an ...

Williamsville Central School District Williamsville Central School District (commonly abbreviated WCSD) is a public school district in New York that serves the village of Williamsville, as well as the towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, and Clarence. The district enrollment is approximat ...

Media

The town is served by media in Buffalo.

Newspapers

Cheektowaga's weekly newspaper is the ''Cheektowaga Bee''. It was founded in 1977 and is published by

Bee Group Newspapers Bee Group Newspapers are a family of suburban newspapers published in Western New York by Bee Publishing, Incorporated, of Williamsville. The forerunner of the corporation began in 1877 with the founding of the ''Lancaster Bee.'' Bee Group Newspap ...

in Williamsville, New York.

Digital-only news

The town's first daily hyperlocal news outlet, ''Cheektowaga Chronicle'', launched in February 2017. It is published by Crabapple Media, LLC. The outlet has since ceased operation as of April 2019

Infrastructure

The east town line is marked by

New York State Route 78 New York State Route 78 (NY 78) is a state highway in western New York in the United States. While it is signed north–south, the southern portion runs in an east–west direction across Wyoming and Erie counties, from its beginnin ...

(Transit Road).

New York State Route 240 New York State Route 240 (NY 240) is a state highway in western New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 242 in the Ellicottville community of Ashford Junction in northern ...

(Harlem Road) and New York State Route 277 (Union Road) are major north-south routes through the town. New York State Route 33 (Kensington Expressway), Walden Avenue, and William Street access the

New York State Thruway , direction_a = South , terminus_a = {{Jct, state=NY, I, 95 at the The Bronx, Bronx–Yonkers, New York City line , junction = {{plainlist, * {{jct, state=NY, I, 287, Parkway, Saw Mill, NY, 119 in Elmsford, New York, Elmsford * {{jct, state=NY, ...

, which is also runs north-south through the town, traveling from the Amherst town line in the north, south to the West Seneca town line in the southwest corner of town.

New York State Route 130 New York State Route 130 (NY 130) is a state highway entirely within Erie County, New York, in the United States. It runs east–west from U.S. Route 62 (US 62, named Bailey Avenue) in Buffalo to the village of Depew, where ...

(Broadway) is an east-west roadway from the Buffalo city line to the Depew village line. Interstate 190, travels in the town from I-90 to Buffalo City Line and beyond into Downtown Buffalo and north to Niagara Falls. U.S. Route 20 (Transit Road) is a north-south roadway that runs concurrently with NY 78 along Cheektowaga's east border with Lancaster, south of Depew. New York State Route 354 (Clinton Street) is an east-west roadway through the extreme southwest corner of town, and provides the southern border with West Seneca.

Notable people

* Andrew Anderson, retired pro basketball player who graduated from Maryvale High School in Cheektowaga *

Christine Baranski Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American actress. She is a 15-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, winning once in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom ''Cybill'' ...

, actress (''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in l ...

'', ''

Mamma Mia! Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent *Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...

'') *

Ryan Ciminelli Ryan Ciminelli (born March 7, 1986) is a left-handed ten-pin bowler originally from Cheektowaga, New York. Since 2007, he has competed on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. Ciminelli has won eight PBA Tour titles, including one ma ...

, professional bowler *

William Fichtner William Edward Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on ''Invasion'', Alexander Mahone on ''Prison Break'', Carl Hickman on '' Crossing Lines'', and Adam Janikowski o ...

, actor, Graduate of Maryvale High School *

Jackson C. Frank Jackson Carey Frank (March 2, 1943 – March 3, 1999) was an American folk musician. He released his first and only album in 1965, produced by Paul Simon. After the release of the record, Frank was plagued by a series of personal issues, a ...

, folk musician who survived the Cleveland Hill Elementary fire *

Dennis H. Gabryszak Dennis H. Gabryszak (born November 18, 1951) is an American former politician from the state of New York. A Democrat, Gabryszak was a member of the New York State Assembly for the 143rd district from 2007 until his January 2014 resignation. Li ...

, former New York State Assemblyman who previously served as town supervisor * Dennis Gorski, former Erie County Executive * William J. Hochul, Jr., U.S. Attorney who graduated from Cheektowaga Central * Liz Johnson, professional bowler and USBC Hall of Famer * Chelsea Noble, actress and wife of actor

Kirk Cameron Kirk Thomas Cameron (born October 12, 1970) is an American actor and evangelist. He first gained fame as a teen actor playing Mike Seaver on the ABC sitcom '' Growing Pains'' (1985–1992), a role for which he was nominated for two Golden Glo ...

Danny Ozark Daniel Leonard Ozark, born ''Orzechowski'' (November 26, 1923 – May 7, 2009), was an American coach and manager in Major League Baseball. As manager of the Philadelphia Phillies (1973–August 31, 1979), Ozark led the Phils to three consecutive ...

, former manager of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

* Mark Pawlak, poet and educator * Randy Pikuzinski, retired pro soccer player *

Ed Rutkowski Edward John Anthony Rutkowski (born March 21, 1941) is a former American football player, and a former politician in Buffalo, New York. Rutkowski was a noted college and professional American football player. A wide receiver, he was an American ...

, former pro football player and Erie County Executive *

Altemio Sanchez Altemio C. Sanchez (born January 19, 1958) is a Puerto Rican serial killer who is known to have raped and murdered at least three women, and raped at least 9 to 15 girls and women in and around Buffalo, New York, during a 31-year span from 197 ...

, serial murderer * Paul Tokasz, retired New York State Assemblyman * David J. Weber, historian *

Angela Wozniak Angela Wozniak (born March 11, 1987) is a former member of the New York State Assembly, serving from 2015 to 2016. She represented the 143rd district, which included Cheektowaga, Lancaster, and Depew, New York. A registered Conservative, Wozni ...

, former New York State Assemblywoman, former town council member *Joseph Hinshaw, Retired Tennis Player, who graduated from Cheektowaga Central High School in Cheektowaga

Twin towns — sister cities

Cheektowaga is twinned with: *

Łowicz Łowicz is a town in central Poland with 27,896 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999); previously, it was in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). Together with a nearby station of Bednary, Łowicz is a m ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

References

External links

Town of Cheektowaga official websiteCheektowaga Chamber of CommerceCheektowaga Historical Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheektowaga (Town), New York Polish-American culture in New York (state) Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area Towns in Erie County, New York