Orchard Park is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in Erie County, New York. It is an outer ring

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...

southeast of Buffalo. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,054, representing an increase of 5.13% from the 2000 census figure. The town contains a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

also named Orchard Park. Orchard Park is one of the " Southtowns" of Erie County and is best known as the site of Highmark Stadium, home of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

History

In 1803, Didymus C. Kinney and wife Phebe (Hartwell) purchased land and built a cabin in the southwest corner of the township, which has since been turned into a museum. The following year, a migration of Quaker settlers began. The town was separated from the town of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

in 1850 and was first named "Ellicott", after Joseph Ellicott, an agent of the Holland Land Company. Within months, the name was changed to the town of "East Hamburgh". Around 1934, the town was renamed "Orchard Park" after its principal settlement. In the early 1900s, a large fire burned down most of the central part of the village of Orchard Park around South Buffalo Street. The Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad Station and the

Johnson-Jolls Complex Johnson-Jolls Complex, also known as the Dr. Willard B. Jolls House, is a historic home located at Orchard Park in Erie County, New York. It is an Italianate style brick house built in 1869. The house was built originally for merchant Ambrose ...

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

Orchard Park is located at (42.7622, -78.7414). The village of Orchard Park is southeast of downtown Buffalo. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.21%, is water.

Major routes

U.S. Route 219 passes through the west part of the town and forms junctions with U.S. Route 20A (Quaker Street) and NY 179 (Milestrip Road). U.S. Route 20 (Southwestern Boulevard) passes through the north part of the town and forms a junction with NY 277 and NY 240 (Orchard Park Road).

Adjacent towns and cities

*Town of West Seneca - north *City of Lackawanna - northwest *Town of

- west *Town of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

- south *Town of Colden - southeast *Town of Aurora - east *Town of Elma - northeast

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 2010, there were 28,272 people, 11,553 households, and 7,656 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 717.7 people per square mile (277.1/km²). There were 10,644 housing units at an average density of 276.4 per square mile (106.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.9%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, <0.1%

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 ...

, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% 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 1.0% of the population. There were 10,277 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $151,227, and the median income for a family was $112,906. About 1.1% of families and 2.4% 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 ...

Government

The town of Orchard Park has a supervisor-council form of government. Elected at large positions are Supervisor, Council Member, Clerk, Highway Superintendent and Town Justice. Other appointed positions are Town Attorney and Deputy Attorney, Engineer, Assessor, Building Inspector, Recreation and Youth Services Director and Chief of Police.

Supervisors

Town of Orchard Park

*Eugene Majchrzak (2022–Present) *Joseph Liberti (2020-2021) ''Served as the Deputy Supervisor w/o voting power'' *Dr. Patrick J. Keem (2014–2020) (resigned) *Janis Colarusso (2010–2013) *

Mary Travers Murphy Mary Travers Murphy (born July 31, 1958) is the executive director of the Family Justice Center of Erie County, New York. She was formerly a consumer affairs journalist and was part of the Action 7 news team on ABC affiliate WKBW-TV, based in ...

(2006–2009) *Toni M. Cudney (1998–2005) *Dennis J. Mill (1989–1997) *Eugene B. Woodard (1968–1989) *Clarence F. Henning (1949–1967) *Melvin L. Bong (1938–1948) *Jacob C. Newton (1932–1937)

Town of East Hamburgh

*Clinton Ebenezer Holmes (1923–1931) *Frank F. Holmwood (1900–1922)

Communities and locations in the Town of Orchard Park

* Armor – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

at the west town line. * Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad Station - A former railroad station listed on the

. *

Chestnut Ridge Park Chestnut Ridge Park is a park in Orchard Park, New York, originally named for the chestnut trees on its hills. It is currently the largest park operated by the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, and is open year-round. ...

– A popular county park with a wide range of activities, located in the south section of the town on Chestnut Ridge Road (Route 277). * Duells Corner – A hamlet south of Orchard Park village. * Ellicott – A hamlet south of Orchard Park village. *

SUNY Erie SUNY Erie is a public community college with three campuses in western New York that serve residents in and near Erie County. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and has locations in Williamsville (North Campus), Buff ...

– The official location of the south campus, although most of the campus is in the adjacent town of

. * Loveland – A hamlet on the east town line. * Orchard Park – A village located at the junction of Routes 240 and U.S. 20A. * Highmark Stadium – The home stadium of the NFL's

lies on the western edge of the town in the hamlet of Windom. * Webster Corners – A hamlet north of the village of Orchard Park by the intersection of Webster and Orchard Park Roads.

Education

The

Orchard Park Central School District Orchard Park Central School District is a public school district that serves Orchard Park, New York. The school district consists of 5,157 students in grades K-12 (four K-5 elementary schools, one 6-8 middle school, and one 9-12 high school). T ...

operates four K-5 elementary schools (Eggert, Ellicott, South Davis, and Windom), Orchard Park Middle School, and Orchard Park High School. The mascot for the Orchard Park's athletic teams is a Quaker. Bryant & Stratton College is in Orchard Park.

Erie Community College SUNY Erie is a public community college with three campuses in western New York that serve residents in and near Erie County. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and has locations in Williamsville (North Campus), Buff ...

(ECC) is at the western town line. Orchard Park also has a number of private, Catholic schools, including Nativity and St. John Vianney. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (pre-k through 8), closed in 2014 after exhaustive research conducted by the Diocese of Buffalo on demographics, finances and educational relevance.

Culture

Art

The annual Orchard Park Festival of the Arts, an outdoor art and craft show, is held each year on the third weekend of September, on the campus of Orchard Park Middle School. It is sponsored by the Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce. It was organized as the Quaker Arts Festival in the 1960s by Orchard Parkers John Coleman of The Suburban Press and Chet Seymour of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, and was originally held on the grounds of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church. It was run by the Orchard Park Jaycees from 1963 to 2017.

Music

Since 1985, under the direction of the Orchard Park Council of the Arts, local businesses and the town of Orchard Park sponsor free outdoor musical entertainment throughout the summer at the pavilion bandstand on the grounds of the middle school. Organized in 1949, the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra, composed of more than 70 volunteer musicians, performs four regular concerts each year in the high school auditorium. The Orchard Park Chorale was founded in 1975 under the sponsorship of the Adult Education Program of the Orchard Park School District. Its more than fifty singers perform regularly at the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church.

Food

Orchard Park is home to Taffy's Hot Dog Stand at the corner of U.S. Route 20 and NY Rtes 240 & 277. Ted's Hot Dogs is located about 1/8 of a mile north. Big Tree Inn, Homegrown Bistro, Buffalo's Best Grill, Buffalo Sports Garden (BSG), Byrd House, Dove, Duff's, Eckl's, Mangia Ristorante, O'Neill's Stadium Inn and OP Social are other restaurants in town. The town is also home of the 3000th Tim Hortons restaurant location as well as Spot Coffee and Panera. Additional Orchard Park restaurants include Mighty Taco, a Buffalo-area chain restaurant, Charlie the Butcher, located adjacent to a Noco gas station, and the pizzerias Cappelli's, Leo's, Pappacino's, and Ricotta's (two locations). National chains include and are not limited to Red Robin, Denny's, McDonald's and Wendy's.

Sports

* Highmark Stadium, the home stadium of the NFL's

is located in Orchard Park. *West Herr Field, the home stadium of

's football team, is located in Orchard Park adjacent to Highmark Stadium. *The Orchard Park High School football team won the 2008 and 2011 New York State Public High School Class AA Championship. *The Orchard Park High School baseball team won the 1988 State Championship. *The Orchard Park High School volleyball team won the 2008 New York State Championship. *The 1993 and 1994 Orchard Park Little League Baseball team won the New York State Championship. They recently won five Section titles in three summers with one team winning three in the 10u, 11u, and 12u divisions. *The Orchard Park Little League has baseball and softball divisions at all levels. *The Orchard Park Starz girls' travel softball program is made up exclusively by Orchard Park players and competes in the Metro Girls' Softball Association. *The Orchard Park Youth Basketball Association (OPYBA) *The Orchard Park Little Loop Football *The Orchard Park Sox, an adult men's baseball team *The Orchard Park Shock, a flag football team established in 2008 *The Orchard Park wrestling club sent wrestlers to nationals in 2011 and 2012

Media

Print newspapers

* ''The Orchard Park Bee'', a weekly newspaper

Notable people

* Jim Burt, former NFL nose tackle for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

* Wray Carlton, former

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

halfback with the

who scored the first-ever touchdown for the Bills *

Jon Corto Jon Corto (born September 3, 1984 in Orchard Park, New York) is a former American football linebacker. He was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Sacred Heart. Early life Cor ...

, former Buffalo Bills player * Erin Doyle (producer), film producer *

Brian Dux Brian Dux (born April 7, 1981 in Orchard Park, New York) is an American professional basketball player, and formerly playing for the Guildford Heat in the British Basketball League. College career Dux attended Canisius College where he starred ...

, former professional basketball player *

John Gurtler John Gurtler II is an American sportscaster. He is most noted for having succeeded Ted Darling as television play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Sabres, a position he held from 1992 until 1995. Previously, he served as the intermission host fro ...

, sportscaster * Eric Herman, children's music entertainer *

Dave Hollins David Michael Hollins (born May 25, 1966) is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball. Early life Hollins played baseball at Orchard Park High School, where he graduated in 1984. He attended the University of South Carolina an ...

, former Major League baseball player ( Phillies, Twins, Mariners) * Rick James (1948–2004), musician * John Koelmel, board chairman at Kaleida Health and chairman of the

New York Power Authority The New York Power Authority (NYPA), officially the Power Authority of the State of New York, is a New York State public-benefit corporation. It is the largest state public power utility in the United States. NYPA provides some of the lowest-co ...

Brooke Lauren Brooke Lauren (born September 12, 1984) is a film and television producer, as well as an actress and photographer. Biography Lauren was born in Buffalo, New York, was raised in Orchard Park, New York and spent a great deal of her childhood in ...

, film and TV producer *

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for h ...

a.k.a. Lawrence ("Larry") Wendell Pfohl, former professional wrestler * Travis Mayer, Olympic silver medalist in freestyle skiing * Sean McDermott, NLF Head coach of the

* Von Miller, NFL outside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills * Brian Moorman, former NFL punter for the Buffalo Bills * John Murphy, play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Bills *

, executive director of the Family Justice Center of Erie County *

Danny Neaverth Daniel J. "Danny" Neaverth, Sr. (born May 11, 1938) is an American disc jockey and television personality from Buffalo, New York. He is best known for a run of over 40 years as a morning disc jockey in Buffalo, including 25 years at heritage top-40 ...

, disc jockey and TV personality * Lonnie Nielsen, professional golfer * Ron Pitts, former NFL player * William Sadler, actor; Saturn Award winner * Sara Schonour,

Baking Impossible ''Baking Impossible'' is an American cooking competition television series that airs on Netflix, themed around baking and engineering. Each episode presents a cast of contestants with a challenge that combines baking with engineering, often des ...

winner. * Josh Thomas, defensive end for the NFL Indianapolis Colts *

Craig Wolfley Craig Alan Wolfley (born May 19, 1958) is a former football player and current color analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along with former teammate Max Starks, he hosts a show on 970 ESPN. College career Wolfley attended Syracuse Univ ...

, former NFL offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers and

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

* Ron Wolfley, former NFL fullback for ithe Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns, current radio analyst for Arizona Cardinals

References

External links

Town of Orchard Park official website
* {{authority control Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area Towns in Erie County, New York