North Tonawanda is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niaga ...

, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. The city is named after

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. ...

, its south border. Tonawanda in the

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

tongue means "Swift Running Water". Tonawanda Creek, which flows into the Niagara River, once had large stretches of rapids (see

Rapids, New York Rapids is a hamlet (also a census-designated place) located in the Town of Lockport in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 1,636 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code for Rapids is 14094. Rapids is located on the south edge ...

) until it was tamed with 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 navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

. The city also calls itself "The Lumber City," due to its past primary industry and once was the largest port on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

during the height of the Erie Canal. Along Goundry Street are mansions built for the lumber barons, including 208 Goundry Street, called "Kent Place", designed by

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in addition ...

. Many of the local residents refer to it as "The Jewel of Niagara County" due to its geographical setting between the Niagara River and Erie Canal. It is also home to the 2009 Class AA NYS Football Champion Lumberjacks. Street signs on the borders of town welcome visitors to "The Home Of The Carousel".

History

After the first settlers arrived in 1809, North Tonawanda became part of the town of

Wheatfield, New York Wheatfield is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 18,117 at the 2010 census. The name stems from the agricultural use of the town lands, the growing of wheat. The Town of Wheatfield is east of Niagara Falls Int ...

in Niagara County, from May 1836. An abortive attempt at a village containing portions in two counties and two towns from January 1854 until April 1857, it was part of the Niagara County/Town of Wheatfield component, with the other portion in Erie County and the Town of Tonawanda. The experiment was abandoned after New York State removed the village's North Tonawanda component. Oral history claims a dispute between merchants was the cause, but the combination of communities in two counties and two towns was unwieldy. After becoming a village on May 8, 1865 (still in the Town of Wheatfield, but as part of Martinsville, New York), North Tonawanda was incorporated as a City on April 24, 1897. North Tonawanda is on the north side of the Erie Canal/Tonawanda Creek, across from Erie County, New York and the communities of the City of Tonawanda and the Town of Amherst. The Town of Wheatfield borders North Tonawanda on the north and east; the Niagara River serves as its western border, as Tonawanda Creek is its southern border. North Tonawanda is the second largest city in Niagara County, after Niagara Falls, New York.North Tonawanda History Museum ©
/ref> North Tonawanda is known as "The Lumber City," because it was from the mid-19th century through the 1970s, a lumber transportation and forwarding center of significance because of the ready availability of lumber. It was the birthplace of the Herschell-Spillman Company/Allan Herschell Co., one of the leading manufacturers of carousels in America and is now the home of the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. In 1888, Herschell attracted expatriate Belgian

Eugene de Kleist Baron Frederick Joseph Eugene de Kleist (18 January 1853 – 1911), was a pioneering German organ builder, who in founding the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory, started the American style of Band organs. Eugene de Kleist was born in Düsseldor ...

to North Tonawanda, who started the

North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory was a street organ manufacturing company and building, located in North Tonawanda, New York. Started by expatriate German Eugene de Kleist with backing from Allan Herschell, the company was later purchas ...

to produce band organs. Taken over in 1909 by the

Rudolph Wurlitzer Company Rudolph or Rudolf may refer to: People * Rudolph (name), the given name including a list of people with the name Religious figures * Rudolf of Fulda (died 865), 9th century monk, writer and theologian * Rudolf von Habsburg-Lothringen (1788� ...

after De Kleist became mayor of North Tonawanda in 1906, Wurlitzer became one of the largest musical instrument manufacturing plants in the world. The Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co., one of more than 150 lumber companies to have called North Tonawanda home, produced kit homes sold around the nation and Canada for 70 years. Richardson Boat, Buffalo Bolt, Durez Chemical, National Grinding Wheel, Taylor Devices, International Paper, Tonawanda Iron & Steel, Riverside Chemical, and hundreds of other successful manufacturing businesses called North Tonawanda home. The Railroad Museum of the Niagara Frontier occupies a 1923 Erie Railroad station on Oliver Street. The Riviera Theater and Performing Arts Center on Webster Street, in a restored Italian Renaissance-style building, features plays, concerts, movies and other events, and its 1926 "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ is featured in monthly organ concerts. The theater is one of only a handful in the United States with projectors capable of showing nitrate film prints in common use before about 1951. The Ghostlight Theatre is a community theater in a century-old church. The former Carnegie Library is home to the Carnegie Art Center. An E. B. Green designed building houses the Buffalo Suzuki Strings Musical Arts Center. An active arts community has developed in the downtown area as well. The North Tonawanda History Museum no longer occupies the former G. C. Murphy Co. store building on Webster Street in the heart of the Downtown Historic District.Smyczynski, Christine A. (2005), "Western New York: From Niagara Falls and Southern Ontario to the Western Edge of the Finger Lakes". pp 93-99, 101-102. The Countryman Press: Woodstock, Vermont. Parks in North Tonawanda include Veteran's Park, which has a monument to U.S. Seabees, one to the U.S. Marines, and is working on one to Vietnam War Veterans; Gateway Harbor Park, along the Erie Canal, the site of the annual Canal Fest in July and free concerts and other activities; the Gratwick-Riverside Park along the Niagara River; and Pine Woods Park, Mayor's Park, and the North Tonawanda Botanical Gardens with a boat launch. The Buffalo Norsemen played their home games in North Tonawanda during their existence.

Geography

North Tonawanda is located at (43.041006, -78.868920). The

defines the southern and the majority of the eastern borders of the city, with the rest of the eastern border made up of Sweeney Street and Old Falls Boulevard. Niagara Falls Boulevard (

US Route 62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian border. It is the only east-west United States Numbered Highway that connects Mexico and Canad ...

) defines the northeastern border of the city. The majority of the northern border of the city is a line that runs east-west just above Forbes Terrace, mostly paralleling Ruie Road, with the rest of the northern border being a short northwesterly line that runs from Ward Road to Witmer Road. The western edge of the city is defined by the Niagara River and a line that runs just west of and parallel to Witmer Road. Also, at the southwest corner of the city is Tonawanda Island, which is separated from the mainland by the Little River (Part of the East Branch of the Niagara River) and is part of the city. The edge of North Tonawanda is sometimes hard to find, because the southern parts of both the Towns of Wheatfield and Pendleton use the same zip code as North Tonawanda, 14120.

Climate

Buildings

It is home to many historic mansions and an historic cemetery. The North Tonawanda City Market, established in 1908, is the oldest farmer's market in Niagara County. It is open three days a week year round but busiest in the summer and early fall, when more than 70 area farmers sell there. The city has a number of properties 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 ...

. The old Wurlitzer Organ Factory which is now leased to various light industrial, high technology, and commercial businesses.

Historic Sites

The following are the historic sites in North Tonawanda of such significance as to be listed on the

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 33,262 people, 13,671 households, and 8,981 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 3,293.2 people per square mile (1,271.5/km²). There were 14,425 housing units at an average density of 1,428.2 per square mile (551.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.86%

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 o ...

, 0.29%

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 ...

, 0.34% Native American, 0.53% 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 ...

, 0.29% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.68% 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 forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.09% of the population. There were 13,671 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,154, and the median income for a family was $50,219. Males had a median income of $36,551 versus $25,129 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 city was $19,264. 7.2% of the population and 5.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.1% are under the age of 18 and 6.1% are 65 or older.

Schools

The public schools of North Tonawanda are the North Tonawanda High School, North Tonawanda Middle School, Drake Elementary School, North Tonawanda Intermediate School, Spruce Elementary School, and Ohio Elementary School.Ohio Elementary School / Overview
/ref>

Essential services

North Tonawanda City School District North Tonawanda City School District is a public school district that covers North Tonawanda, New York. The school district consists of 3,371 students (2017) in grades PreK-12 (One PreK center, three K-3 elementary schools, one 4-6 intermediate ...

* North Tonawanda Police Department * North Tonawanda Public Library * DeGraff Memorial Hospital, part of

Kaleida Health John R. Oishei Children's Hospital (viewed from Ellicott Street in 2017) Kaleida Health, founded in 1998, is a not-for-profit healthcare network that manages five hospitals in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. Prior to the merger of ...

* North Tonawanda Fire Department (Combination Fire Dept); The department consist of 38 full-time career firefighters and volunteer firefighters from the Columbia Hook & Ladder Co. #1, Active Hose Co. #2, Live Hose Co. #4, Rescue Fire Co. #5, Gratwick Hose Co. #6, and the Sweeney Hose Co. #7. The NTFD has five stations and 6 apparatuses: 3 engines (Engine-4, Engine-6, and Engine-7); a ladder truck (Truck-1); a light rescue (Rescue-1); and a command car (Car-10). Staffing consists of four platoons (1-4).

Notable people

Ted Barrett Edward George Barrett (born July 31, 1965) is an American umpire in Major League Baseball. He joined the American League's staff in 1994, and has worked throughout both major leagues since 2000. He has worked in twenty three play-off series, inclu ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

* Rudy Bozak, notable engineer * Cindy Bradley, jazz trumpet player * Jim Britton, retired MLB pitcher * Rita Kogler Carver, studio designer *

, organ builder * Maryalice Demler, former Miss New York * Tonio di Paolo, opera singer * Ed Harmon, professional football player *

Bret Hoffmann Bret Hoffmann (February 8, 1967 – July 7, 2018) was an American death metal vocalist. He fronted Fire for Effect, Resthaven, and South of Resthaven and was a former member of Malevolent Creation and Down the Drain. Hoffmann performed on the ...

, death metal vocalist *

Jim Hurtubise James Hurtubise (December 5, 1932 – January 6, 1989) was an American race car driver who raced in USAC Champ Cars (including the Indianapolis 500), as well as sprint cars and stock cars (USAC and NASCAR). He was from the Buffalo suburb of No ...

, automobile racer * Edward C. Kuhn, U.S. military

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

designer * William Larson, photographer *

Robert Mangold Robert Mangold (born October 12, 1937) is an American minimalist artist. He is also father of film director and screenwriter James Mangold. Early life and education Mangold was born in North Tonawanda, New York, North Tonawanda, New York (s ...

, artist * George D. Maziarz, politician * Bernard Joseph McLaughlin, Auxiliary Bishop of Buffalo Diocese * Hans Oldag, German-born American long-distance runner * Jamin Olivencia, professional wrestler * Robert G. Ortt, politician *

Gladys Parker Gladys Parker (March 21, 1908 – April 28, 1966) was an American cartoonist for comic strips and a fashion designer in Hollywood. She is best known as the creator of the comic strip ''Mopsy'' (1929-1965), which had a long run over three decades ...

, comic strip artist * Lewis S. Payne, former New York State Senator * Roman Piskor, NFL football player *

James Rand Jr. James Henry Rand Jr. (November 18, 1886 – June 3, 1968)"James Henry Rand Dead At 81," ''New York Times,'' June 4, 1968.Ingham, ''Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders,'' 1983. was an American industrialist who revolutionized the b ...

, industrialist *

Stan Rojek Stanley Andrew Rojek (April 21, 1919 – July 9, 1997) born in North Tonawanda, New York was a shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1942 and 1946–47), Pittsburgh Pirates (1948–51), St. Louis Cardinals (1951) and St. Louis Browns (1952). He he ...

, major-league baseball player *

Geoff Sanderson Geoffrey M. Sanderson (born February 1, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Hartford Whalers and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Drafted by the Hartford W ...

, former NHL player * Paul Schaus, sledge hockey gold medalist *

Robin Schimminger Robin Schimminger (born September 17, 1947) is an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat, Schimminger represented District 140 in the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 2020. Early life and education Schimminger was born in ...

, politician. * Don Smith, Olympic rower *

Henry P. Smith III Henry P. Smith III (September 29, 1911 – October 1, 1995) was an American politician and Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Smith was born in North Tonawanda, New York. He graduated from Dartmouth ...

, politician * Paul Van Arsdale, hammered dulcimer player * Christopher J. Waild, screenwriter * Andy Williams, guitarist in

Every Time I Die Every Time I Die was an American metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams wit ...

* Phil Fasciana (Death Metal Guitarist)

References

External links

City of North Tonawanda webpage

North Tonawanda History Museum
{{authority control Cities in New York (state) Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area Cities in Niagara County, New York Sundown towns in New York (state)