Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, United States, just south of the city of Buffalo in western New York State. The population was 19,949 at the 2020 census. [2] It is one of the fastest-growing cities in New York, growing in population by 10% from 2010 to 2020. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The city of Lackawanna is in the western part of Erie County.
The town's name derives from the Lackawanna Steel Company, which owned the steel plant around which the city developed. [3] During the early 20th century, the Lackawanna steel plant was the largest in the world. The word "Lackawanna" refers to the steel company's original location in the river valley of the same name, in eastern Pennsylvania. That place name, in turn, might come from Lenape lèkaohane, meaning "sandy stream", or lechauhanne, [lɛxaohánɛk], meaning "forks of the river". [4]
Originally part of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, the area was not open to settlement until 1842 when the Seneca Indians sold it. In 1851 the town of Seneca was formed; the name was changed to West Seneca in 1852. The area now known as Lackawanna was then called West Seneca or Limestone Hill.
Lackawanna was a center of steel manufacture throughout most of the 20th century. In 1899, the Lackawanna Steel Company, based in Scranton, Pennsylvania since its founding, purchased all the land along the West Seneca shore of Lake Erie. Construction was started in 1900 and the Lackawanna Steel Company relocated to the area in 1902. The plant began operations in 1903. In 1909, the area's residents voted to split from West Seneca, forming the city of Lackawanna. [3]
With most of the city's workers employed by Lackawanna Steel, city affairs often revolved around events at the mill. Several attempts to organize a labor union at the mill resulted in violence. In 1910, a strike was broken by mounted police, who killed one worker. [5] In 1919, steel workers formed a union again and joined the nationwide Steel strike of 1919. The workers were joined by sympathy strikes in adjacent companies, and two picketing workers were killed by company guards. [6] Although the strike lasted into the summer of 1920, well after the national strike had ended, the union failed to win recognition from the company. As a result of the strike, Lackawanna elected a Socialist mayor, John H. Gibbons. [7] After another violent strike in 1941, the CIO finally succeeded in negotiating a contract for the Lackawanna steel workers. [5]
In 1922, the Bethlehem Steel Company acquired the Lackawanna Steel Company. With the 20th-century growth of the Bethlehem Steel plant, at one time the largest in the world, came the continued growth of the city and its institutions. At its peak, the plant employed 20,000 people. It attracted immigrants from many lands to settle and make their homes.[ citation needed ] Due to industrial restructuring in the latter half of the 20th century, as well as property tax assessment increases levied on the plant by the city, the steel plant declined in business and eventually closed in 1983, following massive job layoffs. [8]
In the 21st century, efforts have been made to develop the former steel plant brownfields to other uses. The site has a diversity of tenants, some occupying buildings remaining from the former steel plant and a few in newer buildings. Opponents say that the brownfield is not safe and claim that contaminants in the field have caused cancer and other medical issues. [9] United States Environmental Protection Agency reports are still ongoing and contested. [10]
As part of redevelopment, wind turbines were built on the former Bethlehem Steel property in 2007. These initial eight 2.5 megawatt turbines will provide power for up to 9,000 households and are considered a sustainable energy source. [11]
The Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. [12]
On November 9, 2016, a major fire broke out at the former galvanizing plant of the Bethlehem Steel complex.
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, originally the Lackawanna and Western Railroad, operated from 1851 to 1960. In 1960 it was consolidated with the Erie Railroad to become the Erie Lackawanna Railway. This operated until 1976, when it was absorbed by Conrail.
The city of Lackawanna was the defendant in the 1971 district court decision Kennedy-Park Homes Association v. City of Lackawanna . This decision forbade the municipal government (Lackawanna) from interfering with the construction of a low-income housing development in a predominantly white section of the city. The court ruled such action would amount to racial discrimination. [13]
The Lackawanna Six (also known as the Buffalo Six) are a group of Yemeni Americans convicted of providing "material support" to Al-Qaeda. The group was accused of traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the spring of 2001 to attend terrorist training camps. [14] The men had claimed that their travel was to Pakistan only, and for the purpose of religious instruction.
The group was arrested in Lackawanna on September 13, 2002, by the FBI. A member of the Lackawanna Cell, Jaber A. Elbaneh, never returned to the U.S. after his trip to Afghanistan. In September 2003 the FBI announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. Captured by Yemen police, he was convicted and sentenced to a prison in Yemen for involvement in the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker Limburg off the coast of Yemen. The remaining members of the group pleaded guilty in December 2003 and were given various sentences in federal prison. [15]
Jaber Elbaneh escaped from a Yemeni prison in 2006 after joining a successful group prison break. He was identified as one of 23 people, 12 of them Al-Qaeda members, who escaped on February 3, 2006. On February 23, 2006, the FBI confirmed the escape, as they issued a national press release naming Elbaneh to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list. [16] On May 20, 2007, Elbaneh turned himself in to Yemen authorities on the condition that his prison sentence would not be extended. The incident of the Lackawanna Six has tarnished the city's reputation, but it is recovering. [17]
In July 2009, it was reported that prior to authorities sending in 130 federal and local members of the Western New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, there were suggestions that federal troops be used to capture the suspects. [18] At the time, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld believed that the Yemeni men should be declared enemy combatants and could have been tried by a military tribunal. President Bush rejected this proposal, and the arrests proceeded without incident. [18]
The city has an area of 6.6 square miles (17.1 km2), of which 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.75%, is water. [2] Lackawanna sits on Lake Erie, although the Bethlehem Steel facility's remnants occupy the waterfront. Smokes Creek (named after Seneca Indian Chief Sayenqueraghta who was nicknamed "Old Smoke") runs through the city before it discharges into Lake Erie.
Abbott Road is a major road that runs north–south through the city. Ridge Road is a main east–west road in the city.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 14,549 | — | |
1920 | 17,918 | 23.2% | |
1930 | 23,948 | 33.7% | |
1940 | 24,058 | 0.5% | |
1950 | 27,658 | 15.0% | |
1960 | 29,564 | 6.9% | |
1970 | 28,657 | −3.1% | |
1980 | 22,701 | −20.8% | |
1990 | 20,585 | −9.3% | |
2000 | 19,064 | −7.4% | |
2010 | 18,141 | −4.8% | |
2020 | 19,949 | 10.0% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [19] |
As of the census [20] of 2000, there were 19,064 people, 8,192 households, and 4,775 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,114.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,202.3/km2). There were 8,951 housing units at an average density of 1,462.1 per square mile (564.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.99% White, 9.50% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.31% Asian (excluding Yemeni Arabs), 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 3.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.08% of the population. Lackawanna also has a sizeable Yemeni population. [21]
There were 8,192 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. Of all households 37.0% were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,354, and the median income for a family was $39,237. Males had a median income of $32,063 versus $22,794 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,727. About 13.1% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
The city of Lackawanna has a mayor-council form of government. A councilmember is elected from each of the four wards of the city, considered single-member districts. The mayor and council president are elected at-large. Fire and police services are also provided by city-run departments. [3]
Because of its resemblance to a popular mid-20th century west coast building type, Lackawanna's burnt-orange city hall is distinctive for possibly being the only dingbat city hall in the United States.
The city of Lackawanna is home to fourteen Protestant churches, the Masjid Alhuda Guidance Mosque (the largest mosque in the Buffalo area), ten Roman Catholic churches, including Our Lady of Victory Basilica (OLV); and Saint Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church.
Lackawanna's Our Lady of Victory Basilica is a National Shrine. Next to the basilica is Holy Cross Cemetery. It has been a parish cemetery since 1849, although burials date to 1830.
Father Nelson Baker was responsible for the building of a working boys' home (protectory) in 1898. He also supervised construction of an infants' home in 1907, a maternity home in 1915, Our Lady of Victory Hospital in 1919, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory in 1926. Father Baker named the basilica after the shrine of Notre Dame des Victoires in Paris, which he visited as a seminarian in 1874. He was in charge of the basilica and the institutions of charity until his death at 94, on July 29, 1936.
Father Baker's social programs have evolved into Baker Victory Services, which care for more than 2,500 children each day. Baker Victory Services Adoption Program has evolved into a renowned resource for a wide range of adoptive services. Their mission is to assist birth mothers, families and adoptees through the often complex and always emotional adoption process. Our Lady of Victory Hospital, closed in 1999, is being converted into senior housing. [22] [23] The Homes of Charity provide the funds to continue Baker's social programs through donations.
Our Lady of Victory Basilica had its 75th anniversary in 2001. The Catholic Church named Father Baker a "Servant of God" in 1987, the first step towards declaring him a saint. In 1999, Father Baker's remains were moved from Holy Cross Cemetery and re-interred inside the basilica. This was a recommended step for his canonization process. On January 14, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI approved a document of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints declaring Father Baker "Venerable." His cause for canonization, as an "apostle of charity," continues under review by Vatican officials. [24] [25]
Children in Lackawanna attend school in the Lackawanna City School District. Grades Pre-K to 1 attend Truman Elementary School. Martin Road Elementary School has grades K–5. In a shared building, grades 6 through 8 are in the Lackawanna Middle School section and grades 9 through 12 are in Lackawanna High School section. [26]
The Global Concepts Charter School, a charter school in the New York State system, offers education from Kindergarten through Grade 12. The school consists of two separate buildings. The K-8 building is at 1001 Ridge Road. The high school, grades 9–12, are at 30 Johnson Street. [27]
Our Lady of Victory Elementary School, a private school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, includes kindergarten through Grade 8. [28]
Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie were named for the regional Iroquoian language-speaking Erie tribe of Native Americans, who lived in the area before 1654. They were later pushed out by the more powerful Iroquoian nations tribes. The county is part of the Western New York region of the state.
Hornell is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 8,259 at the 2020 census. The city is named after the Hornell family, early settlers.
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success and productivity, the company was a symbol of American manufacturing leadership in the world, and its decline and ultimate liquidation in the late 20th century is similarly cited as an example of America's diminished manufacturing leadership. From its founding in 1857 through its 2003 dissolution, Bethlehem Steel's headquarters were based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. Its primary steel mill manufacturing facilities were first located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and later expanded to include a major research laboratory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and plants in Sparrows Point, Maryland, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna, New York, and its final and largest site in Burns Harbor, Indiana.
Salamanca is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States, inside the Allegany Indian Reservation, one of two governed by the Seneca Nation of New York. The population was 5,929 at the 2020 census. It was named after José de Salamanca, a Spanish nobleman and cabinet minister of the mid-19th century. Salamanca invested in railroads around the globe, including the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in New York State, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Cheektowaga is a town in Erie County, New York, 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.
West Seneca is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 45,500 at the 2020 census. West Seneca is a centrally located interior town of the county, and a suburb of Buffalo. West Seneca, Orchard Park and Hamburg form the inner "Southtowns", a cluster of middle-class suburban towns.
Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY includes the cities of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Jamestown, and the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of Niagara Frontier, and Chautauqua-Alleghany. Many would also place Rochester and the Genesee Valley in the region, although those legally belong in the Finger Lakes Region and are separate from Western New York Region.
Sayenqueraghta was the war chief of the eastern Seneca tribe in the mid-18th century. He was born the son of Cayenquaraghta, a prominent Seneca chief of the Turtle clan in western New York. He lived most of his life at Kanadaseaga, near the present day town of Geneva, New York. He obtained his rank of war chief in 1751. Before the American Revolution he was referred to as chief of the Senecas.
Jaber A. Elbaneh, also known as Gabr al-Bana is a Yemeni-American who was labeled a suspected terrorist by the United States after it emerged that he had attended the Al Farouq training camp alongside the Lackawanna Six, and remained on at the camp after they returned home. He fled to Yemen, where he worked as a cab driver before turning himself in to authorities.
Nelson Henry Baker was an American Catholic monsignor in Lackawanna, New York, whom the Vatican has declared as venerable.
South Buffalo is a neighborhood that makes up the southern third of the City of Buffalo, New York. Traditionally known for its large Irish-American community, this community also has a strong presence of various other nationalities. The once-heavily industrialized district was home to many steel mills, automotive parts manufacturers, petroleum refineries, foundries, and machine shops. However, due to increasing deindustrialization and rising unemployment, the area has experienced growing problems with poverty and population decline.
The Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, which was built as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Station, is a French Renaissance-style building in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Steel Winds is a wind energy project located on the coast of Lake Erie in Lackawanna, New York, just south of the City of Buffalo in Erie County. Its first phase was operational in 2007 and the second phase came online in 2012, for a combined production capacity of 35 MW. The unique project was built on part of the brownfield of a former Bethlehem Steel plant. By using much of the existing infrastructure of roads and transmission lines, it could reduce project costs. It is one of the largest urban wind farms in the world and uses turbines manufactured in Iowa.
The Lackawanna Steel Company was an American steel manufacturing company that existed as an independent company from 1840 to 1922, and as a subsidiary of the Bethlehem Steel company from 1922 to 1983. Founded by the Scranton family, it was once the second-largest steel company in the world. Scranton, Pennsylvania, developed around the company's original location. When the company moved to a suburb of Buffalo, New York, in 1902, it stimulated the founding of the city of Lackawanna.
The Our Lady of Victory Basilica is a Catholic parish church and national shrine in Lackawanna, New York. Due to the multiple charities of founder Father Nelson Baker, the shrine is a popular pilgrimage and visitor destination in Lackawanna. It is part of the Diocese of Buffalo.
Salamanca was a railroad station for the Erie Railroad in Salamanca, New York, United States. The station was located at 137 Main Street in Salamanca, across the track from the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway depot. Located as the terminus of the Meadville Division of the Erie Railroad main line, Salamanca was considered part of the Allegany Division, which went between Dunkirk and Hornell.
Catholic Health is a non-profit comprehensive healthcare system formed in 1998 under religious sponsors in Western New York, United States. The organization provides health services through their hospitals, primary care centers, diagnostic and treatment centers, home care agencies, long-term care facilities and other programs. The system brings together more than 9,000 associates and 1,300 physicians to the Western New York market. Its Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, New York is a clinical affiliate of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, one of the largest medical schools in the United States.
On November 9, 2016, around 7:30 a.m., a major fire broke out at a 1-million-square-foot (93,000 m2) galvanizing warehouse that was formerly part of the now-vacated Bethlehem Steel complex in Lackawanna, New York, just south of Buffalo. The fire was said to have been caused by a hot bulb which fell and struck cardboard inside of the building, igniting the structure, although this has not been confirmed. Subsequently, a thick ash cloud extended 30 mi (48 km) south of the accident site, viewable from Canada, Eden, New York, and weather radars. Hundreds of firefighters from area departments, including the Buffalo Fire Department, assisted in rescue operations, which resulted in one injury.
Patrick B. Burke is an American politician who serves in the New York State Assembly from the 142nd district, which represents South Buffalo, the City of Lackawanna, and the towns of West Seneca and Orchard Park. Burke is a South Buffalo native.
Abdulsalam K. Noman is a Yemeni-American politician and soccer coach. He is the first Yemeni-American elected to public office in the state of New York, and the second in the United States