The Niagara River Greenway Plan is a comprehensive plan focusing on the development of a greenway of interconnected parks, river access points and waterfront trails along the right bank of the Niagara River from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. [1] The plan was drawn up by The Niagara River Greenway Commission, first established in 2004 by then New York state Governor George Pataki.
The Greenway is defined by Municipal boundaries. Currently 13 Towns, Villages, Cities and Municipalities are located within the Greenway. Upon completion the Greenway will encompass approximately 35 miles (north to south) of greenspace. [2]
The Niagara River is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the river's name. According to Iroquoian scholar Bruce Trigger, Niagara is derived from the name given to a branch of the locally residing native Neutral Confederacy, who are described as being called the Niagagarega people on several late-17th-century French maps of the area. According to George R. Stewart, it comes from the name of an Iroquois town called Ongniaahra, meaning "point of land cut in two".
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.
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.
North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south border.
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.
Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 2,701 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, an early 19th-century governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Tonawanda is a city in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,130 at the 2010 census. It is at the northern edge of Erie County, south across the Erie Canal from North Tonawanda, east of Grand Island, and north of Buffalo. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area.
Tonawanda is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 73,567. The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern inner ring suburb of Buffalo. It is sometimes referred to, along with its constituent village of Kenmore, as "Ken-Ton". The town was established in 1836, and up to 1903 it included what is now the city of Tonawanda.
Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York.
Tonawanda may refer to:
Joseph Davis State Park is a 388-acre (1.57 km2) state park located along the banks of the lower Niagara River in the Town of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York.
Big Six Mile Creek Marina is a 21-acre (0.085 km2) state park and marina located on the upper Niagara River on Grand Island in Erie County, New York.
New York State Route 425 (NY 425) is a north–south state highway in the western portion of New York in the United States. It extends for 23.85 miles (38.38 km) from an interchange with Interstate 290 (I-290) in the town of Tonawanda to an intersection with NY 18 on the shore of Lake Ontario in the village of Wilson. As it heads north, it connects to several regionally important routes, including U.S. Route 62 (US 62) and NY 104. The section between I-290 and the city of North Tonawanda is a four-lane arterial known as the Twin Cities Memorial Highway. North of the city, the route is primarily a two-lane rural highway.
New York State Route 429 (NY 429) is a north–south state highway located entirely within Niagara County, New York, in the United States. It extends for 12.16 miles (19.57 km) from an intersection with NY 265 and NY 384 in North Tonawanda to a junction with NY 104 on the border between the towns of Cambria and Lewiston. Although it is relatively minor in length, the route is regionally important nonetheless as it connects North Tonawanda to some of the county's interior regions. About midway between North Tonawanda and Ridge Road, NY 429 serves the hamlet of Sanborn, where it briefly overlaps with NY 31. At Pekin, a community situated between Sanborn and NY 104, NY 429 descends the Niagara Escarpment.
The Niagara Scenic Parkway is a 16.4-mile (26.39 km) long north–south highway in western Niagara County, New York, in the United States. Its southern terminus is at the LaSalle Expressway on the east bank of the Niagara River in Niagara Falls. The northern terminus is at New York State Route 18 (NY 18) at Four Mile Creek State Park in Porter near Lake Ontario. Originally, the parkway was one continuous road; however, due to low usage, a portion of the parkway near Niagara Falls was removed, separating the parkway into two sections. The length of the parkway is designated as New York State Route 957A by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). A 1.16-mile (1.87 km) long spur connecting the Niagara Scenic Parkway to Fort Niagara State Park near Youngstown is designated as New York State Route 958A. Both reference route designations are unsigned.
New York State Route 265 (NY 265) is a 19.75-mile (31.78 km) long state highway located in the western part of New York in the United States. NY 265 is a north–south route that roughly parallels the western parts of the Niagara River in Erie County and Niagara County. For much of its southern course, it is more frequently referred to by its longtime name, Military Road, which dates back to 1801 as a road to connect the city of Black Rock and Fort Niagara near Lake Ontario.
The Great Lakes Seaway Trail, formerly named and commonly known as the Seaway Trail, is a 518-mile (834 km) National Scenic Byway in the northeastern United States, mostly contained in New York but with a small segment in Pennsylvania. The trail consists of a series of designated roads and highways that travel along the Saint Lawrence Seaway—specifically, Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the Saint Lawrence River. It begins at the Ohio state line in rural Erie County, Pennsylvania, and travels through several cities and villages before ending at the Seaway International Bridge northeast of the village of Massena in St. Lawrence County, New York. It is maintained by the non-profit Seaway Trail, Inc.
The Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area is a 5,600-acre (23 km2) wildlife management area (WMA) located in western New York State. It is located primarily within Niagara County and Genesee County, with a small portion within Orleans County. It is managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Freedom Crossing Monument is located on the bank of the Niagara River in Lewiston, New York, and honors the courage of fugitive slaves who sought a new life of freedom in Canada, and to the local volunteers who protected and helped them on their journey across the Niagara River. It was dedicated on October 14, 2009.