Orchard Park (town), New York

Last updated

Orchard Park, New York
East Hamburgh
Town
Opny1.jpg
Village of Orchard Park
Erie County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Orchard Park (town) highlighted.svg
Location in Erie County and the state of New York.
New York in United States (US48).svg
Location of New York in the United States
Coordinates: 42°46′N78°44′W / 42.767°N 78.733°W / 42.767; -78.733
CountryUnited States
State New York
County Erie County
Incorporated1850
Named for Orchard Park
Government
 • SupervisorEugene Majchrzak
  • Eugene L. Majchrzak (R)
  • Conor Flynn (D)
Area
[1]
 • Total38.52 sq mi (99.76 km2)
 • Land38.44 sq mi (99.55 km2)
 • Water0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation
866 ft (264 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total29,686 Increase2.svg
 • Density770.85/sq mi (297.63/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
14127
Area code 716
FIPS code 36-029-55277
FIPS code 36-55277
GNIS feature ID0979318
Website www.orchardparkny.org

Orchard Park is an incorporated town in Erie County, New York. It is an outer ring suburb southeast of Buffalo. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,054, [2] representing an increase of 5.13% from the 2000 census figure. [3] The town contains a village 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's Buffalo Bills.

Contents

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 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 are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [4]

Geography

Orchard Park is located at 42°46′N78°44′W / 42.767°N 78.733°W / 42.767; -78.733 (42.7622, -78.7414). [5] The village of Orchard Park is 14 miles (23 km) southeast of downtown Buffalo.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.52 square miles (99.76 km2), of which 38.44 square miles (99.56 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2), or 0.21%, is water. [2]

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

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860 2,136—
1870 2,2706.3%
1880 2,4096.1%
1890 2,304−4.4%
1900 2,3502.0%
1910 2,63612.2%
1920 3,12018.4%
1930 4,23435.7%
1940 5,45328.8%
1950 8,49155.7%
1960 15,87687.0%
1970 19,97825.8%
1980 24,35921.9%
1990 24,6321.1%
2000 27,63712.2%
2010 29,0545.1%
2020 29,6862.2%
Historical Population Figures [6] [7]

As of the census [8] of 2010, there were 28,272 people, 11,553 households, and 7,656 families residing in the town. The population density was 717.7 inhabitants 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, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic 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.

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) [9]
  • Janis Colarusso (2010–2013)
  • Mary Travers Murphy (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 [10]

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

Communities and locations in the Town of Orchard Park

Places of interest

Education

The Orchard Park Central School District 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 (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. [13]

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.

Sports

Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park in November 2006 Bills.jpg
Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park in November 2006

Media

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erie County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amherst, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Buffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595. This represents an increase from 122,366 as reported in the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elma, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Elma is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 11,721 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the American elm tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evans, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Evans is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 16,356 at the 2010 census. The town derives its name from David E. Evans, an agent of the Holland Land Company and nephew of land agent Joseph Ellicott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williamsville, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Williamsville is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 5,423 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pendleton, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Pendleton is a town on the southern edge of Niagara County, New York, United States. It is east of the city of Niagara Falls and southwest of the city of Lockport. The population was 6,397 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridgeway, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Ridgeway is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 6,886 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is derived from "Ridge Road," an important highway in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alden, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Alden is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 10,865 at the 2010 census. The town is derived from a family name known to early settlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheektowaga (town), New York</span> Town in New York, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamburg, New York</span> Town in New York, United States.

Hamburg is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 60,085. It is named after the city of Hamburg, Germany. The town is on the western border of the county and is south of Buffalo. Hamburg is one of the Southtowns in Erie County. The villages of Hamburg and Blasdell are in the town. The town of Hamburg was founded in 1812 in Armor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Lancaster is a town in Erie County, New York, United States, centered 14 miles east of downtown Buffalo. Lancaster is an outer ring suburb of Buffalo. As of the 2020 Census, the town population was 45,106.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orchard Park (village), New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Orchard Park is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,246 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a description of the local landscape, which abounded with orchards. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonawanda (town), New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Tonawanda is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 72,636. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Seneca, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

West Seneca is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 44,711 at the 2010 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Ellicott</span> American judge

Joseph Ellicott was an American surveyor, city planner, land office agent, lawyer and politician of the Quaker faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highmark Stadium (New York)</span> NFL stadium in Orchard Park, New York

Highmark Stadium is a stadium in Orchard Park, New York, in the Southtowns of the Buffalo metropolitan area. The stadium opened in 1973 as Rich Stadium and is the home venue of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). It was known as Ralph Wilson Stadium from 1998 to 2015, New Era Field from 2016 to 2019, and Bills Stadium in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 277</span> State highway in Erie County, New York, US

New York State Route 277 (NY 277) is a state highway in New York in the United States. This highway is also called Union Road, along with other names. NY 277 is a major north–south road east of Buffalo, New York, through the middle of Erie County. The section of NY 277 north of Orchard Park used to be New York State Route 18B until the portion of NY 18 south of Niagara Falls was deleted on January 1, 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 240</span> State highway in western New York, US

New York State Route 240 (NY 240) is a 51.64-mile (83.11 km) 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 Cattaraugus County. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 324 and Interstate 290 (I-290) in Amherst in northern Erie County. The route passes through the villages of Springville and Orchard Park, where it meets NY 39 and U.S. Route 20A (US 20A), respectively. Much of NY 240 between Concord and Aurora follows the west branch of Cazenovia Creek. The northern part of NY 240 in Erie County, named Harlem Road, is a major north–south route through the suburbs east of the city of Buffalo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southtowns</span> Term for southern suburbs of Buffalo, NY

The Southtowns is a region of Western New York, United States, that lies within the snowbelt or ski country. It includes the southern suburbs of Buffalo, New York. This is the common name for the southern part of Erie County, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Highmark Stadium</span> Proposed future stadium for the Buffalo Bills

Highmark Stadium is an American football stadium that is under construction in Orchard Park, New York. It will replace the Bills' existing stadium of the same name and is expected to open in time for the 2026 NFL season.

References

  1. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Orchard Park town, Erie County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved March 2, 2016.[ dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Places, Towns, and Townships 2012 - Read Online".
  4. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ↑ " Thirteenth census of the United States, 1890, 1900, 1910" Department of Commerce and Labor. (1910), page 350. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  7. ↑ "Land Use Study" (PDF). Town of Orchard Park. June 2002. p. 81. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 26, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  9. ↑ O'Brien, Barbara (September 30, 2020). "Orchard Park supervisor resigns to care for his ailing wife". The Buffalo News. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  10. ↑ Kulp, Suzanne. "History of Orchard Park". Town of Orchard Park. Town of Orchard Park. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Chestnut Ridge". Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry (Erie.gov). Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ Conheady, Matt. "Eternal Flame Falls, Orchard Park – Waterfall Photos, Maps, Information". Nyfalls.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ Miner, Dan. "Reporter". Buffalo Business First. Buffalo Business First. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.