Lewiston, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lewiston, NY | |
  Lewiston, NY
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Niagara |
| Area | |
| - Total | 41.0 sq mi (106.3 km²) |
| - Land | 37.3 sq mi (96.5 km²) |
| - Water | 3.8 sq mi (9.7 km²) |
| Elevation | 427 ft (130 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 16,257 |
| - Density | 436.2/sq mi (168.4/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 14092 |
| Area code(s) | 716 |
| FIPS code | 36-42158 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979146 |
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Lewiston, NY is a village in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York.
The Village of Lewiston, NY (Yehęwakwáˀthaˀ[1] in Tuscarora) is within the Town of Lewiston. The Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park lies at its southern border.
Tourists and visitors flock to Lewiston, primarily in the summertime, to enjoy its many festivals, fine restaurants, Artpark, and to learn about its fascinating history. Thousands enjoy going on the Whirlpool Jet Boat ride, which shoots through the Niagara River Class 5 rapids and is considered one of the Top 5 adventure rides in North America.
Lewiston is situated on the Niagara River, just across the river from Canada, and is half way between the world famous Niagara Falls and historic Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York. It's about 10 minutes by car from Niagara Falls.
Visitors from Canada can take the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge across the Niagara River.
Popular summer festivals include the Outdoor Art Festival (the second weekend in August) and the Historic Lewiston Jazz Festival (the last weekend in August. The famous Kiwanis Peach Festival takes place during the second weekend of September. Several other festivals, such as the Harvest Fest, take place during the year and most are held on or near the Village's main street called Center Street (18F North.)
Lewiston is also renowned for its variety and number of restaurants which serve tens of thousands of appreciative visitors each year.
Lewiston has completed a multi-million upgrade of its business district which now has brick sidewalks and period lanterns. It's waterfront park is also being improved with more greenspace and additional parking. A new landmark hotel has just been opened near the waterfront.
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[edit] History
The Village of Lewiston (formerly known as The Landing) was the site of the first white settlement in Western New York in 1720, though French explorers had visited the area as early as 1615. Native American tribes inhabited the Lewiston area for many centuries. The village claims to be the "most historic square mile in America" and sits directly across the Niagara River from Canada.
Lewiston is historically significant for several reasons. It was the location of the American invasion of Canada in 1812, referred to as the Battle of Queenston Heights; a commemorative sign indicates the location where the American force embarked to cross the Niagara River. Subsequently, Lewiston was burned to the ground by the British in December 1813. The Village was incorporated in 1822.
Lewiston was the final stop on the Underground Railroad for thousands of escaping slaves from the South who sought freedom in Canada in the 1840s and 1850s. Lewiston is the setting for the book, Freedom Crossing, by Margaret Goff Clark, which has become required reading for thousands of grade schoolers across the United States as they become familiar with the Underground Railroad movement. The Historical Association of Lewiston has prepared a Freedom Crossing Study Guide and is proceeding with plans to construct a bronze monument commemorating Freedom Crossing at Lewiston's waterfront park. It is also said that the cocktail was invented in Lewiston by Catherine Hustler, who later became a character in the novel The Spy, by James Fenimore Cooper.
In close proximity [2] to the Village of Lewiston, the towns of Lewiston and Porter host a 710-acre hazardous chemical waste landfill, the only one left in the Northeastern United States [3]. The area is also home to nuclear burial grounds that hold tons of radioactive material left over from the Manhattan Project [4].
You can obtain a history and maps, including current photographs and a satellite view of Lewiston, New York, here: http://www.historiclewiston.org
The current mayor is Richard Soluri and the Chief of Police is Chris Salada.
The Town of Lewiston (Est. 1823), which includes the Village, has a population of more than 16,000 people, and the Town Supervisor is Fred Newlin.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (9.32%) is water.
Lewiston is a Niagara River community, north of Niagara Falls, New York. Across the river is the region of Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada. In fact, the formation of Niagara Falls began in Lewiston 12,000 years ago. Since then, the Falls has eroded seven miles south.
Western New York's historic Ridge Road begins in Lewiston. New York State Route 18F and New York State Route 18 have termini here, both at New York State Route 104, and the Robert Moses State Parkway runs along the edge of the village.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,781 people, 1,268 households, and 735 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,610.3 people per square mile (1,003.5/km²). There were 1,351 housing units at an average density of 487.5 persons/km² (1,268.1 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the village was 98.53% White, 0.11% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,268 households out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.79.
[edit] References
- ^ Rudes, B. Tuscarora English Dictionary Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999
- ^ MODERN CORPORATION - Model City - Directions
- ^ "A Toxic Waste Capital Looks to Spread It Around; Upstate Dump Is the Last in the Northeast", The New York Times, March 10, 2004
- ^ ibid.
[edit] External links
- Historic Lewiston, NY webpage
- Town and Village webpage
- Chamber of Commerce
- Artpark
- Calendar of Events
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