Wikipedia

Hamburg, New York

Hamburg(/ˈhæmbɜːrɡ/HAM-berg) is atowninErie County,New York,United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 60,085.[2]It is named after the city ofHamburg,Germany.[3]The town is on the western border of the county and is south ofBuffalo.Hamburg is one of theSouthtownsin Erie County. ThevillagesofHamburgandBlasdellare in the town. The town of Hamburg was founded in 1812 in Armor.

Hamburg
Town
Town of Hamburg
Motto(s):

The Town That Friendship Built
Location of Hamburg in Erie County and New York
Location of Hamburg inErie CountyandNew York
Hamburg is located in the United States
Hamburg
Hamburg
Location in the United States
Coordinates:42°44′40″N78°51′30″W/ 42.74444°N 78.85833°W/42.74444; -78.85833
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyErie
Incorporated1812;213 years ago(1812)
Named forHamburg, Germany
Government
• TypeTown board
• BodyHamburg Town Board
•Town SupervisorRandall Hoak (D)
Area
[1]
• Total
41.35 sq mi (107.10 km2)
• Land41.32 sq mi (107.03 km2)
• Water0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation
732 ft (223 m)
Population
(2020)
• Total
60,085Increase
• Density1,405.92/sq mi (542.83/km2)
DemonymHamburger
Time zoneUTC-5(EST)
• Summer (DST)UTC-4(EDT)
ZIP code
14075
Area code716
FIPS code36-029-31654
GNISfeature ID0952086
Websitetownofhamburgny.gov

History

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Vintage illustration ofWoodlawn Beachin 1896

Historical evidence shows the area was settled originally by theErie people.[4]Around 1805 the settlement was known as "Barkerville", named after Zenas Barker, the postmaster.[citation needed]The earliest settlers were Nathaniel Titus and Dr. Ruth Belden in 1804, and the first landowner in the area was John Cummings, who built the firstgrist millin 1806.[5]

The town of Hamburg was formed by government decree on March 20, 1812, from the (now defunct) town ofWillink.[5]The first town meeting took place on April 7, 1812, at Jacob Wright's tavern at Wright's Corners, which was renamed Abbott's Corners, and now Armor. One of the early noted activities of the town board that year was to place a $5 bounty on wolf hides, due to the complaints of the local settlers who were being bothered by them.

In 1815, mail routes were established. The earliest settlers in the area were fromNew England.Germansstarted arriving in the 1830s and set up many successful farms. On November 29, 1824, a meeting was held in Abbott's Corners at the home of early settler Seth Abbott. At a vote of those present, agreement was reached to form a library with the sum of $102.[6]

By 1850, the town was reduced by the formation of the towns ofEast HamburghandWest Seneca.[5]Around 1852, theErie Railroadwas built through the area. In 1868 theErie County Faircame to the town and has been there since that time. In 1875, the weekly publication of theErie County Independentbegan. This is now known asThe Sun.Telephone service in the area started in 1886.

Thevillage of Hamburgset itself off from the town in 1874 by incorporating as a village.

Starting in 1890 and to support the growing regional steel industry,PolishandItaliansbegan to arrive in the area.[7]

In 1897, a group of women known as the Nineteenth Century Club started a permanent free public library, known as the Hamburg Free Library. Until 1901 it was in various rented buildings. The Hamburg Free Library was moved into aCarnegie libraryon Center Street on November 8, 1915, where it remained until 1966 when the current library at 102 Buffalo Street opened.

In 1898, the community ofBlasdellset itself apart from the town by incorporating as a village.

Atrolley carsystem was established in the early 1900s.

TheKleis Site,containing the remnants of a 17th-centuryIroquoian villageandburial ground,was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1979.[8]

In July 2012, Main Street in the village of Hamburg from Lake Street to Buffalo Street was granted state approval for nomination as anational historic district.[9]

Geography

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Eighteen Mile Creek in Hamburg

According to theUnited States Census Bureau,41.4 square miles (107.1 km2), of which 41.3 square miles (107.0 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 0.07%, is water.[2]

Lake Erieforms the western border of the town, andEighteen Mile Creekforms the southern boundary.[10]

Climate

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Hamburg experiences acontinental climate(Köppen Dfb), heavily influenced bylake-effect snowfrom Lake Erie. It experienced a record 81.2 inches (206.25 centimeters) of snow November 16–18, 2022.


Demographics

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Evening view of Buffalo from Bayview Road in Hamburg.Steel WindsUrban Wind Farm can be seen in the distance.
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18202,034—
18303,34864.6%
18403,72711.3%
18505,21940.0%
18602,991−42.7%
18702,934−1.9%
18803,23410.2%
18903,80217.6%
19004,67322.9%
19106,05929.7%
19208,65642.9%
193013,05850.9%
194017,19031.6%
195025,06745.8%
196041,28864.7%
197047,64415.4%
198053,27011.8%
199053,7350.9%
200056,2594.7%
201056,9361.2%
202060,0855.5%
Historical Population Figures[11][12]

As of thecensus[13]of 2000, there were 56,259 people, 21,999 households, and 15,157 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,362.7 inhabitants per square mile (526.1/km2). There were 22,833 housing units at an average density of 553.1 per square mile (213.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.93%White,0.49%BlackorAfrican American,0.20%Native American,0.39%Asian,0.01%Pacific Islander,0.38% fromother races,and 0.60% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 1.56% of the population.

There were 21,999 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% weremarried couplesliving together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,888, and the median income for a family was $56,974. Males had a median income of $41,440 versus $27,602 for females. Theper capita incomefor the town was $21,943. About 3.2% of families and 4.5% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

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The economy in the town is supported by a wide variety of sectors, including logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, commerce and education. In Blasdell, theFord Motor Companyoperates astamping plantwith over one thousand employees.[14]Also along the waterfront is the Lake Erie Industrial Park, formed by the town's industrial development agency. This site includes the primaryFedEx Groundwarehouse for the Buffalo metropolitan area, employing 300 people,[15]and anAmazon, Inc.distribution center.[16][17]

Arts and culture

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TheErie County Fairhas operated in Hamburg since 1868. Currently, the fair takes place at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. The Fair is situated on a 275-acre (111 ha) plot of land near the village of Hamburg. The fair is produced by the Erie County Agricultural Society, and runs for twelve days in August. Since 1924, Strates Shows has operated the midway at the Fair. The Erie County fair is the third-largestcounty fairin the United States.[18]

It is claimed that the 1885 Erie County Fair, or "Hamburg Fair" is the place at which thehamburgersandwich was invented. According to the legend, Frank and Charles Menches were food vendors at the 1885 Erie County Fair, and created a sandwich of use of ground beef, coffee, brown sugar and other ingredients, and sold with ketchup and sliced onions. They named the successful sandwich after the fair they invented it at.[19]To this end, the annual Hamburg BurgerFest is held in Hamburg during the summer.[20]

Sports

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Sports teams in the town include the Frontier Falcons, representing Frontier Central High School, and the Hamburg Bulldogs, who represent Hamburg High School. The Red Raiders represent the St. Francis High School, a private, Franciscan/Catholic boys school. The Hawks represent Hilbert College, a private Franciscan/Catholic college in town. Hilbert has numerous NCAA division three sports teams including but not limited to basketball, football, women's hockey, soccer and lacrosse.

Parks and recreation

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TheSeaway Trail,aNational Scenic Byway,travels through Hamburg onNew York Route 5,along the Lake Erie shoreline.

Woodlawn Beach State Park,on the shore of Lake Erie, was opened as a state park in 1996,[21]and has been operated since 2011 by the town of Hamburg under a ten-year agreement with New York State.[22]

Government

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Hamburg Town Hall

Hamburg is governed by a four-member town board. The town supervisor is Randy Hoak. The town was founded in 1812[23]

Education

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Frontier Central High School

Early childhood education

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As of 2021,there were 10preschoolswithin the town, including 2 in the village of Blasdell.[24]

Primary and secondary schools

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The town of Hamburg is home to theFrontier Central School District,which is its primarypublicschool district.The district serves students living outside of thevillage of Hamburgalong the lake shore of the town, and is an independent public entity. Frontier was created in the 1950s, combining the Amsdell,Athol Springs,Big Tree,Blasdell,Lake View(Pinehurst), Shaleton,Wanakah(Cloverbank), andWoodlawnschool districts dating to the 19th century. The district's offices are located at the Frontier Educational Center inWanakah.The district serves over 4,500 students with itsBig Tree,Blasdell,Cloverbank,andPinehurstelementary schools,Frontier Middle School,andFrontier High School.In 2009, Big Tree Elementary School was recognized as aBlue Ribbon School.In 2020,Buffalo Business Firstranked Frontier as the fifteenth-best performing school district in theWestern New Yorkregion.[25]Other districts serve Hamburg along the town's boundaries, including theHamburg (village),West SenecaandOrchard Parkcentral school districts.

The Hamburg Central School District mainly serves students living within the village of Hamburg, but also serves students living in areas adjacent to it. Both Frontier and Hamburg Central are members of the Erie 1Board of Cooperative Educational Servicessystem. TheHamburg,West SenecaandOrchard Parkcentral school districts serve the village and small portions of the town.

Higher education

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Hilbert Collegeis in Hamburg, north of the village of Hamburg.

Media

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The town's weekly newspaper is theHamburg Sun.

Infrastructure

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TheNew York State Thruway(Interstate 90),U.S. Route 62,US 20,andNY Route 5pass through the town.NY 75runs through the village of Hamburg, temporarilyconcurrentwith Route 62.U.S. 20Adiverges from US 20 north of the village of Hamburg as both routes proceed east.

Five bus lines operated by theNiagara Frontier Transportation Authority(NFTA)[26]serve the town. Apark and ridefacility is between NY 5 and NY 75 near Athol Springs.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files".United States Census Bureau.Archivedfrom the original on August 24, 2017.RetrievedJuly 4,2017.
  2. ^ab"Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hamburg town, Erie County, New York".U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.RetrievedMarch 1,2016.[dead link‍]
  3. ^Gannett, Henry (1905).The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States.Govt. Print. Off. p. 147.Archivedfrom the original on May 25, 2017.RetrievedOctober 15,2016.
  4. ^"Town of Hamburg - History".Archived fromthe originalon May 3, 2004.
  5. ^abcFrench, John Homer (1860).Gazetteer of the State of New York: Embracing a Comprehensive View of the Geography, Geology, and General History of the State, and a Complete History and Description of Every County, City, Town, Village and Locality: With Full Table of Statistics.R. Pearsall Smith. p. 291.
  6. ^"A History of the Hamburg Public Library".Archived fromthe originalon February 6, 2012.
  7. ^"History of Hamburg, NY".History.rays-place.com.RetrievedFebruary 25,2016.
  8. ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.July 9, 2010.
  9. ^Colmerauer, Catherine (July 19, 2012)."Hamburg's Main Street nominated to become national historic district".The Sun.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2015.RetrievedDecember 11,2015.
  10. ^"Western New York Outdoors".Archived fromthe originalon May 27, 2006.RetrievedMay 14,2006.
  11. ^"Fourteenth census of the United States, 1920, 1910, 1900" Department of Commerce and Labor. (1921), page 532. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  12. ^"Census of Population: Number of inhabitants, 1950, 1940, 1930" Department of Commerce and Labor. (1952), page 32-13. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  13. ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.Archivedfrom the original on December 27, 1996.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
  14. ^Hamburg Industrial Development Agency (December 20, 2016)."Hamburg IDA Minutes, 12-20-16".pp.4–5.RetrievedMay 11,2021.
  15. ^Fink, James (February 15, 2019)."FedEx delivers nearly 300 workers to Hamburg center".Buffalo Business First.RetrievedMay 11,2021.
  16. ^McNeil, Harold (February 16, 2021)."Hamburg IDA approves $6.85M in tax incentives for proposed Amazon facility".The Buffalo News.RetrievedMay 11,2021.
  17. ^"Amazon center opens in Hamburg after meeting requirements".wgrz.com.October 31, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 10,2025.
  18. ^"Erie County Fair:: About the Fair".Erie County Fair.Archivedfrom the original on May 18, 2015.RetrievedMay 15,2015.
  19. ^"Erie County Fair:: Birth of the Hamburger".Ecfair.org.RetrievedJanuary 28,2018.
  20. ^"Hamburg BurgerFest".Hamburg BurgerFest.RetrievedJanuary 10,2025.
  21. ^"Governor Pataki Announces State Purchase of Woodlawn Beach".State.ny.us.May 8, 1996. Archived fromthe originalon December 18, 2004.RetrievedDecember 11,2015.
  22. ^O'Brien, Barbara (May 28, 2012)."Sun, sand and 'success'".The Buffalo News.Archived fromthe originalon May 30, 2012.RetrievedDecember 11,2015.
  23. ^"Town Board".Town of Hamburg.RetrievedAugust 4,2022.
  24. ^"Search for Child Care | Division of Child Care Services | OCFS".ocfs.ny.gov.RetrievedMay 17,2021.
  25. ^Thomas, G. Scott (June 8, 2020)."2020 academic rankings of Western New York school districts".Buffalo Business First.American City Business Journals.Archivedfrom the original on January 27, 2021.RetrievedMay 14,2021.
  26. ^"NFTA Metro, Erie County: Hamburg"(PDF).Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.Archived(PDF)from the original on June 16, 2015.RetrievedMay 15,2015.
  27. ^"1920 United States Federal Census, Entry for Brendan A. Burns Family".Ancestry.com.Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. January 3, 1920.RetrievedNovember 4,2023.
  28. ^"State's Armed Forces Stage Review in Honor of Retiring Commander of New York National Guard".Buffalo Evening News Magazine.Buffalo, NY. February 16, 1957. p. 12 – viaNewspapers.com.
  29. ^Barone, Michael;Ujifusa, Grant (1987).The Almanac of American Politics 1988.p. 895.
  30. ^"10 minutes with: Tommy Z - Gusto".Buffalo.com.RetrievedFebruary 25,2016.

Further reading

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Library resourcesabout
Town of Hamburg
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