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50-669: Amherst State Park is an 80-acre (0.32 km) park in Erie County , New York , United States. The park is located northeast of Buffalo , partially in the Village of Williamsville with the balance located in the Town of Amherst . The park is managed by the Town of Amherst under an agreement with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . The property that now hosts

100-646: A defined school district, with some undefined land and some undefined water. Erie County is home to three professional teams—the NFL 's Buffalo Bills , the NHL 's Buffalo Sabres and the NLL 's Buffalo Bandits , along with Division I 's Buffalo Bulls and MILB's Buffalo Bisons . The city of Buffalo also features the Buffalo Zoo , The Buffalo History Museum , Burchfield-Penney Art Center and Albright-Knox Art Gallery (all located within

150-438: A female householder with no husband present and 36.1% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% older than 65. The median age

200-493: A leash at all times. The main access point is at 400 Mill Street in Williamsville. This article about a location in Erie County, New York is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Erie County, New York 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

250-518: A mile of each other in the Delaware Park System ), Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and Buffalo Museum of Science , in addition to tourist districts such as Canalside and Larkinville . The Erie County Fair , held every August in the Town of Hamburg from 1820 to 2019 (the 2020 event, like much everything else across the country, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic ), is one of

300-664: A pioneer between 1787 and 1795. See also Geneva (town), New York . Land-hungry settlers from New England swept into upstate and western New York after the Revolution, as nearly five million acres of new lands were available for purchase since the Iroquois were forced to cede most of their territories to the United States. Four tribes had allied with the British and were mostly resettled in Canada:

350-614: A portion of Seneca County was combined with a portion of Ontario County to create Wayne County . The same year, a portion of Steuben County was combined with a portion of Ontario County to create Yates County . This frontier area was part of the evangelistic activities during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century, when Baptist , Methodist and Congregational preachers traveled and organized revivals and camp meetings. In addition, independent sects developed in central and western New York during this period, including

400-589: Is known as the Northtowns and is relatively flat and rises gently up from the lake. The southern half, known as the Southtowns, is much hillier. It has the northwesternmost foothills of the Appalachian Mountains . The highest elevation in the county is a hill in the Town of Sardinia that tops out at around 1,940 feet (590 m) above sea level. The lowest ground is about 560 feet (170 m), on Grand Island at

450-633: Is similar in its politics to much of the rest of rural upstate New York ; its voters have tended to support Republican presidential candidates ever since that party was formed, and before that they supported the Whig Party . However, beginning in the 1990s, the Democratic Party began to improve its performance in Ontario County thanks to the growth of Rochester's outer suburbs in areas such as Victor and Farmington . In 1996, Ontario County voted for

500-468: The Board-Administrator system, hiring a professional County Administrator. The Board of Supervisors has twenty-one members: one is elected from each Town, two from the city of Canandaigua and three from the city of Geneva . As of 2004, the county government has over 800 full-time employees (augmented by another 360 seasonal or available part-time workers), and a budget of $ 136 million. The county

550-766: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , the Shakers and the Universal Friends . Joseph Smith , founder of the Latter Day Saint movement , lived in Manchester in the 1820s on the border with Palmyra . Several events in the early history of the movement occurred in Ontario County. Hill Cumorah in Manchester is where Smith said he discovered the Golden plates said to contain

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600-425: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,227 square miles (3,180 km ), of which 1,043 square miles (2,700 km ) (85%) is land and 184 square miles (480 km ) (15%) is water. Erie County is in the western portion of upstate New York, bordering on the lake of the same name. Part of the industrial area that has included Buffalo, it is the most populous county in upstate New York outside of

650-507: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 663 square miles (1,720 km ), of which 644 square miles (1,670 km ) is land and 18 square miles (47 km ) (2.8%) is water. Ontario County is in western New York State, east of Buffalo , southeast of Rochester , and northwest of Ithaca . The county is within the Finger Lakes Region of the state. The county is governed by an elected Board of Supervisors , and uses

700-570: The U.S. State of New York . As of the 2020 census , the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua . The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state. Ontario County is part of the Rochester , NY Metropolitan Statistical Area . In 2006, Progressive Farmer rated Ontario County as the "Best Place to Live" in the U.S., for its "great schools, low crime, excellent health care" and its proximity to Rochester . This area

750-634: The United States had gained independence with the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783. The U.S. forced the Iroquois to cede most of their lands, as many had been allies of the British during the conflict. About 1800, the Holland Land Company , formed by American businessmen and their Dutch associates, extinguished aboriginal claims by purchasing the land from New York, acquired

800-586: The Works Progress Administration movement in the 1930s. Waterfront parks include the significant scenic sites and recreational trail systems along the county's Lake Erie shoreline. These largely-undeveloped parks are managed primarily for conservation of the natural environment and passive nature-based outdoor recreation activities. These lands are intended to generally remain in a natural state. Special purpose parks have unique characteristics that provide specific recreational functions within

850-498: The poverty line , including 17.3% of those under 18 and 7.8% of those older than 65. Prior to 1936, Erie County predominantly backed Republican Party candidates, with only four Democratic Party candidates winning the county in a presidential election - James Buchanan in 1856, George B. McClellan in 1864, Grover Cleveland in 1892 and Woodrow Wilson in 1912. However, starting with the 1936 election, it has turned predominantly Democratic since then, with only two Republicans carrying

900-484: The Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1964 and only the second time since the Whig Party contested its first presidential election in 1836 . In 2008, John McCain narrowly edged a victory over Barack Obama by less than one percent, and in 2012 Obama narrowly lost the county to Republican nominee Mitt Romney by a margin of 1.5 percent. In 2016, Republican nominee Donald Trump of New York City won

950-499: The Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca and Cayuga. Transfer of what is now Ontario County to New York formally took effect in 1789, when native title was extinguished, and the county was formally established to govern the lands of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase the year prior. The territory first organized as Ontario County was much larger than at present and ran south from the shore of Lake Ontario . As

1000-596: The New York City metropolitan area. The county also lies on the international border between the United States and Canada, bordering the Province of Ontario . The northern border of the county is Tonawanda Creek. Part of the southern border is Cattaraugus Creek. Other major streams include Buffalo Creek ( Buffalo River ), Cayuga Creek , Cazenovia Creek , Scajaquada Creek , Eighteen Mile Creek and Ellicott Creek . The county's northern half, including Buffalo and its suburbs,

1050-592: The Niagara River. The Onondaga Escarpment runs through the northern part of Erie County. As of the 2020 , there were 954,236 people living in the county. The population density was 915 inhabitants per square mile (353/km ). There were 438,747 housing units at an average density of 421 per square mile (163/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 72.6% White , 14.1% Black or African American , 0.6% Native American , 4.9% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 2.3% from other races and 5.4% from two or more races. 6.3% of

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1100-565: The Pacific Ocean. On July 3, 1766 Cumberland County was organized, and on March 16, 1770 Gloucester County was founded, both containing territory now included in the state of Vermont. The English claims were their assertion; the Five and then Six Nations of the Iroquois occupied and controlled most of the territory in central and western New York until after the Revolutionary War. As New York

1150-607: The Town of Lancaster voted 85–40 to secede from the Union. Town Line never sought admission into the Confederate States of America and there is no evidence that men from the community ever fought for the Confederacy. Some reporting from that time indicates the vote was a joke. On January 24, 1946, as part of a nationally reported event, Town Line voted to officially return to the Union after 85 years of Union secession. According to

1200-426: The age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under

1250-465: The age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 44,579, and the median income for a family was $ 52,698. Males had a median income of $ 36,732 versus $ 26,139 for females. The per capita income for

1300-406: The area was settled, new counties were organized. The following counties were rapidly organized from this territory in the first decades after the war: Allegany , Cattaraugus , Chautauqua , Erie , Genesee , Livingston , Monroe , Niagara , Orleans , Steuben , Wyoming , and Yates counties, and parts of Schuyler and Wayne counties. In 1796, Ontario County was divided and Steuben County

1350-476: The county by 7.3 percent over Democratic nominee and former United States Secretary of State / former Senator from New York Hillary Clinton of Chappaqua, New York . In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden came incredibly close, losing the county to Trump by just 33 votes. Ontario County is part of: According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, Ontario County ranked fourth in New York for acres of berries grown. Farmers in

1400-687: The county in a presidential election-- Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956 and Richard Nixon in 1972, with Nixon being the most recent. In 2016, like many other counties in the Rust Belt , Donald Trump expanded the Republican vote share thanks to his appeal to working-class whites and Ethnic-Catholic voters, keeping the margin in single digits for the first time since 1984. Four years later, in 2020, Joe Biden won 267,270 votes in Erie County, more than Barack Obama in 2008. Biden's margin of victory, however,

1450-412: The county reported berries grown on 220 acres that year. As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 inhabitants per square mile (60/km ). There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 units per square mile (25/km ). According to respondents' self-identification, the racial makeup of

1500-557: The county was 95.04% White , 2.06% African American , 0.22% Native American , 0.69% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.70% from other races , and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.14% of the population. Based on self-identification, 17.9% were of German , 14.9% Irish , 14.8% English , 13.8% Italian , 7.3% American and 5.1% Dutch ancestry according to Census 2000 . 95.6% spoke English and 2.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 38,370 households, out of which 32.80% had children under

1550-588: The county's park system. Forest management areas are managed by the Erie County Bureau of Forestry, which was established in 1927. These areas include several thousand acres of mostly- coniferous plantation style forest, much of which was planted on abandoned farmland by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. These areas are located mostly in the rural southern portion of the county. These lands have limited recreation potential, mostly in

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1600-565: 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. Erie County, along with its northern neighbor Niagara County , makes up the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area ,

1650-444: The county, including heritage parks, waterfront parks, conservation parks, special purpose parks and forest management areas. Erie County's heritage parks include the five original county parks that were established during the 1920s and 1930s. These parks are examples of multiple-use sites with significant scenic, natural and historic features. Each park has unique man-made structures of historical character, many constructed as part of

1700-403: The form of trails. Management of these lands is focused on natural resource conservation, in addition to potential commercial resource extraction of timber products or maple syrup . † - County Seat ‡ - Not Wholly in this County 42°45′N 78°47′W  /  42.75°N 78.78°W  / 42.75; -78.78 Ontario County, New York Ontario County is a county in

1750-513: The largest county fairs in the United States. The Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry was established in 1925 with four parks spanning 2,280 acres (9.2 km ). As of 2003, the county managed 38 properties, totaling approximately 11,000 acres (45 km ) of land. Management objectives include providing and maintaining recreational space and the conservation of the county's natural and historic resources. A 2003 Master Plan identified several broad categories of parks operated by

1800-620: The park was formerly part of the St. Mary of the Angels Convent, operated by the Sisters of St. Francis at that location since 1923. The convent was put up for sale in 1999. The property was acquired by the Town of Amherst and New York State in January 2000, after both entities evenly split the $ 5 million price to purchase the former convent and surrounding area. New York State owns 77 acres (0.31 km) of

1850-421: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.6% were of German , 17.2% Polish , 14.9% Italian , 11.7% Irish and 5.0% English ancestry according to Census 2000 . 91.1% spoke English , 3% Spanish and 1.6% Polish as their first language. There were 380,873 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 13.7% had

1900-471: The property while the Town of Amherst owns the remaining three acres (1.2 ha) of the park's lands. Under an agreement with the state, the town is responsible for managing the property for the purpose of conservation and to make space available for passive recreation. The convent's former motherhouse complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It was approved for sale by

1950-733: The second largest in the State of New York behind New York City . The county's southern part is known as the Southtowns . The county has seen one of the highest growth rates of any county in the State of New York from the 2010 to 2020 census. When counties were established by the English colonial authorities in the Province of New York in 1683, present-day Erie County was inhabited by the Iroquois . Significant colonization by White Americans did not begin until after

2000-525: The title to the territory of what are today the eight westernmost counties of New York, surveyed their holdings, established towns and began selling lots to individuals. The state was eager to attract settlers and have homesteads and businesses developed. At this time, all of western New York was included in Ontario County . As the population increased, the state legislature created Genesee County in 1802 out of part of Ontario County. In 1808, Niagara County

2050-461: The town in November 2002, with the intent to allow development of a 102-unit senior housing facility, and is not included in the park. The facility opened in 2004. The area was formerly called "Williamsville Glen". Amherst State Park is located adjacent to Ellicott Creek , and features nature trails and biking trails that are open to the general public. Dogs are permitted, however they must be kept on

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2100-634: The writings later known as the Book of Mormon . Smith visited the hill each year on the fall equinox (September 22) between 1823 and 1827, and claimed to be instructed by the Angel Moroni . Smith said he was finally permitted to take the record on September 22, 1827. He published the Book of Mormon in Palmyra in 1830. The 110-foot (34 m) hill (which was then unnamed) is on the main road toward Canandaigua from Palmyra to Manchester (modern State Route 21 ); it

2150-410: Was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 38,567 and the median income for a family was $ 49,490. Males had a median income of $ 38,703 versus $ 26,510 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 20,357. About 9.2% of families and 12.2% of the population were below

2200-613: Was a few miles from Joseph Smith's home. Since the 1930s the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has held the Hill Cumorah Pageant annually here. It regularly attracts thousands to its performances. The church also maintains a visitors' center at the hill, the Palmyra New York Temple , and the former Smith property and homes. The latter property straddles the border between Ontario and Wayne counties. According to

2250-416: Was created out of Genesee County. In 1821, Erie County was created out of Niagara County, encompassing all the land between Tonawanda Creek and Cattaraugus Creek . The first towns formed in present-day Erie County were the Town of Clarence and the Town of Willink . Clarence and Willink comprised the northern and southern portions of Erie county, respectively. Clarence is still a distinct town, but Willink

2300-742: Was long controlled by the Seneca people , one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or Haudenosaunee . They were forced to cede most of their land to the United States after the American Revolutionary War. When the English established counties in New York Province in 1683, they designated Albany County as including all the northern part of New York State, the present State of Vermont , and, in theory, extending westward to

2350-549: Was more heavily settled in the 18th century, the colonial government organized additional counties, but European settlement did not proceed very far west past Little Falls, New York , about halfway through the Mohawk Valley, until after the revolutionary war. This area was ostensibly part of Montgomery County, renamed after the war for an American officer. Seth Read , a Colonel in the Battle of Bunker Hill , moved here with his family as

2400-434: Was organized. In 1802, Ontario County was reduced when Genesee County was split off. The new county was originally very large, including the present Allegany , Cattaraugus , Chautauqua , Erie , Niagara , Orleans and Wyoming Counties and parts of Livingston and Monroe counties. In 1821, portions of Genesee County were combined with portions of Ontario County to create Livingston and Monroe counties. In 1823,

2450-401: Was quickly subdivided into other towns. When Erie County was established in 1821, it consisted of the towns of Amherst, Aurora, Boston, Clarence, Collins, Concord, Eden, Evans, Hamburg, Holland, Sardinia and Wales. The county has a number of houses and other properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Erie County, New York . In 1861, the hamlet of Town Line in

2500-401: Was smaller than Obama's 2008 victory within the county and Trump's margin, though declining, was still higher than any Republican since 1988 (aside from his 2016 margin). As of 2024, there are 7 Democrats, 3 Republicans, and 1 Conservative in the county legislature. School districts include: "Special act" school districts As of the 2010 U.S. Census some parts of this county were not in

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