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92-436: Like other growing towns and cities, Batavia needed access to affordable and reliable commercial transportation services. The Erie Canal provided a solution for most of upstate New York, but it did not reach Batavia. Instead, canal designers selected Eighteen Mile Creek as the area to scale the formidable Niagara Escarpment . The Tonawanda's two wood-burning locomotives were delivered to the area by canal boat, five years after

184-479: A bypass around Rochester. The Terminal Railway 's Gardenville Cutoff, allowing through traffic to bypass Buffalo to the southeast, opened in 1898. The Schenectady Detour consisted of two connections to the West Shore Railroad, allowing through trains to bypass downtown Schenectady. The full project opened in 1902. The Cleveland Short Line Railway built a bypass of Cleveland, Ohio, completed in 1912. In 1924,

276-640: A competitor since 1883 with trackage along the west shore of the Hudson River and on to Buffalo closely paralleling the NYC, was taken over by the NYC as the West Shore Railroad and developed passenger, freight, and car float operations at Weehawken Terminal . The NYC assumed control of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie and Boston and Albany Railroads in 1887 and 1900, respectively, with both roads remaining as independently-operating subsidiaries. William H. Newman, president of

368-587: A large difference in the health outcomes of the people in these neighborhoods, including increased asthma rates in children of color compared to their white counterparts, and many other adverse effects. Attica and Buffalo Railroad The New York Central Railroad ( reporting mark NYC ) was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in

460-421: A major street named after him (Ellicott Street) as well as a minor one (Ellicott Avenue), and a large monument in the heart of the city. Batavia was incorporated as a village in 1823. The present counties of western New York were all laid-out from the original Genesee County; the modern Genesee County is but one of many. However, the entire area, as a region, is still referred to as Genesee Country . Thus, Batavia

552-419: A multitude of negative health effects in residents surrounding these facilities. Among this list, nickel compounds have been found to be associated with cancer, hematological, immunological, and respiratory complications, manganese has been linked to neurological complications, and lead has been linked to cancer, cardiovascular, developmental, hematological, neurological, renal, and reproductive complications. This

644-559: A network of commuter lines in New York and Massachusetts. Westchester County, New York had the railroad's Hudson, Harlem, and Putnam lines into Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan (Putnam Division trains required a change at High Bridge, New York), while New Jersey and Rockland County, New York were serviced by the West Shore Line between Weehawken and Kingston, New York, on the west side of

736-486: A possibility of harm and contamination. These companies include the following: In total, these companies accounted for 29,724 pounds of the 53,610 pounds of contaminants released in Batavia in 2020, totaling 55.44% of the year's chemical releases. The top 5 contaminants by weight that caused an elevated RSEI score in 2020 are as follows: If consumed in toxic amounts, either rapidly or slowly over time, these chemicals can cause

828-411: A raid and ended up marrying her Seneca captor, was an able negotiator for the tribe and helped win them more favorable terms. For the negotiations, Horatio Jones was the translator, and William Wadsworth provided his unfinished home. The land was then surveyed under the supervision of Joseph Ellicott, a monumental task and the biggest land survey ever attempted to that time. Ellicott, as agent for

920-570: A southern extension opened to the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad and the line was leased to the railroad. The Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad was chartered in 1851. The first stage opened in 1853 from Canandaigua on the Auburn Road west to Batavia on the main line. A continuation west to North Tonawanda opened later that year and, in 1854, a section opened in Niagara Falls connecting it to

1012-474: A through route to Erie, Pennsylvania . The Rochester and Lake Ontario Railroad was organized in 1852 and opened in fall 1853; it was leased to the Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad , which became part of New York Central Railroad, before opening. In 1855, it was merged into the railroad, providing a branch from Rochester north to Charlotte on Lake Ontario . The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad

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1104-545: A total of 53,610 pounds was released on land, or into the air and water of the surrounding areas without being managed properly. These oversights in waste management can cause toxic chemicals to leech into the surrounding environment and become toxic to the individuals living there. Of these facilities, 4 are indicated by the EPA to release chemicals that could pose a threat to people in the surrounding communities. The risk indication comes from an RSEI score higher than zero, which signifies

1196-576: Is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York , United States. It is located near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia , which is a separate municipality . Batavia's population, as of the 2020 census, was 15,600. It is considered to be part of the Rochester–Batavia–Seneca Falls combined statistical area . The name Batavia is Latin for the Betuwe region of

1288-709: Is also where the New York State School for the Blind , a New York State-operated K-12 school, and the main campus of Genesee Community College is located. In Batavia, there are multiple companies ranging from food products to manufacturing that release toxic chemicals on a regular basis. The following data comes from the United States Environmental Protection Agency ’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) database. In 2020, these facilities were responsible for 1,522,366 pounds of waste. Of this number,

1380-441: Is just a short list of all of the possible risks of exposure so independent research is recommended. It is important to note, however, that the very presence of these compounds in released materials does not directly correlate with human ingestion, and that there are many safety measures in place to ensure that this is the case. Each facility listed above is located inside or on the outer boundary of residential areas. In these areas,

1472-426: Is water. The city also sits directly along the 43rd parallel north . New York State Route 5 (east-west) intersects state routes 33 , 63 and 98 in the city. The New York State Thruway ( Interstate 90 ) is immediately north of Batavia. This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to

1564-663: The Dewitt Clinton running on its tracks. It would later change its name to the Albany and Schenectady (A&S) on April 19, 1847. Until the 1840s, it used an inclined planes at either end of the line to pull passenger cars up and down A&S' steep hills. As locomotive technology progressed, the mainline was extended to the Mohawk River in downtown Schenectady and the Hudson River waterfront in Albany. The Utica and Schenectady Railroad

1656-601: The Alfred H. Smith Memorial Bridge was constructed as part of the Hudson River Connecting Railroad's Castleton Cut-Off, a 27.5-mile-long freight bypass of the congested West Albany terminal area and West Albany Hill. An unrelated realignment was made in the 1910s at Rome, when the Erie Canal was realigned and widened onto a new alignment south of downtown Rome. The NYC main line was shifted south out of downtown to

1748-885: The Attica and Buffalo Railroad merged to form the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad . That railroad was one of ten that merged on 17 May 1853 to form the New York Central Railroad . This Tonawanda was not related to the similarly named Tonawanda Valley Railroad, the Tonawanda Valley Extension Railroad, or the Tonawanda Valley and Cuba Railroad, all three of which were merged into the new Tonawanda Valley and Cuba Railroad in 1881. It went bankrupt three years later, after having built sections of its route over unstable quicksand. Batavia, New York Batavia

1840-454: The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad , opened in 1837, for the rest of the way to Buffalo. The Mohawk Valley Railroad was chartered on January 21, 1851, and reorganized on December 28, 1852, to build a railroad on the south side of the Mohawk River from Schenectady to Utica, next to the Erie Canal and opposite the Utica and Schenectady. The company didn't build a line before it was absorbed, though

1932-467: The Köppen climate classification system, Batavia has a humid continental climate , abbreviated "Dfa" or "Dfb" on climate maps. As of the census of 2010 , there were 15,465 people, 6,644 households, and 3,710 families residing in the city. The city's racial demographic changed slightly from 2000 to 2010. As of the census of 2000 , there were 16,256 people, 6,457 households, and 3,867 families residing in

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2024-789: The Miami Marlins ; in 2008, they won the New York Penn League Championship. The city's UN/LOCODE is USBIA. The current City of Batavia was an early settlement in what is today called Genesee Country , the farthest western region of New York State, comprising the Genesee Valley and westward to the Niagara River , Lake Erie , and the Pennsylvania line. The tract purchased in western New York (the Holland Purchase)

2116-712: The Netherlands , and honors early Dutch land developers. In 2006, a national magazine, Site Selection , ranked Batavia third among the nation's micropolitans , based on economic development. The New York State Thruway ( Interstate 90 ) passes north of the city. Genesee County Airport (GVQ) is also north of the city. The city hosts the Batavia Muckdogs baseball team, of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League , at Dwyer Stadium , (299 Bank Street). The Muckdogs, formerly, were an affiliate of

2208-529: The Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge . New York Central Railroad bought the company at bankruptcy in 1858 and reorganized it as the Niagara Bridge and Canandaigua Railroad, merging it into itself in 1890. The Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad was chartered in 1864 and opened in 1866 as a branch of the railroad from Athens Junction, southeast of Schenectady, southeast and south to Athens on

2300-600: The Theo Muller Group . On December 10, 2015, the closure of the yogurt plant was announced with the additional news that the facility would be sold to the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 5.2 square miles (13.6 km ), of which 5.2 square miles (13.4 km ) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km ) (1.14%)

2392-512: The 1950s that began to deprive NYC of its long-distance passenger trade. The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 helped create a network of government subsidized highways for motor vehicle travel throughout the country, enticing more people to travel by car, as well as haul freight by truck. The 1959 opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway also adversely affected NYC freight business: container shipments could now be directly shipped to ports along

2484-506: The Boston and Albany. This influenced a great deal about the line, from advertising to locomotive design, built around its flagship New York-Chicago Water Level Route. A number of bypasses and cutoffs were built around congested areas. The Junction Railroad's Buffalo Belt Line opened in 1871, providing a bypass of Buffalo to the northeast as well as a loop route for passenger trains via downtown. The West Shore Railroad, acquired in 1885, provided

2576-565: The Great Lakes, eliminating the railroads' freight hauls between the east and the Midwest. The NYC also carried a substantial tax burden from governments that saw rail infrastructure as a source of property tax revenues – taxes that were not imposed upon interstate highways. To make matters worse, most railroads, including the NYC, were saddled with a World War II-era tax of 15% on passenger fares, which remained until 1962: 17 years after

2668-749: The Holland Land Company. Batavia, New York, was named by Busti in honor of the Batavian Republic (1795–1806), a republican government of the Netherlands and home of the investors of the Holland Land Company. One of the provisions of the sale was that Morris needed to settle the Indian title to the land, so he arranged for his son, Thomas Morris , to negotiate with the Iroquois at Geneseo, New York , in 1797. About 3,000 Iroquois, mostly Senecas , arrived for

2760-607: The Hudson River. The New York Central, like many U.S. railroads, declined after the Second World War. Problems resurfaced that had plagued the railroad industry before the war, such as over-regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), which severely regulated the rates charged by the railroad, along with continuing competition from automobiles and trucks. These problems were coupled with even more-formidable forms of competition, such as airline service in

2852-1020: The Indianapolis and St. Louis Railway. The following year, the company gained control of the former Indiana Bloomington and Western Railway . By 1906, the Big Four was itself acquired by the New York Central Railroad. It operated independently until 1930; it was then referred to as the Big Four Route. In 1930, New York Central Railroad acquired a 99-year lease of both Michigan Central and the ''Big Four'' (Cleveland, Chicago Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad). The back shops at West Albany, New York were unable to keep up with repairs to rolling stock, so additional shops were established east of Buffalo at Depew (1892), Croton-on-Hudson (Harmon Shops, 1907), and Oak Grove, Pennsylvania (Avis Shops, 1902). The Harmon Shops were particularly important as locomotive power

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2944-532: The NYC merged with its former rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad , to form Penn Central . Penn Central went into bankruptcy in 1970 and, with extensive Federal government support, emerged as Conrail in 1976. In 1999, Conrail was broken-up, and portions of its system were transferred to CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), with CSX acquiring most of the NYC's eastern trackage and NS acquiring most of NYC's western trackage. Extensive trackage existed in

3036-693: The New York Central Lines. In the summer of 1935, the identification was changed to the New York Central System, that name being kept until the merger with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968. The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway , also known as the Big Four, was formed on June 30, 1889, by the merger of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway , the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway and

3128-450: The New York Central Railroad were optimized for speed on that flat raceway of a main line, rather than slow mountain lugging. Famous locomotives of the system included the well-known 4-6-4 Hudsons , particularly the 1937–38 J-3a's; 4-8-2 World War II–era 1940 L-3 and 1942 L-4 Mohawks ; and the 1945–46 S-class Niagaras : fast 4-8-4 locomotives often considered the epitome of their breed by steam locomotive aficionados ( railfans ). For

3220-462: The New York Central lines, resigned in 1909. Newman had been president since 1901, when he replaced Samuel R. Callaway (who had replaced Depew as president in 1898). In 1914, the operations of eleven subsidiaries were merged with the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, re-forming the New York Central Railroad. From the beginning of the merger, the railroad was publicly referred to as

3312-436: The New York Central's primary back shops until the end of steam in 1957. The Troy and Greenbush Railroad was chartered in 1845 and opened later that year, connecting Troy south to Greenbush (now Rensselaer ) on the east side of the Hudson River. The Hudson River Railroad was chartered on May 12, 1846, to extend this line south to New York City; the full line opened on October 3, 1851. Prior to completion, on June 1, it leased

3404-624: The Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad, and an extension east to Rochester opened on July 1, 1852. The railroad was consolidated into the New York Central Railroad under the act of 1853. A portion of the line is currently operated as the Falls Road Railroad . The Buffalo and Lockport Railroad was chartered on April 27, 1852, to build a branch of the Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls from Lockport towards Buffalo. It opened in 1854, running from Lockport to Tonawanda , where it joined

3496-642: The Tonawanda Railroad and Attica and Buffalo Railroad merged to form the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad . A new direct line opened from Buffalo east to Batavia on April 26, 1852, and the old line between Depew (east of Buffalo) and Attica was sold to the Buffalo and New York City Railroad on November 1. The line was added to the New York and Erie Railroad system and converted to the Erie's 6 ft ( 1,829 mm ) broad gauge . The Schenectady and Troy Railroad

3588-623: The Tonawanda railroad $ 100,000 with which to go on with the construction. At Attica the road connected with the Attica & Buffalo Railroad, which had been chartered by the Legislature May 13th, 1836. These roads were completed, and opening of a through line from Rochester to Buffalo via Batavia and Attica was celebrated January 5th, 1843. April 9th, 1850, the Tonawanda Railroad and the Attica and Buffalo Railroad were authorized to consolidate and change

3680-600: The Troy and Greenbush. Cornelius Vanderbilt obtained control of the Hudson River Railroad in 1864, soon after he bought the parallel New York and Harlem Railroad . Along the line of the Hudson River Railroad, the West Side Line was built in 1934 in the borough of Manhattan as an elevated bypass of then-abandoned street running trackage on Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. The elevated section has since been abandoned, and

3772-549: The US, or abroad, and according to U.S. Census data there has been a gradual but consistent decline in the city's population from 1960 forward. The construction of the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility , a federal immigration detention center next to the airport has provided more jobs in the area, as well as expansion of the airport, including lengthening the runway to accommodate larger aircraft in 2005. Inmates at

Tonawanda Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue

3864-581: The Water Level Route, could complete the 960.7-mile trip in 16 hours after its June 15, 1938 streamlining (and did it in 15 1 ⁄ 2 hours for a short period after World War II). Also famous were the NYC's Empire State Express , which traveled from New York City through upstate New York to Buffalo and Cleveland, and the Ohio State Limited , which ran between New York City and Cincinnati. At various times, beginning in 1946 and continuing into

3956-571: The West Shore Railroad was later built on that location. The Syracuse and Utica Direct Railroad was chartered in 1853 to rival the Syracuse and Utica Railroad by building a more direct route, reducing travel time by a half-hour. The company was merged before any line could be built. Albany industrialist and Mohawk Valley Railroad owner Erastus Corning managed to unite the above railroads together into one system, and on March 17, 1853, executives and stockholders of each company agreed to merge. The merger

4048-404: The average family size was 3.01. 23.4% of the city's population were under the age of 18, 8.7% were from age 18 to 24, 29.0% were from age 25 to 44, 20.2% were from age 45 to 64, and 18.6% were age 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males. The city's median household income was $ 33,484, and

4140-619: The better. Prominent New York Central trains: Trains left from Grand Central Terminal in New York, Weehawken Terminal in Weehawken, New Jersey , South Station in Boston, Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Michigan Central Station in Detroit, St. Louis Union Station , and LaSalle Street Station and Central Station (for some Detroit and CincinnatI trains) in Chicago. The New York Central had

4232-538: The book to the Buffalo Historical Society, which now has it among many interesting and valuable relics of the pioneer days of Western New York. The first depot was built with the track running through the same and having large doors at each end in which the cars were locked up every night. A track was laid from the depot along Ellicott street to a point near the present site of the Court House, at which point

4324-534: The canal. The full line opened July 3, 1839, extending the line further to Syracuse via Rome (and further to Auburn via the already-opened Auburn and Syracuse Railroad ). This line was not direct, going out of its way to stay near the Erie Canal and serve Rome, and so the Syracuse and Utica Direct Railroad was chartered on January 26, 1853. Nothing of that line was ever built, though the later West Shore Railroad , acquired by New York Central Railroad in 1885, served

4416-444: The city. The population density was 3,133.9 people per square mile (1,210.0 people/km ). There were 6,924 housing units at an average density of 1,334.8 per square mile (515.4/km ). The city's racial makeup was 90.23% White , 5.43% Black or African American , 0.48% Native American , 0.87% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 1.06% from other races , and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.45% of

4508-473: The company was chartered. The Tonawanda Railroad was chartered on 24 April 1832 for the purpose of building a rail line from Rochester to Attica and eventually Buffalo . Initially, the route was to have included Scottsville , Mumford , Caledonia , and Le Roy before a more direct route to Batavia was adopted. These areas were later served by construction of the Scottsville & LeRoy Railroad . This

4600-506: The company, established a land office in Batavia in 1802. The entire purchase was named Genesee County in 1802, with Batavia as the county seat. The company sold off the purchase until 1846, when the company was dissolved. The phrase "doing a land office business," which denotes prosperity, dates from this era. The office is a museum today, designated a National Historic Landmark . Ellicott lived in Batavia for many years although he thought Buffalo would certainly grow to be larger. Batavia has

4692-521: The corner of Big Tree street (now Ellicott street) and South street, (now Jackson street) in the village of Batavia. The first ticket agent of the Central road at Batavia was Erastus SEYMOUR, who kept a book and registered the name of every passenger who purchased a ticket. This book came into the possession of Mr. MIX several years ago and was later given to Ellis N. OSBORNE, then the Central's station agent at Batavia. After Mr. OSBORNE's death his son presented

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4784-476: The detention center have included terrorism suspects, such as Nabil Ahmed Farag Soliman , who embarked on a hunger strike in 1999 after two and a half years in federal detention. In August 2012, Muller Quaker Dairy broke ground on what was to be one of the largest yogurt manufacturing plants in the United States, and employed 170 people in December 2015. Muller Quaker Dairy is a joint venture between PepsiCo and

4876-529: The east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midwest , along with the intermediate cities of Albany , Buffalo , Cleveland , Cincinnati , Detroit , Rochester and Syracuse . New York Central was headquartered in New York City's New York Central Building , adjacent to its largest station, Grand Central Terminal . The railroad was established in 1853, consolidating several existing railroad companies. In 1968,

4968-466: The first two-thirds of the 20th century, New York Central Railroad had some of the most famous trains in the United States. Its 20th Century Limited ( Century ), begun in 1902, ran between Grand Central Terminal in New York City and LaSalle Street Station in Chicago , and was its most famous train, known for its red carpet treatment and first-class service. Its last run was made on December 2–3, 1967. In

5060-405: The freight facilities at Port Morris . From opening, it was leased by the NYC. The Geneva and Lyons Railroad was organized in 1877 and opened in 1878, leased by the NYC from opening. This was a connection between Syracuse and Rochester, running from the main line at Lyons to the Auburn Road at Geneva. It was merged into the NYC in 1890. In 1885, the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway ,

5152-554: The help of maneuverings related to the Hudson River Bridge in Albany. On November 1, 1869, he merged the railroad with his Hudson River Railroad to form the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. This extended the system south from Albany along the east bank of the Hudson River to New York City, with the leased Troy and Greenbush Railroad running from Albany north to Troy . Vanderbilt's other lines were operated as part of

5244-454: The median family income was $ 42,460. Males had a median income of $ 32,091 versus $ 23,289 for females. The city's per capita income was $ 17,737. About 10.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over. Batavia City School District is the school district of the city, and operates multiple public schools there, including Batavia High School . Batavia

5336-477: The mid-1930s, many railroad companies were introducing streamlined locomotives; until the New York Central introduced the Commodore Vanderbilt , all were diesel-electric. The Vanderbilt was the NYC's first streamlined steam locomotive. The railroad hosted the streamlined steam-powered Rexall Train of 1936, which toured 47 states to promote the Rexall chain of drug stores and to provide space for company conventions. The steam-powered Century , which followed

5428-561: The mid-1950s, the Century and other NYC trains exchanged sleeping cars in Chicago with western trains such as the Super Chief and the City of San Francisco . The cars, which contained roomettes , double bedrooms and drawing rooms , provided through sleeper service between New York City and Los Angeles or San Francisco ( Oakland Pier ). Despite having some of the most modern steam locomotives anywhere, NYC's difficult financial position caused it to convert to more-economical diesel-electric power rapidly. The Boston and Albany line

5520-410: The motive power. A year later the road reached Batavia which was then the terminus. The Company then purchased of James BRISBANE, a wealthy merchant and extensive land owner in the village, six acres of land on which to locate their depot. The road as originally mapped out was to run North of Main street in Batavia and the depot was to be located near the present site of Mr. George BRISBANE's residence. It

5612-422: The name of the corporations to the Rochester and Buffalo Railroad , and also to shorten the distance between Rochester and Buffalo by the construction of a branch or second line running direct to Buffalo from Batavia. This is the line now occupied by the four tracks of the New York Central ." Railroads went through frequent changes as more were brought into operation. On 7 December 1850, the Tonawanda Railroad and

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5704-404: The negotiation. Seneca chief and orator Red Jacket was adamantly against the sale, but his influence was thwarted by freely-distributed liquor and trinkets given to the women. He acquiesced and signed the Treaty of Big Tree , in which the tribe sold their rights to the land (except for a small portion) for $ 100,000. Mary Jemison , known as The White Woman of the Genesee , who was captured in

5796-546: The population density of lower-income residents, as well as residents of color, is higher than in the areas that do not contain any facilities that potentially toxic chemicals. This trend seemingly holds true in most urban areas. As stated before, the placement of these facilities can have a large impact on the individuals who surround them. Throughout the United States, people of color and people living in impoverished conditions are more likely to live in areas hosting facilities that release toxic chemicals. This disparity accounts for

5888-400: The population. There were 6,457 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was at least 65 years old. The average household size was 2.34 and

5980-481: The railroad included the New York and Harlem Railroad, Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway , Canada Southern Railway , and Michigan Central Railroad . The Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad was chartered in 1869 and opened in 1871, providing a route on the north side of the Harlem River for trains along the Hudson River to head southeast to the New York and Harlem Railroad. Trains could head toward Grand Central Depot , built by NYC and opened in 1871, or to

6072-417: The rather indirect Rochester and Syracuse Railroad (known later as the Auburn Road ). To fix this, the Rochester and Syracuse Direct Railway was chartered and immediately merged into the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad on August 6, 1850. That line opened June 1, 1853, running much more directly between those two cities, roughly parallel to the Erie Canal. The Tonawanda Railroad , to the west of Rochester,

6164-446: The rest of the line followed the valley of the Tonawanda Creek to Attica by 1842, opening on 8 January 1843. The chief engineer for the project was Elisha Johnson . In 1888, the Batavia newspaper wrote: "The Tonawanda railroad was intended to run from Rochester to Buffalo, via of Batavia. In 1836 the road was completed to South Byron, about eight miles Northeast of Batavia, and cars were run as far as that point, horses furnishing

6256-403: The sale of the western part of the state completed, Batavia became a small industrial city in the heart of an agricultural area. It became known for the manufacture of tractors , agricultural implements, sprayers and shoes. It also was a tool and die making center for industries in other areas. The largest manufacturer, Johnston Harvester Company came into being in 1868. In 1910, the business

6348-519: The same purpose. The Auburn and Syracuse Railroad was chartered on May 1, 1834, and opened mostly in 1838, the remaining 4 miles (6.4 km) opening on June 4, 1839. A month later, with the opening of the Syracuse and Utica Railroad, this formed a complete line from Albany west via Syracuse to Auburn. The Auburn and Rochester Railroad was chartered on May 13, 1836, as a further extension via Geneva and Canandaigua to Rochester , opening on November 4, 1841. The two lines merged on August 1, 1850, to form

6440-445: The south bank of the new canal. A bridge was built southeast of downtown, roughly where the old main line crossed the path of the canal, to keep access to and from the southeast. West of downtown, the old main line was abandoned, but a brand-new railroad line was built, running north from the NYC main line to the NYC's former Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad , allowing all NYC through traffic to bypass Rome. Steam locomotives of

6532-496: The states of New York , Pennsylvania , Ohio , Michigan , Indiana , Illinois , Massachusetts and West Virginia , plus additional trackage in portions of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec . At the end of 1925, New York Central Railroad operated 11,584 miles (18,643 km) of road and 26,395 miles (42,479 km) of track; at the end of 1967, the mileages were 9,696 miles (15,604 km) and 18,454 miles (29,699 km). The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad (M&H)

6624-665: The tunnel north of 35th Street is used only by Amtrak trains to New York Penn Station (all other trains use the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad to reach the Harlem Line ). The surviving sections of the West Side Line south of 34th Street reopened as the High Line , a linear park built between 2009 and 2014. In 1867, Cornelius Vanderbilt acquired control of the Albany to Buffalo -running New York Central Railroad, with

6716-504: The west side of the Hudson River. On September 9, 1876, the company was merged into the railroad, but in 1876 the terminal at Athens burned down and the line was abandoned. The primary repair shops were established in Corning's hometown of Albany along with a classification yard and livestock pens on 300 acres of land (known as West Albany). Facilities included locomotive shops, freight and passenger car shops, and roundhouse terminals. These were

6808-598: Was a 3,250,000 acre (13,150 km ) portion of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase that lay west of the Genesee River. It was purchased in December 1792, February 1793, and July 1793 from Robert Morris , a prominent Revolutionary banker, by the Holland Land Company , a consortium of Dutch bankers. The village of Batavia was founded in 1802 by resident Land Agent Joseph Ellicott , under the authorization of Paul Busti of

6900-580: Was a factor in politics for many years afterward, leading to the creation of the Anti-Masonic Party , as well as religion. Many Methodist Episcopal clergy had joined the Masons, and this was one of the reasons the Free Methodist Church separated. The Erie Canal in 1825 bypassed Batavia, going well to the north at Albion and Medina , enabling Buffalo and Rochester to grow much faster. With

6992-410: Was acquired by Massey-Harris Co. Ltd , and became a subsidiary of that Canadian company, founded by Daniel Massey in 1847. Batavia grew rapidly in the early 20th century, receiving an influx of Polish and Italian immigrants. The City of Batavia was incorporated in 1915. Batavia is part of what has become known as The Rust Belt . In recent years much of the heavier industry left for other areas of

7084-458: Was also merged into the railroad in 1855. It had been chartered in 1834 and opened in 1837, providing a line between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. It was leased to New York Central Railroad in 1853. Also in 1855 came the merger with the Lewiston Railroad , running from Niagara Falls north to Lewiston . It was chartered in 1836 and opened in 1837, without connections to other railroads. In 1854,

7176-399: Was approved by the state legislature on April 2 and, on May 17, 1853, the New York Central Railroad was formed. Soon the Buffalo and State Line Railroad and Erie and North East Railroad converted to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge from 6 ft ( 1,829 mm ) broad gauge and connected directly with the railroad in Buffalo, providing

7268-459: Was chartered April 29, 1833; as the railroad paralleled the Erie Canal, it was prohibited from carrying freight . Revenue service began on August 2, 1836, extending the line of the Albany and Schenectady Railroad west from Schenectady along the north side of the Mohawk River, paralleling the Erie Canal, to Utica . Of the ten early railroads bordering the Erie Canal, the U&;S was the most profitable. It

7360-402: Was chartered in 1836 and opened in 1842, providing another route between the Hudson River and Schenectady, with its Hudson River terminal at Troy . The Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad was originally incorporated on April 24, 1834, to run from Lockport on the Erie Canal west to Niagara Falls ; the line opened in 1838 and was sold on June 2, 1850. On December 14, 1850, it was reorganized as

7452-448: Was chartered on April 24, 1832, to build from that city to Attica . The first section, from Rochester southwest to Batavia , opened May 5, 1837, and the rest of the line to Attica opened on January 8, 1843. The Attica and Buffalo Railroad was chartered in 1836 and opened on November 24, 1842, running from Buffalo southeast to Attica. When the Auburn and Rochester Railroad opened in 1841, there

7544-482: Was completely dieselized by 1951. All lines east of Cleveland, Ohio were dieselized between August 7, 1953 (east of Buffalo) and September 1953 (Cleveland-Buffalo). Niagaras were all retired by July 1956. On May 3, 1957, H7e class 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotive No. 1977 is reported to have been the last steam locomotive to retire from service on the railroad. But, the economics of northeastern railroading became so dire that not even this switch could change things for

7636-558: Was constructed in 1841, well after the company was founded and named. Dunn noted that developers intended simply to build a connection with the Attica and Buffalo Railroad. With the completion in 1853 of the shorter and more direct Buffalo and Rochester Railroad , the Attica and Buffalo was sold to the Erie Railroad . The line reached South Byron by 1836, and service with horse cars began. The first primary section, 31½ miles from Rochester southwest to Batavia, opened 5 May 1837;

7728-451: Was developed later that the men were Masons, and they carried him to Fort Niagara , where he was held captive and then disappeared. Although the Masons claimed he was only bribed to cease publication and leave the area forever, public sentiment was that he was murdered. No conviction was ever obtained. His captors were only charged and convicted with his abduction. The event roused tremendous public furor and anti-Mason sentiment. Anti-Masonry

7820-433: Was headed by Erastus Corning , future president of the consolidated New York Central. On May 7, 1844, the railroad was authorized to carry freight with some restrictions, and on May 12, 1847, the ban was fully dropped, but the company still had to pay the equivalent in canal tolls to the state. The Syracuse and Utica Railroad was chartered on May 11, 1836, and similarly had to pay the state for any freight displaced from

7912-514: Was located the turn-table and water tank. The opening of the road from Rochester to Batavia was celebrated May 8th, 1837, with a grand demonstration, great crowds coming from the surrounding country to see the first locomotive. April 13th, 1840, the Legislature granted an extension of three years time for the completion of the road from Batavia to Attica, and May 1st of that year the State of New York loaned

8004-465: Was no connection at Rochester to the Tonawanda Railroad, but with that exception there was now an all-rail line between Buffalo and Albany. On March 19, 1844, the Tonawanda Railroad was authorized to build the connection, and it opened later that year. The Albany and Schenectady Railroad bought all the baggage, mail and emigrant cars of the other railroads between Albany and Buffalo on February 17, 1848, and began operating through cars. On December 7, 1850,

8096-535: Was switched out from steam to electric at that point as trains approached New York City. The generally level topography of the NYC system had a character distinctively different from the mountainous terrain of its archrival, the Pennsylvania Railroad. Most of its major routes, including New York to Chicago, followed rivers and had no significant grades other than West Albany Hill and the Berkshire Hills on

8188-461: Was the core from which the rest of western New York was opened for settlement and development. A scandal erupted in Batavia in 1826, when William Morgan was offended by the local Masonic Lodge (Western Star Chapter R. A. M. No. 33 of Le Roy, New York ), and threatened to expose the lodge's secrets. He was arrested on a minor charge, then released when his charge was paid, into the company of several men, with whom he went, apparently unwillingly. It

8280-620: Was the oldest segment of the railroad's merger and was the first permanent railroad in the state of New York and one of the first railroads in the United States . It was chartered in 1826 to connect the Mohawk River at Schenectady, New York to the Hudson River at Albany, providing a way for freight and especially passengers to avoid the extensive and time-consuming locks on the Erie Canal between Schenectady and Albany, New York. The M&H opened on August 9, 1831, with its first steam locomotive,

8372-573: Was the second railroad to be built in New York State, following the Mohawk and Hudson , the Albany -to- Schenectady road, which began 17 April 1827. This railroad was named after Tonawanda Creek , which flows through Batavia. Historian Edward Dunn questions the derivation of the naming, as the eleven miles of line constructed up the valley of the Tonawanda Creek to Attica was an afterthought. This part

8464-520: Was then the intention to cross the Tonawanda Creek where the Alleghany road bridge now is, and taking the line now followed by the new Buffalo road go direct to Buffalo, but through the influence of men owning the property on the South side of the street, the engineer was induced to change the route and locate it where their property would be more likely to appreciate in value. The Company built their first depot at

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