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Amherst, New York
Amherst Municipal Building
Amherst Municipal Building
Flag of Amherst, New York
Flag
Location in Erie County and the state of New York.
Location in Erie County and the state of New York.
Location of New York in the United States
Location of New York in the United States
Amherst, New York is located in New York
Amherst, New York
Amherst, New York
Location in New York
Amherst, New York is located in the United States
Amherst, New York
Amherst, New York
Location in the United States
Amherst, New York is located in North America
Amherst, New York
Amherst, New York
Location in North America
Country United States
State New York
Incorporated April 10, 1818
Named for Lord Jeffrey Amherst
Government
 • Type Town Council

Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. Amherst is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595. This represents an increase of 5.9% from the 2010 census.

The second largest in area and the most populous suburb of Buffalo, the town of Amherst encompasses the village of Williamsville as well as the hamlets of Eggertsville, Getzville, Snyder, Swormville, and East Amherst. The town is in the northern part of Erie County and borders a section of the Erie Canal.

Amherst is home to the north campus of the University at Buffalo, the graduate campus of Medaille College, a satellite campus of Bryant & Stratton College, and Daemen College.

History

The town of Amherst was created by the State of New York on April 10, 1818; named after Lord Jeffrey Amherst. Amherst was formed from part of the town of Buffalo (later the city of Buffalo), which had previously been created from the town of Clarence. Timothy S. Hopkins was elected the first supervisor of the town of Amherst in 1819. Part of Amherst was later used to form the town of Cheektowaga in 1839.

The Town of Amherst Archives Center is housed in the Former Reformed Mennonite Church. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 53.6 square miles (138.8 km2), of which 53.2 square miles (137.8 km2) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km2), or 0.73%, is water.

Much of Amherst was originally floodplain and marshland, much of which has been drained in recent years to facilitate development of new homes and businesses. The central and southern parts of the town are heavily suburbanized; however, the southernmost hamlets of Eggertsville and Snyder and the village of Williamsville have managed to retain much of their original character. The northern part of the town is still relatively undeveloped, with the prominent exception of the portions along Niagara Falls Boulevard (U.S. Route 62) bordering the towns of Tonawanda and Wheatfield. Some sections of northern and eastern Amherst have experienced problems with residential foundations as a result of unstable soil conditions. A few active farms may still be found in the northern part of the town.

Amherst is bordered on the north by Tonawanda Creek and Niagara County. Ellicott Creek flows through the town.

Neighborhoods

20090410 Amherst Municipal Building
Amherst Municipal Building

Areas within Amherst are referred to by the former post office station names and are not legally incorporated. During the 1990s, many of these regional post offices were closed and consolidated into the central Amherst 14226 post office on Bailey Avenue, leaving only a Williamsville (14221) post office on Sheridan Drive, a Getzville (14068) post office on Millersport Highway, and an East Amherst (14051) post office on Transit Road. Mailing addresses to areas within the town are Amherst, East Amherst, Eggertsville, Getzville, Snyder, and Williamsville. These postal districts are still recognized by the post office and widely referred to by citizens.

Some of these mailing addresses overlap: some areas of Clarence directly east of Transit Road have Williamsville addresses, although for the purposes of taxes, schools and community resources, these people are residents of the Town of Clarence.

The areas listed below are governed and run by the Town of Amherst except for the Village of Williamsville, an independent political entity.

  • Eggertsville is a suburban community in the southwest part of the town, bordering on Buffalo centered around Eggert Road. Daemen College is located on Main Street (Route 5). The community is named after early postmaster Christian Eggert.
  • Getzville -- A location near the center of the town by Campbell Boulevard (Route 270) and Dodge Road. The name comes from early resident Joseph Getz.
  • Audubon - A location in the center of the town situated around John James Audubon Parkway. The town police, courthouse, and main library are located here.
  • East Amherst (formerly Transit Station) -- An unincorporated community, or hamlet, in the eastern part of the town, shared with the Town of Clarence.
  • Grover Cleveland Terrace -- A neighborhood in the southwest corner of the town.
  • North Bailey -- A location by the junction of Bailey Avenue and Maple Road.
  • Snyder (originally Snyderville after postmaster Michael Snyder} -- A suburban community located between Eggertsville and the Village of Williamsville.
  • Swormville - A hamlet in the eastern part of the town, shared with the Town of Clarence. Named for Adam Schworm, prominent landowner and businessman.
  • West Amherst - A location in the northwestern part of the town bordered by Niagara Falls Boulevard (US 62) to the west, Sweet Home Road to the east and Maple Road to the south. Principally the section of the town which comprises the Sweet Home central school district.
  • Williamsville - Most of the Village of Williamsville is within Amherst, located in the south part of the town.

Climate

Amherst is among the top ten American cities (with a population greater than 50,000) in average yearly snowfall. Average high temperatures from May through October range from 60 to 81 degrees. Average high temperatures from November through March range from 31 to 47 degrees.

Arts and culture

Many festivals are celebrated in Amherst throughout the year. The town is home to the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 768
1830 2,489 224.1%
1840 2,451 −1.5%
1850 4,153 69.4%
1860 5,086 22.5%
1870 5,265 3.5%
1880 4,319 −18.0%
1890 4,014 −7.1%
1900 4,223 5.2%
1910 4,629 9.6%
1920 6,286 35.8%
1930 13,181 109.7%
1940 19,356 46.8%
1950 31,407 62.3%
1960 57,439 82.9%
1970 90,734 58.0%
1980 108,706 19.8%
1990 111,740 2.8%
2000 116,510 4.3%
2010 122,366 5.0%
2020 129,595 5.9%
Historical Population Figures

As of the census of 2010, there were 122,366 people, 48,894 households, and 29,840 families residing in the town. There were 51,179 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 83.8% White, 5.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 48,894 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 31.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.98.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,427, and the median income for a family was $68,951. Males had a median income of $51,667 versus $32,030 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,647. About 4.2% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

51.7% of residents (aged 25 and over) have obtained a Bachelor's degree or higher, including 26.7% with a Graduate or professional degree.

Economy

In July 2010, CNNMoney ranked Amherst 42nd in a list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America. In 2012, CNNMoney.com ranked Amherst 50th. In 2011 and 2012, Amherst was selected as one of America's 100 Best Communities for Young People by America's Promise Alliance.

Sports

UB stadium exterior shot
University at Buffalo Stadium

Amherst is home to the University at Buffalo Stadium, Alumni Arena, and Amherst Audubon Field, all utilized by the University at Buffalo Buffalo Bulls.

The Northtown Center is the town's ice hockey arena. The arena is the home of the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League, the University at Buffalo Bulls men's ice hockey team, and the Buffalo Wings, a professional inline hockey team competing in Major League Roller Hockey.

Education

Higher education

There are five separate higher educational institutions with campuses in the town.

All university programs apart from architecture, planning, nursing, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and public health reside here.
  • Daemen University
  • One of three campuses of Erie Community College
  • Bryant and Stratton College
  • A satellite campus of Canisius College

Public schools

There are three separate public school districts within the town.

  • Williamsville Central School District
The largest district and comprises the eastern half of the town along with portions of the Town of Clarence. The district is ranked #1 out of 97 public school systems in Western New York. Williamsville high schools were awarded Silver rankings according to 2013 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools, and rank among the top 2-3% out of over 21,000 high schools nationally.
  • Amherst Central School District
Covering the southwestern portion of the town with its core in the Eggertsville and Snyder areas.
  • Sweet Home Central School District
Covering the northwestern portion of the town along with portions of the Town of Tonawanda with its core in West Amherst and Getzville.

Infrastructure

  • I-90.svg NYS Thruway Sign.svg Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway) passes through the southern part of town.
  • I-290.svg Interstate 290 (Youngmann Memorial Highway) travels through the town diagonally from I-90 to US 62 and beyond to Tonawanda
  • I-990.svg Interstate 990 (Lockport Expressway), located entirely within the Town of Amherst, runs in a roughly north–south direction through the southwest and central part of Amherst until it ends at Millersport Highway (NY 263).
  • US 62.svg U.S. Route 62 marks the western town line as Niagara Falls Boulevard as the route heads north, then as Sheridan Drive then Bailey Avenue heading south out of town.
  • NY-5.svg New York State Route 5 (Main Street) passes through the town.
  • NY-78.svg New York State Route 78 (Transit Road) marks the eastern town line.
  • NY-240.svg New York State Route 240 (Harlem Road) is a north–south road from Sheridan Drive (NY 324) south heading out of town.
  • NY-263.svg New York State Route 263 (Grover Cleveland Highway, Millersport Highway) is a north–south road from Bailey Avenue (US 62) to Transit Road. (NY 78).
  • NY-270.svg New York State Route 270 (Campbell Boulevard) is a north–south road from Millersport Highway (NY 263) north out of town.
  • NY-277.svg New York State Route 277 (North Forest Road, Union Road) is a north–south road from Sheridan Drive (NY 324) south out of town.
  • NY-324.svg New York State Route 324 (Sheridan Drive) is an east–west road through the town from Niagara Falls Boulevard (US 62) east out of town.

Millard Filmore Suburban Hospital is located in the center of town on Maple Road.

Notable people

  • Eric Andersen, singer-songwriter, grew up in the hamlet of Snyder
  • Scotty Bowman, former NHL coach
  • Richard J. Burke, journalist, poet, and playwright
  • Jack Davis, industrialist and politician
  • Al Dekdebrun, former pro football quarterback and Amherst Town Supervisor
  • Dan Gronkowski, former NFL tight end
  • Rob Gronkowski, NFL tight end for the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Jeffrey Gundlach, bond manager, graduated from Amherst High School
  • Chris Hajt, former NHL player
  • James P. Hayes, former New York state assemblyman
  • Dan Herbeck, journalist for The Buffalo News
  • Marc Evan Jackson, comedian
  • Bruce Kershner, environmentalist
  • Andy Kulberg, rock and blues bassist
  • Nick Langworthy, chair of the New York Republican State Committee
  • Wendie Malick, actress
  • Norman McCombs, businessman
  • Joe Mesi, professional boxer, attended Sweet Home High School
  • Ian Murphy, alternative journalist and satirist
  • Harry Neale, hockey broadcaster and former NHL coach
  • Keith O'Neil, former NFL player
  • Brooks Orpik, NHL defenseman
  • Wayne Patrick, former NFL player
  • Michael Ranzenhofer, New York state senator
  • Edward Rath III, New York state senator
  • Mike Robitaille, former NHL player and current Sabres broadcaster
  • Mark Rubin, former NFL player
  • Hugh B. Scott, judge
  • Billy Sheehan, rock bassist
  • John Stevens, 2004 American Idol finalist
  • Satish K. Tripathi, president of the State University of New York at Buffalo
  • James Whitmore, actor, attended Amherst High School
  • Gordon Yaeger, notable pilot of the Bell Rocket Belt
  • Joe Mack, 2021 1st-round draft pick, playing catcher for the Miami Marlins

See also

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