Cheektowaga, New York facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Cheektowaga Chictawauga (Seneca)
Town
Town of Cheektowaga
Left to right from top: Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Anna M. Reinstein Public Library, Walden Galleria, Cheektowaga Town Hall
Location in Erie County and the state of New York.
Location of New York in the United States
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Erie County
Incorporated	1839
Named for	Crabapples
Area
• Total	29.49 sq mi (76.39 km²)
• Land	29.43 sq mi (76.23 km²)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km²)
Elevation	662 ft (202 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	89,877
• Density	2,955.39/sq mi (1,141.08/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	14225/14227/14215/14206/14211
Area code(s)	716
FIPS code	36-029-15011
GNIS feature ID	0971948

Cheektowaga (pronounced chee-k-tuh-WAH-guh) is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. In 2020, about 89,877 people lived there. It is located in the north-central part of the county. Cheektowaga is a suburb of Buffalo, and it's the second-largest suburb after Amherst.

The town of Cheektowaga includes the village of Sloan and part of the village of Depew. The rest of the town, outside these villages, is also called Cheektowaga. The Buffalo Niagara International Airport, which is Erie County's main airport, is located here.

You can also find Villa Maria College, Empire State University, and the large Walden Galleria shopping mall in Cheektowaga.

History of Cheektowaga
Geography of Cheektowaga
Population of Cheektowaga
Education in Cheektowaga
- Higher Education
- Public Schools
Media
- Newspapers
Infrastructure
Economy
Notable People from Cheektowaga
Twin Towns — Sister Cities
See also

History of Cheektowaga

Early Inhabitants and Name Origin

The first people known to live in the Cheektowaga area were the Iroquoian-speaking Neutral people. Later, the powerful Seneca people moved them out. The Seneca were part of the Iroquois Confederacy. They wanted to control the fur trade in the area. The Seneca named this place Chictawauga, which means "land of the crabapples" in their language.

European Settlement and Town Formation

European-American settlers began to live here permanently after the American Revolutionary War. The Seneca had to give up most of their land after the war. This was because they had been allies with the British. Cheektowaga was officially formed from the Town of Amherst on March 22, 1839. Its size became about 30 square miles when West Seneca was formed in 1851. For a long time in the 1800s, people still called it "Chictawauga".

Growth and Development

Cheektowaga was first a rural area with many farms. After World War II, in the 1950s, many new homes were built. Highways were also constructed, making it easier to travel. Factories, like the Westinghouse Electric Corporation plant, were built here. These factories gave many people jobs for decades. Cheektowaga still has many people who work in hands-on jobs. A large part of the population, about 39.9%, has Polish-American heritage. Many of them moved from Buffalo's East Side.

The Walden Galleria mall opened in 1989. It became the biggest mall in the Buffalo Niagara region.

Cheektowaga is home to St. John Gualbert's Parish. This is a Catholic church that has the Shrine of the Holy Relics of the Saints. It is believed to be one of the largest collections in the United States.

Some historic places in Cheektowaga are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include Garrison Cemetery, Our Lady Help of Christians Chapel, and Villa Maria Motherhouse Complex.

Geography of Cheektowaga

The town has a total area of about 29.5 square miles. Most of this area is land, and a small part is water.

Cheektowaga is surrounded by other towns. Lancaster is to the east, West Seneca is to the south. The city of Buffalo is to the west, and Amherst is to the north. Important waterways in the town include Scajaquada Creek, Cayuga Creek, and Ellicott Creek.

Neighborhoods in Cheektowaga

Bellevue – This neighborhood is between Union Road and the Depew border. It has the Bellevue Fire Department and part of Cayuga Creek.
Cheektowaga – This is the name for all parts of the town outside the villages of Sloan and Depew.
Cleveland Hill – A neighborhood on the north side of town. It has its own school district.
Depew – Part of the village of Depew is in the eastern part of Cheektowaga. It is shared with the town of Lancaster.
Doyle – A neighborhood in the southwest corner of town. It borders Buffalo's Kaisertown and West Seneca's Clinton Gardens.
Forks – This was once a small community near Union Road (NY-277) and Broadway (NY-130).
Maryvale – A neighborhood west of the airport. It is also a school district, home to Maryvale High School.
Pine Hill – A neighborhood on the border of Buffalo. It has many cemeteries and Villa Maria College.
Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve – A natural area in the south-central part of the town.
Sloan – The village of Sloan is near the Buffalo border. It is the main area for the Cheektowaga-Sloan school district.
South Cheektowaga / South Line – A neighborhood near the border of West Seneca. It is close to French Road and Stiglmeier Park.
U-Crest – A neighborhood near Union Road (NY-277) and Genesee Street (NY-33).
Walden – An older name for the neighborhood along Walden Avenue (NY 952Q). It is next to the Buffalo city line.
Williamsville – A small part of the village of Williamsville is in Cheektowaga. It is shared with the town of Amherst.

Fire Districts

The Town of Cheektowaga has 9 volunteer fire districts with 10 companies and 12 stations. There are also 2 volunteer municipal fire departments with 2 stations in the town.

Weather Hazards

Cheektowaga has experienced strong weather events. On July 30, 1987, a tornado touched down. It caused serious damage to homes and businesses. Luckily, no one was killed or seriously hurt. Another tornado hit on June 30, 2006. It also damaged homes and businesses. A large truck was even knocked over on the New York State Thruway. Again, no one was killed.

The town is also in an area that gets a lot of "Lake Effect Snow". This means heavy snowfall from nearby lakes. Major snowstorms have affected Cheektowaga. These include the Blizzard of '77, the Blizzard of '85, "The October Surprise," "Snowvember," and the 2022 Christmas blizzard.

Population of Cheektowaga

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	1,137	—
1850	3,042	167.5%
1860	2,743	−9.8%
1870	2,465	−10.1%
1880	2,327	−5.6%
1890	2,974	27.8%
1900	5,156	73.4%
1910	7,620	47.8%
1920	11,923	56.5%
1930	20,849	74.9%
1940	25,006	19.9%
1950	45,354	81.4%
1960	84,056	85.3%
1970	113,844	35.4%
1980	109,442	−3.9%
1990	99,314	−9.3%
2000	94,019	−5.3%
2010	88,226	−6.2%
2020	89,877	1.9%
Historical Population Figures Cheektowaga (town)

In 2000, there were 94,019 people living in Cheektowaga. There were about 40,045 households. The population density was about 3,184 people per square mile.

About 94.94% of the people were White, and 2.93% were Black or African American. About 0.94% were Asian. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 0.97% of the population.

About 25.5% of households had children under 18. About 49.5% were married couples. The average household had 2.32 people. The average family had 2.91 people.

The population included 20.6% under 18 years old. About 20.5% were 65 years or older. The average age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were about 88.4 males.

The main ancestries in the town are Polish (39.9%), German (29.9%), Italian (16.0%), and Irish (14.1%).

Education in Cheektowaga

Higher Education

Cheektowaga has two colleges:

Villa Maria College
Empire State College

Public Schools

There are eight different public school districts in the town:

Cheektowaga Central School District
Cheektowaga-Sloan Union Free School District
Cleveland Hill Union Free School District
Maryvale Union Free School District
Depew Union Free School District
West Seneca Central School District
Lancaster Central School District
Williamsville Central School District

Media

The town gets its news and entertainment from media in Buffalo.

Newspapers

Cheektowaga has a weekly newspaper called the Cheektowaga Bee. It started in 1977. It is published by Bee Group Newspapers.

Infrastructure

Several important roads run through or border Cheektowaga. New York State Route 78 (Transit Road) marks the east town line. New York State Route 240 (Harlem Road) and New York State Route 277 (Union Road) are major roads that go north and south.

New York State Route 33 (Kensington Expressway), Walden Avenue, and William Street connect to the New York State Thruway. The Thruway also runs north-south through the town. New York State Route 130 (Broadway) is an east-west road. Interstate 190 also travels through the town. U.S. Route 20 (Transit Road) runs along Cheektowaga's eastern border. New York State Route 354 (Clinton Street) is an east-west road in the southwest corner. It forms part of the southern border with West Seneca.

Economy

Calspan, a company that does research and development, is based in Cheektowaga.

Notable People from Cheektowaga

Many interesting people have come from Cheektowaga:

Andrew Anderson, a retired professional basketball player. He went to Maryvale High School.
Christine Baranski, an actress known for shows like The Good Wife and movies like Mamma Mia!.
Ryan Ciminelli, a professional bowler.
William Fichtner, an actor who also graduated from Maryvale High School.
Jackson C. Frank, a folk musician.
Dennis H. Gabryszak, a former New York State Assemblyman and town supervisor.
Dennis Gorski, a former Erie County Executive.
William J. Hochul, Jr., a U.S. Attorney who graduated from Cheektowaga Central.
Liz Johnson, a professional bowler and Hall of Famer.
Chelsea Noble, an actress.
Danny Ozark, a former manager for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team.
Mark Pawlak, a poet and educator.
Randy Pikuzinski, a retired professional soccer player.
Ed Rutkowski, a former professional football player and Erie County Executive.
Paul Tokasz, a retired New York State Assemblyman.
David J. Weber, a historian.
Angela Wozniak, a former New York State Assemblywoman and town council member.

Twin Towns — Sister Cities

Cheektowaga has a special connection with another town:

Łowicz, Poland