Wellsville (village), New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wellsville, New York
Village
Main Street
Wellsville (village), New York Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Allegany
Town	Wellsville
Area
• Total	2.42 sq mi (6.28 km2)
• Land	2.42 sq mi (6.28 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,512 ft (461 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,587
• Density	1,892.33/sq mi (730.58/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	14895
Area code(s)	585
FIPS code	36-79092
GNIS feature ID	0969053

Wellsville is a small village located in Allegany County, New York, United States. It's in the south-central part of the county, surrounded by forests and countryside. Wellsville is the biggest town for about 30 miles around.

In 2010, about 4,679 people lived here. The village is named after Gardiner Wells, a local businessman, not because of oil wells. The village of Wellsville is inside the larger town of Wellsville. If you add the people from both, the total population is around 7,000. Alfred State College has a campus near the south end of the village. Wellsville Airport, also known as Tarantine Field, is west of the village. It offers flights for small planes and charter services.

Wellsville's Past: A Look at History

Wellsville has been a home for people for thousands of years. Ancient groups like the Lamoka and Brewerton cultures lived here. The most recent Native American group was the Seneca. They called the Wellsville area Gistaguat. This name was on an official map of New York in 1771.

The Seneca people called the area "the Pigeon Woods." They held yearly festivals there to hunt passenger pigeons. Millions of these birds filled the sky back then. Tribes from all over western New York and northern Pennsylvania came to Gistaquat to gather thousands of pigeons.

Early Settlers and Industries

European settlers started moving into the area before 1800. Nathaniel Dyke, a captain from the Revolutionary War, was one of the first. He moved his family to Wellsville by 1795. This was even before the land was officially given up by the Seneca Nation in 1797.

Nathaniel Dyke started a gristmill (for grinding grain), a sawmill (for cutting wood), and a tannery (for making leather). These businesses were on a stream now called Dyke's Creek. He is buried nearby in Elm Valley.

Wellsville's economy has changed a lot over 200 years.

• Tanning: The first big industry was tanning. They used the bark of hemlock trees to make leather.
• Lumber and Railroads: Then came logging. The New York and Erie Railroad arrived in 1851. This made it easier to transport lumber to markets. Before trains, logs were floated on rivers.
• Dairy: After the forests were cleared, the land was great for raising cows. A large dairy industry grew here.
• Oil: Oil became important in the late 1800s. The Sinclair Refinery was built in Wellsville in the early 1900s. It closed in 1957.

Many people think Wellsville was named for oil "wells." But oil was not found here until 1879. The village was actually created in 1857, 22 years before oil was discovered. It was named after Gardiner Wells, a major landowner in the downtown area.

Name Changes and Floods

For a short time in the 1870s, Wellsville was called "Genesee." The New York State Legislature officially changed the name in 1871. But after some debate, the name Wellsville was brought back in 1873. The village was first officially formed in 1857 and then again in 1873.

A second oil boom happened later. This was due to a method called "Secondary Recovery." It uses water to push oil out of the ground. Wellsville has plenty of water for this.

In 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused a big flood. Dyke's Creek overflowed, creating a huge pool of water in the village center. The flood damaged many small farms.

Two important buildings in Wellsville are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are the US Post Office-Wellsville (listed in 1989) and the Wellsville Erie Depot (listed in 1987).

In 2006, people voted against dissolving the village. Now, local leaders are trying to combine the village and town into one city.

Geography and Climate of Wellsville

Wellsville covers about 6.2 square kilometers (2.4 square miles) of land.

Location and Rivers

Wellsville is on the main railway line of the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad. The Genesee River flows right through the village. New York State Route 19 and New York State Route 417 are major roads that cross through Wellsville.

The Eastern Triple Divide

Wellsville is near a special place called the Eastern Triple Divide. This is where water can flow in three different directions to three major river systems in the eastern United States.

• The Genesee River flows north through Wellsville to Lake Ontario, then to the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean.
• Southwest of Wellsville, Honeoye Creek flows west to the Allegheny River, then to the Ohio and Mississippi River, finally reaching the Gulf of Mexico.
• Northeast of Wellsville, water flows east to the Canisteo River, then to the Susquehanna River and the Atlantic Ocean.

The actual Triple Divide point is about 22 miles south of Wellsville. Imagine pouring a bucket of water there, and it could theoretically split and flow in three different directions!

Weather in Wellsville

Weather reports for Wellsville can sometimes be a bit confusing. Weather data is often collected at the airport, which is much higher up (2,150 feet above sea level). The village of Wellsville is lower (1,500 feet) and more protected in the Genesee River Valley. This means that wind speeds, temperatures, and even rain can be very different between the village and the airport, especially in spring and fall. Sometimes, the temperature can be 10°F (5°C) different!

Wellsville's Population: Demographics

Wellsville has seen its population change over the years. Here's a look at how many people have lived in the village:

According to the 2000 census, there were 5,171 people living in Wellsville. These people made up 2,162 households and 1,206 families. The population density was about 2,168 people per square mile.

Most of the people in Wellsville were White (95.92%). There were also smaller percentages of Black or African American (0.66%), Native American (0.19%), and Asian (1.49%) residents. About 0.91% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In terms of households, 26.3% had children under 18 living with them. About 41.7% were married couples. The average household had 2.22 people, and the average family had 2.94 people.

The age breakdown of the village population in 2000 was:

• 22.7% were under 18 years old.
• 7.8% were between 18 and 24.
• 25.6% were between 25 and 44.
• 21.6% were between 45 and 64.
• 22.3% were 65 years or older.

The median age in the village was 40 years old. For every 100 females, there were about 88.1 males.

See also

In Spanish: Wellsville (villa) para niños