Lewiston, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York.
The Village of Lewiston is within the Town of Lewiston. The Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park lies at its southern border.
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[edit] History
The Village of Lewiston was established in 1822. The village claims to be the most historic square mile in America. Lewiston is historically significant for several reasons. It was the location of the American invasion of Canada in 1812, referred to as the Battle of Queenston Heights. Lewiston was the final stop on the Underground Railroad for thousands of escaping slaves from the South who sought freedom in Canada in the 1840s and 1850s. Lewiston is the setting for the book, Freedom Crossing, by Margaret Goff Clark, which has become required reading for thousands of grade schoolers across the United States as they become familiar with the Underground Railroad movement. It is also said that the cocktail was invented in Lewiston by Catherine Hustler, who later became a character in the novel The Spy, by James Fenimore Cooper.
Lewiston is just across the Niagara River from Canada and was originally settled by French explorers who first set foot in the area in 1615.
You can obtain a history and maps, including current photographs and a satellite view of Lewiston, New York, here: http://www.historiclewiston.org
The current mayor is Richard Soluri and the Chief of Police is Ronald Winkley.
The Town of Lewiston (Est. 1823), which includes the Village, has a population of more than 16,000 people, and the Town Supervisor is Fred Newlin.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²). 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (9.32%) is water.
Lewiston is a Niagara River community, north of Niagara Falls, New York. Across the river is the region of Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada. In fact, the formation of Niagara Falls began in Lewiston 12,000 years ago. Since then, the Falls has eroded seven miles south.
The village is at the west terminus of New York State Route 104 (Ridge Road) and is adjacent to the Robert Moses State Parkway.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,781 people, 1,268 households, and 735 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,003.5/km² (2,610.3/mi²). There were 1,351 housing units at an average density of 487.5 persons/km² (1,268.1 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.53% White, 0.11% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,268 households out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.79.
[edit] External links
| Municipalities and Communities of Niagara County, New York (County Seat: Lockport) |
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|---|---|
| Cities | Lockport | Niagara Falls | North Tonawanda |
| Towns | Cambria | Hartland | Lewiston | Lockport | Newfane | Niagara | Pendleton | Porter | Royalton | Somerset | Wilson | Wheatfield |
| Villages | Barker | Lewiston | Middleport | Wilson | Youngstown |
| CDPs | Gasport | Olcott | Ransomville | Rapids | South Lockport |
| Reservations | Tonawanda Reservation | Tuscarora Reservation |
