Orchard Park, New York Explained

Orchard Park, New York
Other Name:East Hamburgh
Settlement Type:Town
Mapsize:260px
Image Map1:New York in United States (US48).svg
Map Caption1:Location of New York in the United States
Coordinates:42.7667°N -122°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:New York
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Erie County
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:1850
Named For:Orchard Park
Leader Title:Supervisor
Leader Name:Eugene Majchrzak
Leader Title1:Town Supervisor
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:99.76
Area Total Sq Mi:38.52
Area Land Km2:99.55
Area Land Sq Mi:38.44
Area Water Km2:0.21
Area Water Sq Mi:0.08
Elevation Ft:866
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:29686
Population Density Km2:297.63
Population Density Sq Mi:770.85
Timezone1:EST
Utc Offset1:-5
Timezone1 Dst:EDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-4
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:14127
Area Code:716
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:36-029-55277
Blank Name Sec2:FIPS code
Blank Info Sec2:36-55277
Blank1 Name Sec2:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info Sec2:0979318
Blank2 Name Sec2:Wikimedia Commons

Orchard Park is an incorporated town in Erie County, New York, United States. It is an outer ring suburb southeast of Buffalo. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,054,[2] representing an increase of 5.13% from the 2000 census figure.[3] The town contains a village also named Orchard Park. Orchard Park is one of the Southtowns of Erie County and is best known as the site of Highmark Stadium, home of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills.

History

In 1803, Didymus C. Kinney and wife Phebe (Hartwell) purchased land and built a cabin in the southwest corner of the township, which has since been turned into a museum. The following year, a migration of Quaker settlers began.

The town was separated from the town of Hamburg in 1850 and was first named "Ellicott", after Joseph Ellicott, an agent of the Holland Land Company. Within months, the name was changed to the town of "East Hamburgh". On March 1, 1934, the town was renamed "Orchard Park" after its principal settlement.[4]

In the early 1900s, a large fire burned down most of the central part of the village of Orchard Park around South Buffalo Street.

The Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad Station and the Johnson-Jolls Complex are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Orchard Park is located at (42.7622, -78.7414).[5] The village of Orchard Park is southeast of downtown Buffalo.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 99.76sqkm, of which 99.56sqkm is land and 0.21sqkm, or 0.21%, is water.[2]

Major routes

U.S. Route 219 passes through the west part of the town and forms junctions with U.S. Route 20A (Quaker Street) and NY 179 (Milestrip Road).

U.S. Route 20 (Southwestern Boulevard) passes through the north part of the town and forms a junction with NY 277 and NY 240 (Orchard Park Road).

Adjacent towns and cities

Demographics

As of the census[6] of 2010, there were 28,272 people, 11,553 households, and 7,656 families residing in the town. The population density was 717.7sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 10,644 housing units at an average density of 276.4sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 97.9% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 10,277 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $100,575, and the median income for a family was $112,906. About 1.1% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

Government

The town of Orchard Park has a supervisor-council form of government. Elected at large positions are Supervisor, Council Member, Clerk, Highway Superintendent and Town Justice. Other appointed positions are Town Attorney and Deputy Attorney, Engineer, Assessor, Building Inspector, Recreation and Youth Services Director and Chief of Police.

Supervisors

Town of Orchard Park

Town of East Hamburgh [8]

Points of interest

Communities

Places of interest

Education

The Orchard Park Central School District operates four K-5 elementary schools (Eggert, Ellicott, South Davis, and Windom), Orchard Park Middle School, and Orchard Park High School. The mascot for the Orchard Park's athletic teams is a Quaker.

Bryant & Stratton College is in Orchard Park. Erie Community College (ECC) is at the western town line.

Orchard Park also has a number of private, Catholic schools, including Nativity and St. John Vianney. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (pre-k through 8), closed in 2014 after exhaustive research conducted by the Diocese of Buffalo on demographics, finances and educational relevance.[11]

Culture

Art

The annual Orchard Park Festival of the Arts, an outdoor art and craft show, is held each year on the third weekend of September, on the campus of Orchard Park Middle School. It is sponsored by the Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce. It was organized as the Quaker Arts Festival in the 1960s by Orchard Parkers John Coleman of The Suburban Press and Chet Seymour of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, and was originally held on the grounds of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church. It was run by the Orchard Park Jaycees from 1963 to 2017.

Music

Since 1985, under the direction of the Orchard Park Council of the Arts, local businesses and the town of Orchard Park sponsor free outdoor musical entertainment throughout the summer at the pavilion bandstand on the grounds of the middle school.

Organized in 1949, the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra, composed of more than 70 volunteer musicians, performs four regular concerts each year in the high school auditorium.

The Orchard Park Chorale was founded in 1975 under the sponsorship of the Adult Education Program of the Orchard Park School District. Its more than fifty singers perform regularly at the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church.

Sports

Media

Print newspapers

Notable people

Business and industry

Entertainers and actors

Sports

Religion, charities, social advocacy

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. July 4, 2017. August 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170824204425/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_36.txt. live.
  2. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Orchard Park town, Erie County, New York. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. March 2, 2016.
  3. Web site: Places, Towns, and Townships 2012 - Read Online. September 10, 2017. February 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201191126/http://www.scribd.com/doc/51486078/2010-Census-City-and-Town-Growth-via-NYPIRG. dead.
  4. News: Albany Bureau . It's Orchard Park Town Not East Hamburg, Now . Buffalo Evening News . Page 36 . March 1, 1934.
  5. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011. August 24, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html. live.
  6. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. January 31, 2008. August 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210830204200/https://www.census.gov/. live.
  7. News: O'Brien . Barbara . Orchard Park supervisor resigns to care for his ailing wife . May 22, 2022 . The Buffalo News . Lee Enterprises . September 30, 2020 . May 22, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522181622/https://buffalonews.com/news/local/government-and-politics/orchard-park-supervisor-resigning-to-care-for-his-ailing-wife/article_44db38d2-033f-11eb-8b5d-5f3a55649015.html . live .
  8. Web site: Kulp . Suzanne . History of Orchard Park . Town of Orchard Park . Town of Orchard Park . March 22, 2022 . March 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220328072459/https://www.orchardparkny.org/about/orchard-park-history/ . live .
  9. Web site: Chestnut Ridge . Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry (Erie.gov) . July 27, 2023 . August 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210801043400/https://www2.erie.gov/parks/index.php?q=chestnut-ridge . live .
  10. Web site: Conheady . Matt . Eternal Flame Falls, Orchard Park – Waterfall Photos, Maps, Information . Nyfalls.com . August 4, 2023 . August 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230804174911/https://nyfalls.com/waterfalls/eternal-flame-falls/ . live .
  11. Web site: Miner. Dan. Reporter. Buffalo Business First. Buffalo Business First. March 18, 2016. April 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140401032329/http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2014/01/15/diocese-closing-10-schools-7-in.html. live.