| Official Name: | Persia, New York |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | New York |
| Pushpin Label: | Persia |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of New York |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cattaraugus |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Town Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | John T Walgus (R) |
| Leader Title1: | Town Council |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 54.36 |
| Area Land Km2: | 54.11 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.25 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 20.99 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 20.89 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.10 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2203 |
| Population Density Km2: | 42.82 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 110.90 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 408 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1339 |
| Coordinates: | 42.4347°N -78.9425°W |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-009-57331 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0979356 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Est: | 2181 |
Persia is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 2,203 at the 2020 census.[2] It is in the northwest part of the county. The village of Gowanda is partially in the town.
A question frequently asked is "How did Town of Persia get its name?". Newspaper archives and history books do not give a small clue to the origin of the name.[3]
From Latin Persia, from Ancient Greek Περσίς (Persís), from Old Persian ' (Pārsa), another name for Iran.
The area that would become the town was first settled in 1810. The town of Persia was founded in 1835 from the town of Perrysburg.[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 54.4km2, of which 54.1km2 is land and 0.3km2, or 0.46%, is water.[5]
The northern border of the town is partly formed by Cattaraugus Creek, with Erie County on the opposite bank, and the east town line is defined by the South Branch of Cattaraugus Creek.
U.S. Route 62 passes through the northwest corner of the town, and New York State Route 353 passes across the south part of the town. Much of the town is served by the north-to-south Broadway Road (County Road 4), which runs from NY 353 into the village of Gowanda, which occupies the northern tip of the town and extends across Cattaraugus Creek into the town of Collins in Erie County.
As of the census[6] of 2000 For Persia, there were 2,512 people, 961 households, and 602 families residing in the town. The population density was 120sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,071 housing units at an average density of 51.2sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 95.74% White, 0.28% African American, 2.51% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
There were 961 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,675, and the median income for a family was $39,650. Males had a median income of $29,838 versus $26,304 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,590. About 10.6% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
| Under 5 years | 130 | |
| 5 to 9 years | 150 | |
| 10 to 14 years | 163 | |
| 15 to 19 years | 160 | |
| 20 to 24 years | 120 | |
| 25 to 29 years | 136 | |
| 30 to 34 years | 113 | |
| 35 to 39 years | 141 | |
| 40 to 44 years | 161 | |
| 45 to 49 years | 182 | |
| 50 to 54 years | 201 | |
| 55 to 59 years | 155 | |
| 60 to 64 years | 132 | |
| 65 to 69 years | 115 | |
| 70 to 74 years | 102 | |
| 75 to 79 years | 84 | |
| 80 to 84 years | 72 | |
| 85 years and over | 87 | |
| Total : 2,404 | ||
| CITIZENS 18 YEARS AND OVER (Estimates) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Speak only English | 1,789 | |
| Speak a language other than English | 47 | |
| Spanish | 21 | |
| Other languages | 26 | |
| Total : 1,836 | ||
| Population 18 to 24 years (Estimates) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Less than high school graduate | 16 | |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 40 | |
| Some college or associate degree | 49 | |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11 | |
| Total : 116 | ||
(Town of Persia Supervisor);[8]
June is the month for the Annual Hollywood Happening. Part of Main Street is closed to vehicle traffic so hundreds of individuals from all over can come to display their motorcycles and take part in the "Harley" Parade on Friday evening. There are vendors, live music, great food, and various activities to partake.[9]
In December, a Christmas tree lighting ceremony is held in Chang Hu Park, sponsored by the Gowanda Chamber of Commerce.