Lewiston (town), New York

Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York United States. The population was 16,257 at the 2000 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York.

The Town of Lewiston is on the western border of the county. The Village of Lewiston is within the town.

History

The Town of Lewiston was formed in 1818.
* [http://www.historiclewiston.org Historic Lewiston webpage]

Government

The current Town Supervisor is Fred Newlin and the Chef of Police is Chris Salad.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 41.0 square miles (106.3 km²), of which, 37.3 square miles (96.5 km²) of it is land and 3.8 square miles (9.7 km²) of it (9.16%) is water.

The Niagara River forms the western boundary of the town, which is an international border with Canada. The Town of Lewiston's southern border is with the City of Niagara Falls, NY, the Town of Niagara, NY, and the Town of Wheatfield, NY. The southern portion of the town also is on the top of the Niagara Escarpment. The eastern border of the town is at Townline Road which separates the Towns of Cambria and Lewiston. The northern border of the town is with the Towns of Porter and Wilson.

New York State Route 104 passes across the town as "Lewiston Road" on top of the Niagara Escarpment and "Ridge Road" below the Escarpment. There are three exits of Interstate 190 in Lewiston. Exit 24 at Witmer Road New York State Route 31, Exit 25A at Military Road New York State Route 265, and Exit 25B for Route 104 and the Robert Moses State Parkway.

Adjacent Cities & Towns

* Town of Porter - north
* Town of Cambria - east
* Town of Wheatfield - southeast
* Town of Niagara - south
* City of Niagara Falls - southwest
* Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario - west

Major Highways in the Town of Lewiston

* .

* (Creek Rd.), East-West (North-South Direction) Highway across the town roughly paralleling the Robert Moses Pkwy. from the Porter town line to its southern terminus at Lewiston Rd. (NY 104) just outside the Village of Lewiston.

* (Lower River Rd., Center St.(village)), North-South roadway through the town from the Porter town line through the Village of Lewiston to its southern terminus at NY 104/NY 18. This route roughly parallels the Lower Niagara River north of the Village of Lewiston north to the Town of Porter.

* (Saunders Settlement Rd.), East-West Highway across the southern part of town from the Cambria town line to the Niagara town line just before the routes junction with Military Rd. (NY 265).

* (Hyde Park Blvd.), North-South Roadway mostly in the City of Niagara Falls, but has a short distance in the southwest corner of town where the route has its northern end at Lewiston Rd. (NY 104).

* (Military Rd.), North-South roadway through the town from the Niagara town line past the New York Power Authority Generating Plant to its northern terminus at Lewiston Rd. (NY 104).

* (Townline Rd., Buffalo St.), North-South roadway from the Wheatfield town line to its northern terminus in the town at Ridge Rd. (NY 429).

*, North-South highway through the town from the Niagara Falls city line to the Porter town line.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 503 people, 200 households, and 100 families residing in the town. The population density was 436.2 people per square mile (168.4/km²). There were 6,147 housing units at an average density of 164.9/sq mi (63.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.98% White, 0.92% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.

There were 5,882 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 14.2% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,819, and the median income for a family was $58,620. Males had a median income of $46,748 versus $26,848 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,275. About 4.3% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Lewiston

*Bonds Lake County Park -- A park in the northeast corner of the town.
*Colonial Village -- A hamlet by the south town line on Route 31 (Saunders Settlement Road).
*Devil's Hole State Park -- in the southwest corner of the town.
*Dickersonville -- A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town on Route 104 (Ridge Road).
*Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park -- On the eastern edge of the town.
*Falcon Manor -- A location on the south town line, east of Colonial Village.
*Lewiston - The Village of Lewiston is in the western part of the town.
*Model City -- A hamlet on Route 104.
*Pekin -- A hamlet on the eastern town line.
*Power Reservoir -- A large artificial lake used to store water for power generation.
*Reservoir State Park -- A park on the south shore of the reservoir and Route 265.
*Sanborn - A hamlet originally called South Pekin, it was renamed after Ebenezer Sanborn in 1866. It is in the southeast corner of the town on Routes 429 and 31.
*Tuscarora Reservation -- A reservation of one of the members of the Iroquois confederacy, located east of the reservoir.

Information about the Town of Lewiston

Niagara University is located near the border of the City of Niagara Falls, and Niagara County Community College is located near the village of Sanborn in the Town of Cambria.

The town is served by the Lewiston-Porter school district located on Creek Road. There are also several private schools in the town: Stella Niagara Education Park, Sacred Heart Academy and St. Peter's. However, Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District serves most of the Town of Lewiston. Niagara-Wheatfield High School, Edward Town Middle School, Colonial Village Elementary School and West Street Elementary School are all technically located in the Town of Lewiston.

Five volunteer fire companies protect the Town of Lewiston. The Lewiston #1 and #2 fire companies, the Pekin Volunteer Fire Company, the Sanborn Volunteer Fire Company, and the [http://www.uppermountainfire.com Upper Mountain Fire Company] .

Several federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies protect the town. The United States Border Patrol is the federal agency. The New York State agencies are the New York State Police and the New York State Parks Police. The Niagara County Sheriff's Department assists the Lewiston Police Department which is the local authority.

There are several health-care facilities in the town. The Mount Saint Mary's Hospital is a six-floor facility that offers many differing kinds of high level healthcare. It also includes the "EmStar" emergency health facility. Adjacent to Mt. St. Mary's is the Our Lady of Peace nursing home.

Lewiston is also home to the New York Power Authority's Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. This complex contains a 65 acre raised reservoir, a pump-generating plant, and the hydroelectric power plant.

Lewiston is the smallest city in the history of "The Amazing Race" to host the finish line for an edition of the reality show; The Amazing Race 8 was completed there.

References

External links

* [http://www.uppermountainfire.com Upper Mountain Fire Company]
* [http://www.historiclewiston.org Historic Lewiston]
* [http://www.historiclewiston.org/links.html Lewiston Business, Cultural, Visitor Links]
* [http://www.townoflewiston.us Lewiston Town Government website]
* [http://www.niagara-lewiston.org Town of Lewiston webpage]