Town of tonawanda

Not to be confused with Tonawanda (city), New York.

Town in New York, United States

Tonawanda (formally, the Town of Tonawanda) is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the census, the town had a population of 73,^[1] The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern inner ring suburb of Buffalo. It is sometimes referred to, along with its constituent village of Kenmore, as "Ken-Ton". The town was established in , and up to it included what is now the city of Tonawanda.

History[edit]

This area was under French control from the 17th century until ceded to the British after the French and Indian War.

The first European settlers arrived around Rapid growth began after the construction of the Erie Canal, completed in Tonawanda occupies the northwest corner of Erie County and is bounded on the north by the Erie Canal, which here follows Tonawanda Creek.

The town of Tonawanda was established in , by separation from the town of Buffalo (now part of the city of Buffalo). At that time it included land that later became part of the town of Grand Island (established ) and the entire city of Tonawanda (established ).

In , Kenmore incorporated as a village of the town, and remained the town's primary residential and commercial district until the rest of the town was heavily developed into suburban housing in the s and s.

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of square miles (&#;km²), of which square miles (&#;km²) is land and square miles (&#;km²), or %, is water.^[1]

The north border of the town is the city of Tonawanda and Tonawanda Creek, which is part of the Erie Canal, and the west border is the Niagara River. Ellicott Creek flows parallel to Tonawanda Creek in the northern part of the town, with a confluence just east of the Niagara River. The east border, marked by U.S. Route 62 (Niagara Falls Boulevard), is the town of Amherst. Forming the southern border is the village of Kenmore and the city of Buffalo.

Adjacent cities and towns[edit]

Major highways[edit]

• Interstate (Niagara Section) passes through the western part of town from the Buffalo city line to the South Grand Island Bridges onto Grand Island north to Niagara Falls, NY, and Niagara Falls, Ontario.
• Interstate (Youngmann Expressway) travels through the town from I to US 62 and beyond to Amherst.
• U.S. Route 62, north-south highway that marks the east town line as Niagara Falls Blvd.
• New York State Route (Military Rd.), north-south highway through western part of town from the Buffalo city line to the city of Tonawanda line.
• New York State Route (River Rd.), north-south roadway paralleling the Niagara River in the town from the Buffalo city line to the city of Tonawanda line.
• New York State Route (Sheridan Dr., Grand Island Blvd.), east-west highway through the town from Niagara Falls Blvd. (US 62) to River Rd. (NY ) where it crosses the South Grand Island Bridge onto Grand Island.
• New York State Route (Sheridan Dr.), north-south road from Sheridan Dr./Grand Island Blvd. (NY ) to River Rd. (NY ). It is the only part of Sheridan Drive not signed as NY and continues as Sheridan westward from where it NY becomes Grand Island Boulevard.
• New York State Route (Delaware Ave.), north-south highway in the town from the Kenmore village line to the city of Tonawanda line.
• New York State Route (Twin Cities Memorial Hwy.), north-south highway in the northern part of town beginning at the I and Colvin Blvd interchange that heads north into the city of Tonawanda by way of the Twin Cities Memorial Highway.

Demographics[edit]

As of the census of , there were 78, people, 33, households, and 21, families residing in the town.^[3] The population density was 4, people per square mile (1,/km²). There were 34, housing units at an average density of 1, per square mile (/km²). The racial makeup of the town was % White, % Black or African American, % Native American, % Asian, % Pacific Islander, % from other races, and % from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were % of the population.

There were 32, households, out of which % had children under the age of 18 living with them, % were married couples living together, % had a female householder with no husband present, and % were non-families.

Environmental issues[edit]

A house almost completely buried in snow in the blizzard of (January 30, )

In , citizen environmental monitoring of air quality problems resulted in an investigation by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into emissions from Tonawanda Coke Corporation (TCC), a producer of foundry coke located on River Road, Tonawanda.^[4][5] In TCC had been cited by the EPA for violations of oil spill prevention sections of the federal Clean Water Act following contamination of the nearby Niagara River.^[6] The investigations into air quality revealed TCC was using an unreported pressure-relief system to vent coke oven gases containing benzene direct to the atmosphere, operating a coke-quenching tower without pollution-control baffles, and dumping hazardous waste in the form of coal tar sludge.^[7]

In March TCC was convicted by a federal jury on 11 counts of violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) and three counts of violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). In March TCC was sentenced in federal court to pay a $ million penalty and $ million in community service payments for the violations. TCC's Environmental Control Manager, Mark L. Kamholz, was convicted of 11 counts of violating the CAA, one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of violating the RCRA, and was sentenced to one year in prison, hours of community service, and a $20, fine.^[7]

In July DuPont was fined $, for violations of the CAA at its plant at Sheridan Drive and River Road. The EPA found that the plant had inadequate pollution-control equipment, failed to maintain a monitoring system for the equipment, violated several reporting requirements and underreported air pollution on its annual statements. Emissions from the plant included methyl methacrylate and vinyl fluoride.^[8]

Culture[edit]

Landmarks[edit]

One of the Town of Tonawanda's best known landmarks is the blue Korean War-era Grumman F9F-6P Cougar Naval airframe displayed in Walter M. Kenney Field at the northwest corner of Brighton Road and Colvin Boulevard.^[9] The "blue jet," as it is often called, has been on loan to the town from the U.S. government since May ^[9] Immediately behind the F9F-6P airframe is the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial, dedicated on August 18, Retired U.S. Army General and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell delivered the keynote address during the memorial's dedication ceremony before a crowd of more than 1,^[10][11]

The Town of Tonawanda Historical Society operates a museum out of a former German Evangelical Church constructed in ^[12] This facility, located at Knoche Road, is the oldest public building in the town.^[12]

Notable people[edit]

Education[edit]

Tonawanda has two public high schools, Kenmore West Senior High School and Kenmore East High School.

The town is also home to St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, Mount Saint Mary Academy, and Cardinal O'Hara High School.

Communities and locations[edit]

• Brighton &#; neighborhood by the east town line.
• Brighton Park &#; park and golf course in the northeast part of the town.
• Ellicott Creek Park &#; acre (&#;km²) park operated by the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
• Green Acres &#; neighborhood in the northeast corner of the town.
• Kenilworth &#; neighborhood in the southeast corner of the town.
• Kenmore &#; village completely within the borders of the town.
• Lincoln Park &#; park in the southeast corner of the town.
• Old Town &#; neighborhood on the western edge of the town, between the industrial area and Niagara River.
• Parkview &#; neighborhood in the northeast corner of the town, bordering Ellicott Creek Park.
• Sheridan Park &#; park and golf course in the western part of the town.
• Sheridan Parkside &#; neighborhood on the western part of the town, just east of Sheridan Park.
• Tonawanda &#; census-designated place within the town.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]