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Lockport (town), New York

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Lockport, New York
Town
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyNiagara
Area
 • Total44.7 sq mi (115.8 km2)
 • Land44.6 sq mi (115.6 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation
630 ft (192 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total19,653
 • Density440.3/sq mi (170.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
14094-14095
Area code716
FIPS code36-43093
GNIS feature ID0979165
Location within Niagara County.

Lockport is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 19,653 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the series of canal locks on the Erie Canal that lift boats from the lowland of Lake Ontario past the Niagara Escarpment. The town is in the south-central part of the county and surrounds the City of Lockport.

History

Many early settlers were Quakers and helped make the area a bastion of anti-slavery. The Town of Lockport was established in 1824, the same year the canal was completed up to the City of Lockport.

An 1816 act of the New York state legislature convinced speculators that the Erie Canal would pass through the area that was to become Lockport, and the Holland Land Company began to sell land to both speculators and Quakers. The village site was both surveyed and occupied in 1821 and chosen the following year as the county seat.

An advertisement appeared in New York City papers in 1821 seeking canal workers for the Lockport section of the canal, one of the hilliest stretches of the canal. A wave of Irish immigrants looking for work swelled Lockport's population to 2,500 in 1825. The canal opened on October 25, 1825 and the twin flights of locks, from which the village and town were named, were put into service. lockport was incorporated as a village in 1829.

Excess water from the top of the locks was passed to the bottom through raceways, creating power to run grist and saw-mills, a cotton factory, boot and shoe shops, a tannery and a furnace and plow factory, all of which were in operation by 1835. The town was served by the Lockport and Niagara falls railroad (1836-1851), the Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls (1852), and the Buffalo Lockport Railroad (1853). Birdsill Holly, inventor of the Holly system for pumping water from a central pumping station, built an industrial complex on the banks of the canal. The state enlarged the canal between 1838 and 1859. Lockport incorporated as a city in 1865. Lockport was the site of the first commercial telegraph company (1845) and the first commercial producer of aluminum (1882). Late nineteenth century firms produced steam engines, glass, saws, mill machinery, pulp paper, limestone and hydraulic cement.

The final enlargement of the canal at Lockport began in 1908 and ended in 1918. New industry appeared in the twentieth century including Simonds Saw and Steetl , and Harrison Radiator (now Delphi-Harrison Thermal Systems). These industries brought a new prosperity to the local economy after Holly Manufacturing moved to Buffalo in 1904.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.7 square miles (115.8 km²), of which, 44.6 square miles (115.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.18%) is water.

The south border of the town is formed by Tonawanda Creek. The Erie Canal passes through the north part of the town and the City of Lockport. New York State Route 78 marks the west town line of Lockport.

Adjacent Cities & Towns

Major Highways in the Town of Lockport

  • New York State Route 31 (Saunders Settlement Rd., Chesnut Ridge Rd., Rochester Rd.), East-West Highway through the town from the Cambria town line through the City of Lockport to the Royalton town line.
  • New York State Route 77 (Chesnut Ridge Rd.), North-South roadway that begins at Chesnut Ridge Rd./Rochester Rd. intersection just outside of the City of Lockport and continues through the town for a short distance before entering the Town of Royalton.
  • New York State Route 78 (Transit Rd., Lake Ave.), North-South Highway through the town from the Amherst town line through the City of Lockport north to the Newfane town line.
  • New York State Route 93 (Dysinger Rd., Robinson Rd., Lockport Bypass, Saunders Settlement Rd., Town Line Rd.), East-West roadway from the Royalton town line, through the town south of the city. The route then travels north on the western outskirts of the City of Lockport by the way of the Lockport Bypass onto Saunders Settlement Rd. (NY 31). The route then runs concurrent with NY 31 until NY 31's intersection with NY 270 where that route has its northern terminus. NY 93 then travels north at that intersection and onward into the Town of Cambria when NY 93 reaches NY 104.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 19,653 people, 7,537 households, and 5,253 families residing in the town. The population density was 440.3 people per square mile (170.0/km²). There were 8,059 housing units at an average density of 180.6/sq mi (69.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.86% White, 4.08% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 7,537 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,977, and the median income for a family was $55,414. Males had a median income of $41,166 versus $25,810 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,194. About 6.5% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Natives

See City of Lockport

Communities and locations in the Town of Lockport

  • Carlisle Gardens – A community bordering the east side of the City of Lockport.
  • County Fair Grounds – The fair grounds are north of the City of Lockport.
  • Highland Park – A location north of the City of Lockport, next to the fair grounds.
  • Nottingham Estates – A location east if the City of Lockport, and north of Route 31.
  • Rapids – A hamlet on the south border of the town.
  • Raymond – A location northwest of Rapids.
  • Ridge Lea – A location north of the City of Lockport.
  • Shooktown – A location east of the City of Lockport.
  • South Lockport – A community bordering the south side of the City of Lockport.
  • Wrights Corners – A hamlet on the north town line, located on Route 78, partly in the Town of Newfane.
  • City of Lockport – The City of Lockport is in the north-central part of the town.
  • Lockport Mall – A shopping mall located on Transit Road in South Lockport. As of 2007 the mall is all but vacant.

See also

References


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