Lewiston, New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Lewiston, NY
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

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pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of New York
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Niagara
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 106.3
area_land_km2 = 96.5
area_water_km2 = 9.7
area_total_sq_mi = 41.0
area_land_sq_mi = 37.3
area_water_sq_mi = 3.8

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 16257
population_density_km2 = 168.4
population_density_sq_mi = 436.2

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 130
elevation_ft = 427
latd = 43 |latm = 10 |lats = 5 |latNS = N
longd = 79 |longm = 0 |longs = 33 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 14092
area_code = 716
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-42158
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0979146
website =
footnotes =

Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Village of Lewiston, NY (Yehęwakwáˀthaˀ [Rudes, B. "Tuscarora English Dictionary" Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999] in Tuscarora) is within the Town of Lewiston. The Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park lies at its southern border.

Tourists and visitors flock to Lewiston, primarily in the summertime, to enjoy its many festivals, fine restaurants, Artpark, and to learn about its fascinating history. Thousands enjoy going on the Whirlpool Jet Boat ride, which shoots through the Niagara River Class 5 rapids and is considered one of the Top 5 adventure rides in North America.

Lewiston is situated on the Niagara River, just across the river from Canada, and is half way between the world famous Niagara Falls and historic Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York. It's about 10 minutes by car from Niagara Falls.

Visitors from Canada can take the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge across the Niagara River.

Popular summer festivals include the Outdoor Art Festival (the second weekend in August) and the Historic Lewiston Jazz Festival (the last weekend in August. The famous Kiwanis Peach Festival takes place during the second weekend of September. Several other festivals, such as the Harvest Fest, take place during the year and most are held on or near the Village's main street called Center Street (18F North.)

Lewiston is also renowned for its variety and number of restaurants which serve tens of thousands of appreciative visitors each year.

Lewiston has completed a multi-million upgrade of its business district which now has brick sidewalks and period lanterns. It's waterfront park is also being improved with more greenspace and additional parking. A new landmark hotel has just been opened near the waterfront.

In close proximity [ [http://www.moderncorporation.com/map_mc.php MODERN CORPORATION - Model City - Directions ] ] to the Village of Lewiston, the towns of Lewiston and Porter host a 710-acre hazardous chemical waste landfill, the only one left in the Northeastern United States ["A Toxic Waste Capital Looks to Spread It Around; Upstate Dump Is the Last in the Northeast", The New York Times, March 10, 2004] . The area is also home to nuclear burial grounds that hold tons of radioactive material left over from the Manhattan Project [ibid.] . The Lewiston-Porter Central School District is also in close proximity of the waste site, an often alluded to fact by the students and staff at the high school.

History

The Village of Lewiston (formerly known as The Landing) was the site of the first white settlement in Western New York in 1720, though French explorers had visited the area as early as 1615. Native American tribes inhabited the Lewiston area for many centuries. The village claims to be the "most historic square mile in America" and sits directly across the Niagara River from Canada.

Lewiston is historically significant for several reasons. It was the location of the American invasion of Canada in 1812, referred to as the Battle of Queenston Heights; a commemorative sign indicates the location where the American force embarked to cross the Niagara River. Subsequently, Lewiston was burned to the ground by the British in December 1813. The Village was incorporated in 1822.

Lewiston was the final stop on the Underground Railroad for thousands of escaping slaves from the South who sought freedom in Canada in the 1840s and 1850s. Lewiston is the setting for the book, [http://www.historiclewiston.org/freedom.html Freedom Crossing] , by Margaret Goff Clark, which has become required reading for thousands of grade schoolers across the United States as they become familiar with the Underground Railroad movement. The Historical Association of Lewiston has prepared a [http://www.historiclewiston.org/freedom.html Freedom Crossing Study Guide] and is proceeding with plans to construct a bronze monument commemorating Freedom Crossing at Lewiston's waterfront park, with an unveiling scheduled for the Fall of 2009. It is also said that the cocktail was invented in Lewiston by Catherine Hustler, who later became a character in the novel The Spy, by James Fenimore Cooper.

The current mayor is the Hon. Richard Soluri.

The Town of Lewiston (Est. 1823), which includes the Village, has a population of more than 16,000 people, and the Town Supervisor is Fred Newlin.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (9.32%) is water.

Lewiston is a Niagara River community, north of Niagara Falls, New York. Across the river is the region of Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada. In fact, the formation of Niagara Falls began in Lewiston 12,000 years ago. Since then, the Falls has eroded seven miles south.

Western New York's historic Ridge Road begins in Lewiston. New York State Route 18F and New York State Route 18 have termini here, both at New York State Route 104, and the Robert Moses State Parkway runs along the edge of the village.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,781 people, 1,268 households, and 735 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,610.3 people per square mile (1,003.5/km²). There were 1,351 housing units at an average density of 487.5 persons/km² (1,268.1 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the village was 98.53% White, 0.11% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,268 households out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.79.

References

External links

* [http://www.historiclewiston.org Historic Lewiston, NY webpage]
* [http://www.northofthefalls.com Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.artpark.net Artpark]
* [http://www.northofthefalls.com/visitors/calendar.shtml Calendar of Events]