Western New York
Region in New York, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY includes the cities of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Jamestown, and the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands and Niagara Frontier, and Chautauqua-Alleghany (or the western Southern Tier). Many would also place Rochester and the Genesee Valley in the region, while some would also include the western Finger Lakes within the region. Others would describe the latter three areas as being in a separate Finger Lakes region.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2020) |
Western New York | |
---|---|
Region | |
Left to right from top: Buffalo's skyline, Rochester's skyline, Niagara Falls in the winter, Letchworth State Park in autumn, the 2008 NHL Winter Classic at Highmark Stadium, a nighttime game at Frontier Field. | |
Country | United States |
State | New York |
Region | Western New York |
Counties | Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates |
Cities | Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, Batavia, Jamestown, Lockport, Canandaigua, North Tonawanda, Geneva |
Area | |
• Total | 15,107 sq mi (39,130 km2) |
Population (2017) | |
• Total | 2,800,878 |
• Density | 190/sq mi (72/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern Standard Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern Daylight Time) |
Area code | 315, 585, 607, 716 |
The State of New York sometimes defines the WNY region as including just five counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara. The state's Empire State Development Corporation and state health authorities have both mapped the region this way.[1] The state has also used this regional boundary to set policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
More commonly, WNY has been defined to include at least Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming counties as well. Almost all descriptions of WNY in the Buffalo media market define it as this 8 county area.[3] Most organizations that use WNY in their name including the WNY College Consortium, the WNY Genealogical Society, WNY PRISM, the Psychological Association of WNY, and the WNY Land Conservancy describe themselves as working in these 8 counties.[4][5][6][7][8]
Others, such as Clarion Publications, the publisher of the WNY Travel Guide and WesternNY.com, have used the term Western New York to describe a much larger area consisting of 17 counties. In addition to those counties mentioned, they add Chemung, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates as well.[9]
The rest of this article uses that definition. The 17 counties have a land area of 11,764 square miles (30,470 km2).[9] They include the area of the Holland Purchase and the Phelps and Gorham Purchase.
The area is primarily served by Buffalo and Rochester media markets, although there is considerable overlap between these two markets, as well as other American and Canadian media markets (particularly from nearby Toronto). In terms of the combined statistical areas used by the United States Census Bureau, Western New York consists of the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY area, the Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY area, and the Elmira-Corning, NY area.[10]
Western New York is in some contexts considered a sub-region of "Upstate New York" (when that term is used to describe all of New York State outside Long Island and the New York City metropolitan area); in most cases however, New Yorkers identify by specific regionalities such as Western New York or Central New York in preference to the vague and broader term Upstate New York.
Western New York is generally considered to have 2-4 subregions:
- Greater Niagara
- Chautauqua-Allegheny
- Genesee
- Western Finger Lakes (sometimes considered part of Central New York)
The Greater Niagara Region (or the Niagara Frontier), comprises Niagara and Erie counties and parts of Genesee and Wyoming counties. It is named for its major features, the Niagara river and Niagara Falls. Buffalo is its largest urban center.
The Chautauqua–Allegheny Region (also known as Southwestern New York or the Western Southern Tier) comprises Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties. The region is mountainous. The largest urban center is Jamestown, and Lake Chautauqua and Allegany State Park are major geographical features.
The third region, the Genesee Region, comprises Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Orleans, Ontario, and Yates counties and parts of Genessee and Wyoming counties. Rochester is its largest urban center. Letchworth State Park is a major geographical feature.
The fourth region is that of the western Finger Lakes Region composed of parts of Seneca, Steuben, Schuyler, and Chemung counties. While parts of the Finger Lakes are considered within Western New York (as either a region or quadrant) the eastern portions are typically considered a part of Central New York.
The Genesee region and Western Finger Lakes region are often combined and described as the Finger Lakes region.
Western New York also includes several Seneca Nation enclaves.
If it were counted as a single area, the population of Western New York would number just over 2.6 million, and would rank as the 24th largest metropolitan area of the United States, between the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and the Sacramento, California metropolitan area. However, the U.S. Census Bureau has classified the Buffalo and Rochester areas as two different metropolitan areas. If it were counted as a state, the population of Western New York would rank as the 37th most populated state in the United States.
- Allegany County, population 48,357
- Cattaraugus County, population 79,458
- Chautauqua County, population 133,539
- Chemung County, population 88,911
- Erie County, population 954,236
- Genesee County, population 59,977
- Livingston County, population 64,810
- Monroe County, population 759,443
- Niagara County, population 215,124
- Ontario County, population 108,519
- Orleans County, population 42,836
- Schuyler County, population 18,514
- Seneca County, population 35,305
- Steuben County, population 99,063
- Wayne County, population 92,962
- Wyoming County, population 41,892
- Yates County, population 25,344
The following cities are found in the 17 western counties:
Batavia, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Corning, Dunkirk, Elmira, Geneva, Hornell, Jamestown, Lackawanna, Lockport, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Olean, Rochester, Salamanca, Tonawanda.
The following villages are found in the 17 western counties:
Addison, Akron, Albion, Alden, Alexander, Alfred, Allegany, Almond, Andover, Angelica, Angola, Arcade, Arkport, Attica, Avoca, Avon, Barker, Bath, Belmont, Bemus Point, Bergen, Blasdell, Bloomfield, Bolivar, Brockport, Brocton, Burdett, Caledonia, Canaseraga, Canisteo, Cassadaga, Castile, Cattaraugus, Celoron, Cherry Creek, Churchville, Clarence, Clifton Springs, Clyde, Cohocton, Corfu, Cuba, Dansville, Delevan, Depew, Dresden, Dundee, Dunkirk, East Aurora, East Randolph, East Rochester, Eden, Elba, Ellicottville, Elmira Heights, Fairport, Falconer, Farnham, Forestville, Franklinville, Fredonia, Gainesville, Geneseo, Gowanda, Hamburg, Hammondsport, Hilton, Holley, Honeoye Falls, Horseheads, Interlaken, Kenmore, Lakewood, Lancaster, Le Roy, Leicester, Lewiston, Lima, Limestone, Little Valley, Livonia, Lodi, Lyndonville, Lyons, Lockport, Macedon, Manchester, Mayville, Medina, Middleport, Millport, Montour Falls, Mount Morris, Naples, Newark, Newfane, North Collins, North Hornell, North Tonawanda, Nunda, Oakfield, Odessa, Orchard Park, Ovid, Painted Post, Palmyra, Panama, Pavilion, Penn Yan, Perry, Perrysburg, Phelps, Pike, Pittsford, Portville, Randolph, Red Creek, Richburg, Riverside, Rushville, Savona, Scottsville, Sherman, Shortsville, Silver Creek, Silver Springs, Sinclairville, Sloan, Sodus, Sodus Point, South Corning, South Dayton, Spencerport, Springville, Tonawanda, Van Etten, Victor, Warsaw, Waterloo, Watkins Glen, Wayland, Webster, Wellsburg, Wellsville, Westfield, Williamsville, Wilson, Wolcott, Wyoming and Youngstown.
Western New York has a humid continental climate heavily influenced by both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Winters are long and cold, often lasting from around mid-November to early April. There are often snows before and after that period, as well. Western New York is known for its lake effect snows, which can result in highly localized, sometimes intense and even historic snow events. Lake effect storms are a result of cold air picking up water vapor as it blows over warm lake waters. Lake effect snows are usually most active between November and February and typically diminish when Lake Erie freezes over. Generally, the heaviest amount of snow in Western New York during the winter falls near the southern end of Erie County as well as in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Wyoming counties. Spring and fall in Western New York are usually short and changeable. The presence of the lakes allows for fruit growing and wine production along areas adjacent to both lakes, which retard the development of damaging spring and fall frost, thereby extending the growing season. Lost in its famed winters, Western New York summers are among the sunniest in the Northeast Canada and are generally very pleasant. Thanks in part to breezes blowing over Lakes Erie and Ontario (which are usually cooler than the air temperature in the summer), most of Western New York enjoy generally cooler and more comfortable summers than other regions in the same climatic zone.
Climate data for Buffalo (Buffalo Niagara International Airport), 1991–2020 normals,[lower-alpha 1] extremes 1871–present[lower-alpha 2] | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) |
71 (22) |
82 (28) |
94 (34) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
98 (37) |
99 (37) |
98 (37) |
92 (33) |
80 (27) |
74 (23) |
99 (37) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.4 (13.6) |
54.5 (12.5) |
66.0 (18.9) |
77.9 (25.5) |
84.3 (29.1) |
88.1 (31.2) |
89.5 (31.9) |
88.5 (31.4) |
86.4 (30.2) |
77.9 (25.5) |
67.4 (19.7) |
56.8 (13.8) |
91.5 (33.1) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.1 (0.1) |
33.3 (0.7) |
41.8 (5.4) |
54.7 (12.6) |
67.4 (19.7) |
75.6 (24.2) |
80.2 (26.8) |
79.0 (26.1) |
72.3 (22.4) |
59.6 (15.3) |
47.8 (8.8) |
37.2 (2.9) |
56.8 (13.8) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.5 (−3.6) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
34.1 (1.2) |
45.6 (7.6) |
57.9 (14.4) |
66.9 (19.4) |
71.7 (22.1) |
70.4 (21.3) |
63.4 (17.4) |
51.7 (10.9) |
41.0 (5.0) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
48.8 (9.3) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.0 (−7.2) |
19.5 (−6.9) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
36.5 (2.5) |
48.3 (9.1) |
58.1 (14.5) |
63.1 (17.3) |
61.7 (16.5) |
54.5 (12.5) |
43.9 (6.6) |
34.2 (1.2) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
40.9 (4.9) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 0.8 (−17.3) |
1.7 (−16.8) |
9.3 (−12.6) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
35.6 (2.0) |
45.6 (7.6) |
52.8 (11.6) |
51.0 (10.6) |
41.0 (5.0) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
8.5 (−13.1) |
−2.8 (−19.3) |
Record low °F (°C) | −16 (−27) |
−20 (−29) |
−7 (−22) |
5 (−15) |
25 (−4) |
35 (2) |
43 (6) |
38 (3) |
32 (0) |
20 (−7) |
2 (−17) |
−10 (−23) |
−20 (−29) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.35 (85) |
2.49 (63) |
2.89 (73) |
3.37 (86) |
3.37 (86) |
3.37 (86) |
3.23 (82) |
3.23 (82) |
4.10 (104) |
4.03 (102) |
3.50 (89) |
3.75 (95) |
40.68 (1,033) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 26.7 (68) |
18.1 (46) |
14.1 (36) |
2.5 (6.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
7.8 (20) |
25.3 (64) |
95.4 (242) |
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 10.8 (27) |
8.4 (21) |
7.6 (19) |
1.0 (2.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
3.7 (9.4) |
9.0 (23) |
15.5 (39) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 19.2 | 15.8 | 14.8 | 13.4 | 12.8 | 11.9 | 10.8 | 10.0 | 10.9 | 14.1 | 14.4 | 17.7 | 165.8 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 16.4 | 13.5 | 9.1 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 4.7 | 12.2 | 59.5 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 76.0 | 75.9 | 73.3 | 67.8 | 67.2 | 68.6 | 68.1 | 72.1 | 74.0 | 72.9 | 75.8 | 77.6 | 72.4 |
Average dew point °F (°C) | 16.9 (−8.4) |
17.6 (−8.0) |
25.2 (−3.8) |
33.4 (0.8) |
44.2 (6.8) |
54.1 (12.3) |
59.0 (15.0) |
58.8 (14.9) |
52.5 (11.4) |
41.7 (5.4) |
32.7 (0.4) |
22.6 (−5.2) |
38.2 (3.5) |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 91.3 | 108.0 | 163.7 | 204.7 | 258.3 | 287.1 | 306.7 | 266.4 | 207.6 | 159.4 | 84.4 | 69.0 | 2,206.6 |
Percent possible sunshine | 31 | 37 | 44 | 51 | 57 | 63 | 66 | 62 | 55 | 47 | 29 | 25 | 49 |
Average ultraviolet index | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Source 1: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990)[11][12][13] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Weather Atlas[14] |
Climate data for Rochester, New York (Greater Rochester Int'l), 1991–2020 normals,[lower-alpha 3] extremes 1871−present[lower-alpha 4] | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
73 (23) |
86 (30) |
93 (34) |
94 (34) |
100 (38) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
99 (37) |
91 (33) |
81 (27) |
72 (22) |
102 (39) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 57.2 (14.0) |
55.1 (12.8) |
67.1 (19.5) |
79.9 (26.6) |
86.7 (30.4) |
90.5 (32.5) |
92.1 (33.4) |
90.4 (32.4) |
87.7 (30.9) |
80.0 (26.7) |
68.5 (20.3) |
57.5 (14.2) |
93.4 (34.1) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.4 (0.8) |
35.2 (1.8) |
43.6 (6.4) |
55.5 (13.1) |
69.4 (20.8) |
77.9 (25.5) |
82.5 (28.1) |
80.5 (26.9) |
73.6 (23.1) |
61.2 (16.2) |
49.1 (9.5) |
38.5 (3.6) |
58.5 (14.7) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 26.2 (−3.2) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
35.2 (1.8) |
46.8 (8.2) |
58.8 (14.9) |
67.6 (19.8) |
72.3 (22.4) |
70.7 (21.5) |
63.6 (17.6) |
52.2 (11.2) |
41.5 (5.3) |
32.0 (0.0) |
49.5 (9.7) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.0 (−7.2) |
19.6 (−6.9) |
26.8 (−2.9) |
37.1 (2.8) |
48.2 (9.0) |
57.4 (14.1) |
62.2 (16.8) |
61.0 (16.1) |
53.6 (12.0) |
43.3 (6.3) |
34.0 (1.1) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
40.6 (4.8) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | −0.8 (−18.2) |
0.5 (−17.5) |
8.4 (−13.1) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
34.4 (1.3) |
43.9 (6.6) |
50.7 (10.4) |
49.2 (9.6) |
39.6 (4.2) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
7.7 (−13.5) |
−3.7 (−19.8) |
Record low °F (°C) | −17 (−27) |
−22 (−30) |
−9 (−23) |
7 (−14) |
26 (−3) |
35 (2) |
42 (6) |
36 (2) |
28 (−2) |
19 (−7) |
1 (−17) |
−16 (−27) |
−22 (−30) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.55 (65) |
2.13 (54) |
2.49 (63) |
2.99 (76) |
2.86 (73) |
3.37 (86) |
3.56 (90) |
3.31 (84) |
3.18 (81) |
3.22 (82) |
2.76 (70) |
2.67 (68) |
35.09 (891) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 27.4 (70) |
23.1 (59) |
17.9 (45) |
3.0 (7.6) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
8.1 (21) |
22.3 (57) |
102.0 (259) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 19.6 | 16.4 | 15.4 | 13.4 | 12.4 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 11.1 | 13.9 | 14.9 | 18.1 | 168.2 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 17.6 | 15.0 | 10.1 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 5.7 | 13.5 | 65.2 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 74.0 | 74.1 | 71.0 | 67.0 | 67.2 | 69.4 | 69.7 | 74.3 | 76.8 | 74.5 | 76.3 | 77.5 | 72.6 |
Average dew point °F (°C) | 16.3 (−8.7) |
17.2 (−8.2) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
34.0 (1.1) |
45.1 (7.3) |
55.0 (12.8) |
59.9 (15.5) |
59.7 (15.4) |
53.4 (11.9) |
42.3 (5.7) |
33.3 (0.7) |
22.8 (−5.1) |
38.7 (3.7) |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 108.3 | 118.1 | 177.7 | 216.5 | 266.5 | 297.6 | 314.4 | 273.4 | 212.3 | 154.4 | 81.5 | 77.5 | 2,298.2 |
Percent possible sunshine | 37 | 40 | 48 | 54 | 59 | 65 | 68 | 63 | 57 | 45 | 28 | 28 | 52 |
Source: NOAA (relative humidity, dew point, and sun 1961–1990)[15][16][17] |
Major highways
Interstate System
- Interstate 90, also known as the New York State Thruway.
- Interstate 86 in the Southern Tier.
- Interstate 190 in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan area.
- Interstate 290 in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan area.
- Interstate 390 (the former U.S. Route 15) in the Genesee Valley region.
- Interstate 490 in the Rochester Metro area.
- Interstate 590 in the Rochester Metro area.
- Interstate 990 in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan area.
U.S. Routes
Major airports
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2017) |
Western New York has two airports that provide significant regular passenger service, Buffalo-Niagara International Airport and Greater Rochester International Airport.[18][19] Buffalo-Niagara International Airport is the most patronized airport facility in Western New York. While it primarily serves as the regional airport for the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Area, the facility doubles as a gateway to Canada, and a good portion of its passengers (33%) are Canadian. The second major airport in Western New York, Greater Rochester International Airport, does not see as much traffic as Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. Still, located just three nautical miles southwest of Downtown Rochester, the facility provides convenient access to airline service for many residents of the Rochester Metropolitan Area.
Railroad service
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2017) |
The northern part of Western New York features four railroad stations in service on the Empire Corridor: Rochester, Buffalo-Depew, Buffalo-Exchange Street and Niagara Falls.[20] The Buffalo-Exchange Street and Niagara Falls stations do not see as much rail service as the other two Western New York stations due to the fact that, west of Depew Station, Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited leaves the Empire Corridor en route to the Midwest. For a period of time, there were proposals to service these four stations with high-speed rail. A major objective of implementing high-speed rail service was to better connect Western New York as well as the rest of Upstate New York with New York City. However, little of substance has come of these proposals.
Service to other parts of Western New York ended from the mid-1960s to 1970. The Erie Lackawanna's Phoebe Snow served on a southeastern trajectory from Buffalo to Elmira, Binghamton, Scranton and Hoboken; service ended in 1966. The E-L's Lake Cities originated in Chicago, passing through Western New York's Jamestown, then through the rest of the Southern Tier, Orange County and terminating at Hoboken, NJ; service ended on January 6, 1970. The Pennsylvania Railroad's Buffalo Day Express was another route serving Western New York, traveling south to Baltimore via Olean and Harrisburg; this train was discontinued in 1967, but an unnamed Penn Central (PC) successor lasted through April 30, 1971, when AMTRAK assumed most of the remaining U.S. rail passenger service but declined to serve the Baltimore-Harrisburg-Buffalo route of the former PRR/PC.[21]
The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad and WNY&P both operate freight service in the region. A few shortline railroads also offer rail service, including the New York and Lake Erie Railroad and the Arcade and Attica Railroad.
Bus service
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2017) |
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority runs regular bus service throughout the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area.[22] The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority serves Rochester and surrounding counties, and the Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System serves Chautauqua County. First Transit contracts with the Seneca Nation of Indians, the Olean Area Transit System and Access Allegany to provide public transportation to most of the Southern Tier.
In addition to the public transportation authorities, which provide limited intercity connections, several commercial intercity bus services also operate. Coach USA operates a loop service between Buffalo, Jamestown and Olean; the bus connects to a route to New York City in Olean and to Megabus service to Toronto and New York City in Buffalo. Fullington Trailways operates a daily rural route between Buffalo and various locations in Pennsylvania; New York Trailways also serves Buffalo and Rochester, connecting to various locations, as does Greyhound Bus Lines. One discount "Chinatown service" operates in Western New York; Ocean Travel runs an overnight express service between Buffalo, Rochester and New York City.
In its early history, Western New York was settled by native cultures including the Hopewell. The territory of Western New York, until the 17th century, was held by the Neutral Nation in the northern Niagara region and the Wenrohronon and Erie Indians around the Allegheny River. The Seneca nation and their allies in the Iroquois Confederacy eliminated those tribes in wars during the Beaver Wars between 1638 and 1701, with any survivors being assimilated into the Senecas (in the case of the Erie and Neutral) or Huron (in the case of the Wenro). The Neutral territory is currently held by Tuscaroras, who moved up from the Carolinas while refugees from the Erie tribes moved south to the Carolinas.
French forces settled in parts of what is now Western New York through much of the 17th century, beginning with Étienne Brûlé's pass-through of the region in 1615 and Joseph de La Roche Daillon's missionary journeys in the 1620s; some relics of their presence, including Fort Niagara and a portage road that follows modern New York State Route 394 between Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake, are still visible in the region.
Western New York's land was acquired from the Iroquois through the Nanfan Treaty, which ceded the territory to England at the end of the Beaver Wars in 1701. At the time, four of the British colonies (Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut) laid claim to the unsettled territory, as did New France until the Seven Years' War. Most of Western New York was officially off-limits to all of the colonies as a result of the establishment of an Indian Reserve over the area following the Seven Years' War. By the 1780s, only New York and Massachusetts still maintained their claims to the territory, which was separated from mainland New York by a Preemption Line.
Under federal policy designed to extinguish the states' Revolutionary War debts, the states were required to extinguish their western land claims. Massachusetts extinguished its claim to the territory in exchange for receiving the profits from its sale to settlers. New York was the only colony not to extinguish its western claim, and by way of the 1786 Treaty of Hartford, the land, with the exception of a small triangle that was ceded to Pennsylvania in 1792, officially became Western New York. (Had New York extinguished its claim, it would have likely become part of the Northwest Territory established the next year and formed part of a new state.) Native title, with the exception of several reservations, was extinguished in the Treaty of Canandaigua in 1794, while the Phelps and Gorham Purchase and Holland Purchase opened the territory for settling. During the War of 1812 Western New York was part of the borderland frontier between the United States and British Canada and became the scene of various military actions.
The two major Western New York cities, Buffalo and Rochester, benefited greatly from the opening of the Erie Canal. With its strategic position at the western end of the Erie Canal, the eastern end of Lake Erie and proximity to Niagara Falls and Canada, Buffalo emerged as a major port. Niagara Falls provided Buffalo with a ready supply of power, so much so that one of its enduring nicknames is "The City of Light". Buffalo experienced steady growth during the 19th century and at one point was one of the 10 most populated cities in the United States. According to some, Rochester was "America's First Boomtown"[23] and was a key player in the flour industry (hence its initial nickname "Flour City"). Its growth was attributed to both the completion of the Erie Canal and its resulting significance in the flour industry. Olean was originally planned to be a similar major hub, but it proved to be at a major disadvantage: located near the headwaters of the Allegheny River (a factor its planners had hoped would make the city a gateway to the Midwest), the river was too shallow to support large boat travel or shipping on a consistent basis. As a region, Western New York played a significant role in the American economy during the 19th century. Large scale immigration from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Great Britain and Germany soon followed into the region.
The New Religious Movement known as Spiritualism was among several that arose in the early 19th century burned-over district of Western New York. Its major center is Lily Dale, one of the largest spiritualism communities in the United States. The original house of the Fox sisters was relocated to Lily Dale in 1916. Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, reported receiving the Book of Mormon in Palmyra, Wayne County. The women's civic organization Zonta was founded in Buffalo in 1919.
In the late 20th century this area became part of the Rust Belt of the United States, being a focal point for the transportation of grain, steel, and coal. The opening of the Welland Canal in 1957 effectively rendered the narrower Erie Canal obsolete, further exacerbating economic problems in the region. The area saw an economic decline during the period of deindustrialization, leaving many empty steel mills including those of Bethlehem Steel, which was the 2nd largest steel mill in the world. The plant located in Lackawanna, New York provided nearly 25,000 jobs to the local economy. Republic Steel also had a large integrated steel mill located in South Buffalo. General Motors in Tonawanda is the largest vehicle engine plant in the world, which still is a major contributor to the Buffalo area economy. Ford Motor Company also maintains a large manufacturing facility in Woodlawn, New York, which is just south of Buffalo.
Western New York is culturally a Great Lakes/Interior Northeastern area, with a dose of Appalachia in the Southern Tier, an overlapping region of the state. Buffalo appears to have similarities to other Great Lakes cities/areas, while having Northeastern proclivities. The similarities with Chicago and Milwaukee run the list from sharing a common industrial base traditionally built around steel and automobile manufacturing. The cities were both developed during the same period in American history, so the street patterns, architecture, and ethnic communities share a similar appearance. Linguistically, Western New York is part of the Inland North region of American English, which means it is subject to the Northern Cities vowel shift; a distinct variant of that accent, "Buffalo English", is heard in many parts of the region.
Finally, most Western New York sports fans support the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. Team loyalties of sports fans in the rest of upstate New York are more divided. Most baseball fans support the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and New York Mets, although the Toronto Blue Jays have seen an increase in support due to the influx of Canadians in the area - as well as the region's proximity to Toronto, the Blue Jays' increased on-field success in the mid-2010s, and the affiliation with the longstanding minor league Buffalo Bisons. The Pittsburgh Pirates have some following in southwestern New York, and teams with national fanbases such as the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs also have followings. The region has no clear favorite professional basketball franchise, with the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors all claiming parts of the region as part of their regional broadcasting territories. (Western New York puts more emphasis on college basketball, where the "Big 4" Division I programs—Canisius, Niagara, St. Bonaventure and UB—all have strong followings and rivalries; while most attention has been centered around the men's college basketball teams, the recent success of UB and St. Bonaventure's women's teams has led to increased attention to women's basketball in the region. The college basketball scene once had enough clout to help drive Buffalo's NBA team, the 1970s-era Buffalo Braves, out of the city.) Syracuse University sports, being the closest major-conference school to the region, also has a sizable following in western New York, particularly in basketball. College football interest is minimal, with no team having a major following (not even UB, who has struggled to maintain its Division I football program despite modest success). For hockey, other than the Buffalo Sabres, the region is also home to a number of Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins supporters.