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Wheatfield, New York
Town
Location in Niagara County and the state of New York.
Wheatfield, New York Location in Niagara County and the state of New York.
Coordinates: 43°5′32″N 78°53′42″W / 43.09222°N 78.89500°W / 43.09222; -78.89500Coordinates: 43°5′32″N 78°53′42″W / 43.09222°N 78.89500°W / 43.09222; -78.89500
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Niagara
Government
• Type	Town Council
• Town Supervisor	Don MacSwan (R)
• Town Council	Members' List • Gilbert G. Doucet (R) • Larry L. Helwig (R) • Randy Retzlaff (R) • Curt Doktor (R)
Area [1]
• Total	28.59 sq mi (74.05 km2)
• Land	27.91 sq mi (72.27 km2)
• Water	0.69 sq mi (1.78 km2)
Elevation	577 ft (176 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	18,117
• Estimate  (2016)[2]	18,284
• Density	655.22/sq mi (252.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	14120, 14304, 14132
Area code(s)	716
FIPS code	36-81380[3]
GNIS feature ID	0979632[4]

Location within Niagara County.

Wheatfield is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 18,117 at the 2010 census. The name stems from the agricultural use of the town lands, the growing of wheat.

The Town of Wheatfield is east of Niagara Falls International Airport.

History

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Bergholz German Band, based in Wheatfield

The Town of Wheatfield was formed in 1836 from the Town of Niagara. It is situated in the southwest part of the county, surrounded by the Town of Lewiston and Town of Cambria to the north, Town of Pendleton to the east, City of North Tonawanda and Niagara River to the south, and the City of Niagara Falls and Town of Niagara to the west.

The first town meeting was held on June 6, 1836, in the schoolhouse of District No. 7, on the north line of the Town. Soil of the Town is generally clay loam and somewhat difficult to cultivate, but heavy crops of wheat can be grown on the land, thus giving the Town its name - Wheatfield.

Within Wheatfield, starting in 1843, German immigrants established the communities of Bergholz, St. Johnsburg, Walmore, Martinsville, and Gratwick. The latter two towns are now part of North Tonawanda.

Later other communities were formed at railroad stops and along some well traveled highways. The River Road section of the Town became a prosperous farm section in the 1920s that included the showplace "Wheatfield Farms". Along the river, there were vacation cottages, beaches, an amusement park, and nightclubs. Permanent housing has replaced many of the cottages and remnants of some bygone structures are still visible as one travels along River Road today.

During World War II, industries located in the Town. The largest was Bell AeroSpace Company which produced the World War II fighter plane, P-39 Airacobra, and later, products for the aerospace industry. During the post war period, other small industries and businesses were established in the Town, especially those serving the tourist trade such as motels and restaurants.

Growth and prosperity in the Town continued as families migrated from nearby communities creating new neighborhoods. During this period, Summit Park Mall was built and opened in 1972 to serve the people of Wheatfield and nearby communities.

The largest spurt of growth in the Town began in the 1980s and still continues today with many new housing developments emerging and new industrial and business parks being built. The population of the Town now exceeds 13,000, which classifies it as a town of the first class. Even with the growth of the Town, farming is still carried on with dairy farming being our main enterprise.

Probably the earliest settler on the site of North Tonawanda was George N. Burger, who came in 1809 and built a log tavern on the river; he remained a resident until about 1825. Joshua Pettit came in 1810 and settled near the Niagara Iron Works, where he opened a tavern. He was the father of Mrs. Daniel C. Jacobs and Mrs. Whitman Jacobs. Stephen Jacobs, a soldier at the battle of Bunker Hill, located on the river two miles (3 km) below in 1817, where he purchased 196 acres (0.79 km²) of Augustus Porter, paying eight dollars an acre. He died in Niagara Falls in January, 1840. William Vandervoorte settled here in 1825, occupying a log house which tradition says was the only one then in existence. It was his intention to make a business of purchasing staves and timber for the Boston market, and ultimately to open a mercantile business. In 1828 he finished the first public house in the place, which was called the Niagara; it was burned in 1844. Later he purchased 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) of land of the Holland Company and sold to Prussian immigrants the largest part of their possessions on Tonawanda Creek and its vicinity. He established the first bank in 1836. As before indicated, little progress of a business nature was made here until the opening of the Erie Canal. The interior of the town was still almost an unbroken wilderness and as late as 1850 a large part of the area of the town was unimproved.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.6 square miles (74 km²), of which 27.9 square miles (72 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) 2.41% is water.

The Niagara River is part of the western border of the town.

Adjacent cities and towns

• 
  City of North Tonawanda - south


• 
  City of Niagara Falls - west


• 
  Town of Niagara - west


• 
  Town of Lewiston - northwest


• 
  Town of Cambria - northeast


• 
  Town of Pendleton - east


• 
  Erie County, Town of Amherst - southeast


• Erie County, Town of Grand Island - southwest

Major highways in the Town of Wheatfield

• 
  U.S. Route 62 (Niagara Falls Blvd.), North-South highway that crosses the town from Amherst town line to Niagara Falls city line.


• 
  New York State Route 265 / New York State Route 384 (River Rd.), North-South highway through west part of town that parallels the Niagara River with both New York Routes NY 265 and NY 384; from the Niagara Falls city line to the North Tonawanda city line.


• 
  New York State Route 425 (Shawnee Rd.), North-South roadway through the town from North Tonawanda city line to Cambria town line.


• 
  New York State Route 429 (Ward Rd.), North-South roadway through the town from the North Tonawanda city line to the Lewiston town line.

Demographics

Wheatfield is within the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's current population is 18,117.

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 14,086 people, 5,305 households, and 3,893 families residing in the town. The population density was 504.6 people per square mile (194.9/km²). There were 5,555 housing units at an average density of 199.0 per square mile (76.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.44% White, 0.99% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.58% of the population.

There were 5,305 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,700, and the median income for a family was $61,315. Males had a median income of $42,076 versus $27,233 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,184. About 2.5% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are six public schools and four private schools in Wheatfield, including St. Peter's Lutheran Church and School.

Notable people

• 
  John Wayne Bobbitt, graduated from Niagara Wheatfield Senior High School in 1985.


• 
  Adam Clendening, NHL hockey player, Although born in Niagara Falls, New York Clendening was raised in Wheatfield.


• 
  Lewis S. Payne, former New York State Senator.

Communities and locations in Wheatfield

• 
  Bergholz – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town near the airport.


• 
  Hoffman – A location on the eastern border of the town.


• 
  Nashville – A location on US-62 in the southeast part of the town.


• 
  Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG) – Part of the airport is in the northern part of the town.


• 
  Sawyer – A hamlet on US-62 adjacent to the City of North Tonawanda.


• 
  Shawnee – A hamlet on US-62 (Niagara Falls Boulevard).


• 
  St. Johnsburg – A hamlet on US-62 near the center of the town.


• 
  Walmore – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town on Lockport Road.

References

External links

• Das Haus Museum Official Website


• Town of Wheatfield webpage


• Wheatfield history


• 
  Wheatfield Jr. Blades the local Jr. B hockey team


• 
  Troop 833 Website Boy Scout Troop 833 Website


• Das Haus - German Heritage Museum information


• Shawnee Volunteer Fire Company