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Location within Niagara County.
'Lewiston' is a
village in
Niagara County,
New York,
USA. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after
Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York.
The 'Village of Lewiston' is within the
Town of Lewiston. The
Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park lies at its southern border.
History
The Village of Lewiston was established in
1822. The village claims to be ''the most historic square mile in America''. 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. Subsequently, Lewiston was burned to the ground by the British in December 1813.
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,
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. 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.
Lewiston is just across the Niagara River from Canada and was originally settled by French explorers who first set foot in the area in 1615.
You can obtain a history and maps, including current photographs and a satellite view of Lewiston, New York, here: 'http://www.historiclewiston.org'
The current mayor is Richard Soluri and the Chief of Police is Ron Winkley.
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 3.1
km² (1.2
mi²). 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) 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 1,003.5/km² (2,610.3/mi²). There were 1,351 housing units at an average density of 487.5 persons/km² (1,268.1 persons/mi²). 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.
External links
★
Historic Lewiston, NY webpage
★
Town and Village webpage
★
Chamber of Commerce
★
Calendar of Events