:''
Western, New York is also the name of a town in
Oneida County, New York.''
'Western New York' refers to the westernmost region of
New York State, roughly the area included in the
Holland Purchase. It includes the cities of
Buffalo,
Niagara Falls,
Lockport,
Batavia,
Albion,
Olean,
Salamanca and
Jamestown. Some writers and historians consider the Western New York border to be at the
Monroe/
Orleans County line. Together with the
Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada, the area forms a part of the broader
Buffalo Niagara Region.
While Western New York is part of
Upstate New York, the term "Western New York" is used to distinguish the western part of the state from the rest of
Upstate New York. Western New York consists of the eight westernmost counties of New York State:
Allegany,
Cattaraugus,
Chautauqua,
Erie,
Genesee,
Orleans,
Niagara, and
Wyoming. The mountainous southern regions of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties make up a "''sub-region''" known as "The Southern Tier" or simply "The ''Southerntier''" which can be considered part of
Appalachia. Another local region commonly referred to is the
Niagara Frontier, the name of which dates back to America's
Colonial period, when the area surrounding Lakes
Erie and
Ontario, as well as
The Niagara River were the point of the colonies' furthest expansion. To this day, the "frontier" is sometimes defined as also including part of northeast
Ohio, as well as Pennsylvania's
Erie region.
The area is served by
Interstate 90 along the Niagara Frontier,
Interstate 86 in the Western Southern Tier, and
Interstate 390 (the former
U.S. Route 15) in the Genesee Region. The planned expansion of the
U.S. Route 219 Expressway from Buffalo through Cattaraugus County will provide a fourth major thoroughfare.
Some traits that differentiate Western New York from the rest of Upstate New York include people's use of the word "pop" instead of "soda" to refer to
soft drinks, and the presence of the local
Wegmans grocery stores, although these stores can now be found in
Central New York. Western New York is part of the
Inland North region of American English, which means it is subject to the
Northern Cities vowel shift. The distinct
Buffalo English accent, while bearing a slight resemblance to other
Great Lakes accents, is indigenous exclusively to the region.
Population of WNY
★
Erie County, New York Population 950,265
★
Niagara County, New York Population 219,846
★
Cattaraugus County, New York Population 83,955
★
Chautauqua County, New York Population 139,750
★
Allegany County, New York Population 49,927
★
Wyoming County, New York Population 43,424
★
Genesee County, New York Population 60,370
★
Orleans County, New York Population 44,171
History
Western New York's land was acquired from the
Iroquois through war, treaty, and purchase during the late 1700s and early 1800s. 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.