Westfield (town), New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westfield is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, USA. The population was 5,232 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Westfield is in the northern part of the county. Westfield is also the name of a village within the town.
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[edit] History
The town was first settled around 1802. The Town of Westfield was established in 1823 from parts of the Towns of Portland and Ripley. The region became noted for the growing of grapes for both wine and grape juice.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 122.4 km² (47.3 mi²). 122.3 km² (47.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.13%) is water.
The New York State Thruway (Interstate 90), US Route 20, New York State Route 5, and New York State Route 394 pass through the town.
The north town line borders Lake Erie.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 5,232 people, 2,075 households, and 1,419 families residing in the town. The population density was 42.8/km² (110.8/mi²). There were 2,493 housing units at an average density of 20.4/km² (52.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.98% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 1.30% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.64% of the population.
There were 2,075 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,534, and the median income for a family was $43,156. Males had a median income of $30,203 versus $23,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,738. About 8.8% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Additional information about the Town of Westfield
The economy of the town is primarily agriculture, and the major crop is grapes. The Welch Grape Juice Company, which has ties to this region, was founded on a method of producing the unfermented grape juice by pasteurization.
Also of note is the Country's first natural gas-powered lighthouse, in Barcelona, on the shore of Lake Erie.
[edit] Communities and locations in the Town of Westfield
- Barcelona -- A hamlet on the shore of Lake Erie and on Route 5. The community was once planned as a harbor for the area, but the railroad industry eliminated the necessity of this port.
- Forest Park -- A hamlet west of Barcelona on Route 5.
- Lombard -- A hamlet in the south part of the town, west of Volusia.
- Shore Haven -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town, located on NY-5.
- Volusia -- A hamlet in the south part of the town on County Road 21.
- Westfield - The Village of Westfield is on US Route 20.
[edit] External links
| Municipalities and Communities of Chautauqua County, New York (County Seat: Mayville) |
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|---|---|
| Cities | Dunkirk | Jamestown |
| Towns | Arkwright | Busti | Carroll | Charlotte | Chautauqua | Cherry Creek | Clymer | Dunkirk | Ellery
Ellicott | Ellington | French Creek | Gerry | Hanover Harmony | Kiantone | Mina | North Harmony | Poland | Pomfret | Portland | Ripley | Sheridan Sherman | Stockton | Villenova | Westfield |
| Villages | Bemus Point | Brocton | Cassadaga | Celoron | Cherry Creek | Falconer | Forestville | Fredonia | Lakewood | Mayville | Panama | Sherman | Silver Creek | Sinclairville | Westfield |
| CDPs | Ripley | Jamestown West |
| Reservations | Cattaraugus Reservation |
