Who we are
About Warsaw, NY
The History of the Village
The Town of Warsaw began with the purchase by Elizur Webster of land from the Holland Land Company in 1803. He bought approximately 3,000 acres of land in the Oatka Creek Valley. After building a log house at a site now commemorated with a plaque on South Main Street, Mr. Webster returned to Hampton, New York to bring his wife and two other families back to the settlement. The Town was part of Genesee County until 1841.
Throughout its’ history, Wyoming County’s economy has depended on a mixture of agriculture and manufacturing. Early manufactures supplied lumber, flour, matchsticks, map rollers, and cast iron. In 1881, the Warsaw Salt company was organized. Until 1899, Warsaw was the center of salt manufacturing in the United States. As many as 13 different companies produced and shipped salt out of the town. By 1900, few of these companies still operated. One that did survive was the Worchester Salt plant, which became the nucleus of the Morton Salt Company.
The closing of the salt plants spawned a brief resurgence of manufacturing in the town, as the money from the sales of the salt works was funneled into new enterprises. Some of these included knitting mills, the Warsaw Button Company, and the Warsaw Elevator Company. Only one of these companies survives in Warsaw today; the Warsaw Box Company was established near the turn of the century, and still does business under the name of the Fairview Paper Box Corporation.
The post-World War II ear brought a downturn in manufacturing activities in Warsaw. As the transportation networks changed, Warsaw found if more difficult to attract and maintain industry.
Agriculture remains a major part of the local economy, with dairy farming playing a large role. Maple syrup production also contributes to farm income in the region, as does apple growing.
Warsaw’s Civil War Monument, which dominates Main Street, reflects a strong abolitionist heritage. In 1833-34, the Warsaw Antislavery Society was formed and in 1835, the town sent five delegates to the first annual meeting of the state society. While Warsaw residents were also supporters of the underground Railroad, one documented story tells of the escape of a slave from Maryland to Wyoming County, where her children lived out their lives.
More may be learned about Warsaw’s history by visiting the Warsaw Historical Society.
Warsaw Demographics
Warsaw is a village in Wyoming County, New York in the USA. The population was 3,814 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wyoming County and lies inside the Town of Warsaw. The village and the town may be named after Warsaw in Poland.
- The Village of Warsaw is near the center of the town in a deep valley.
- The latitude of Warsaw is 42.74N. The longitude is -78.133W.
- It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 1,014 feet.
- The Perry-Warsaw Municipal Airport (01G), is a general aviation airport, located east of the village on Route 20A.
Notable Features
- According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 10.7 sq km (4.1 sq mi), all land.
- The Oatka Creek flows northward through the village, which is located in the Wyoming Valley.
Well-known residents have included ...
- Diann Roffe-Steinrotter: Skier, Olympic medallist
- Barber Conable: Congressman and World Bank president
- John Warwick Montgomery: A former professor of law at University of Luton, England, and a religious freedom advocate
- James C. Adamson: A former astronaut
Population
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,814 people, 1,484 households, and 887 families residing in the village. The population density was 357.4/sq km (924.9/sq mi). There were 1,575 housing units at an average density of 147.6/sq km (381.9/sq mi). The racial makeup of the village was 96.96% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 1,484 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.
Income
The median income for a household in the village was $35,592, and the median income for a family was $42,540. Males had a median income of $33,682 versus $21,540 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,483. About 9.8% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Warsaw (village), New York”.
Tourist Attractions / Entertainment
- Letchworth State Park (15 min drive)
- Niagara Falls, NY & Canada (1 - 1.5 hr drive)
- more coming soon ...
