Erie County: City of Tonawanda
200 Niagara Street
Tonawanda, New York 14150
PH: 716-845-2160
FAX: 716-693-1612
Court Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm
Town Justice:
Joseph J. Cassata
Mark Saltarelli – Acting City Court Judge
District Attorney:
As assigned by the Erie County District Attorney Justice Court Bureau.
Court Clerk:
Mary Strobel (Court Clerk)
Jennifer Steele (Deputy Court Clerk)
Court Schedule:
Drug Court – Thursday 1:00pm
Map:
You may not know:
Tonawanda (formally City of Tonawanda, from Tahnawá•teh meaning “confluent stream”in Tuscarora) is a city in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 16,136 at the 2000 census. It is located at the northern edge of Erie County, south across the Erie Canal (Tonawanda Creek) from North Tonawanda, and north of Buffalo, New York. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area.
The place name Tonawanda is a loanword from Tuscarora: Tahnawá•teh meaning “confluent stream.” The Iroquoian-speaking Tuscarora are one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) in the 18th century. They and the Oneida were allies of the American colonists in the American Revolutionary War.
Post-Revolutionary War European-American settlement at Tonawanda began with Henry Anguish, who built a log home in 1808. He added to the hamlet in 1811 with a tavern, both on the south side of Tonawanda Creek where it empties into the Niagara River. The hamlet grew slowly until the opening of the Erie Canal, completed in the course of the creek in 1825. The Town of Tonawanda was incorporated in 1836. The Erie Canal and the railroads that soon followed it provided economic opportunity. By the end of the 19th century, both sides of the canal were devoted to businesses as part of a leading lumber processing center. In the mid-19th century, the business center of Tonawanda was incorporated as a village within the town. The village united in a corporation with North Tonawanda across the canal. This corporation fell apart, and in 1904 the village was incorporated as the City of Tonawanda.
On September 26, 1898, a tornado struck the City of Tonawanda. After crossing over the river from Grand Island, the tornado damaged the old Murray School as well as several homes along Franklin and Kohler streets. Its worst havoc was wreaked along Fuller Avenue, where a dozen homes were severely damaged, several being leveled to the ground. No one was killed by the fierce storm, but there were numerous injuries.
At the 2000 census, there were 16,136 people, 6,741 households, and 4,361 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,252.9 people per square mile. There were 7,119 housing units at an average density of 1,876.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.08% White, 0.42% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.
There were 6,741 households of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.01.
23.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median household income was $37,523, and the median family income was $46,242. Males had a median income of $36,980 versus $24,314 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,789. About 4.9% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
