Wales, New York

History

The town was formed in 1818 from the town of Willink.

Originally a farming community, the town of Wales is documented through profiles of its churches, civic organizations, businesses, and individual citizens. Established in 1818, the town of 3,000 residents is located in a scenic area of Erie County amid woodlands and streams. Town boards over the years have been respectful of the residents' desire to maintain a small-town atmosphere and quality of life, and the transition to modern life has emphasized small, family-oriented businesses. Personal commitment and a spirit of volunteerism have prevailed in the community, as evidenced by its many interactive organizations.

The town is named because its hills and green fields reminded settlers of the nation of Wales.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 92.3 km2, of which 92.2 km2 is land and 0.1 km2, or 0.14%, is water.

The east town line is the border of Wyoming County.

New York State Route 400 begins in South Wales near the southwest part of the town. Route 20A is an east-west road in the town. Route 16 is a north-south road in the southwest part of town.

The East Branch of Cazenovia Creek flows northward in the southwest corner of town.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Wales has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Wales was 95 F on July 10, 2020, and July 17, 2022, while the coldest temperature recorded was -19 F on December 13, 1988, and February 14–15, 2016.

|Jan record high F = 66 |Feb record high F = 72 |Mar record high F = 82 |Apr record high F = 89 |May record high F = 92 |Jun record high F = 92 |Jul record high F = 95 |Aug record high F = 94 |Sep record high F = 90 |Oct record high F = 84 |Nov record high F = 79 |Dec record high F = 68

|Jan avg record high F = 55.7 |Feb avg record high F = 54.3 |Mar avg record high F = 65.6 |Apr avg record high F = 78.9 |May avg record high F = 83.3 |Jun avg record high F = 86.6 |Jul avg record high F = 87.7 |Aug avg record high F = 86.8 |Sep avg record high F = 84.9 |Oct avg record high F = 77.3 |Nov avg record high F = 67.8 |Dec avg record high F = 57.0 |year avg record high F = 89.3

|Jan avg record low F = -7.1 |Feb avg record low F = -4.3 |Mar avg record low F = 2.6 |Apr avg record low F = 20.6 |May avg record low F = 29.9 |Jun avg record low F = 39.7 |Jul avg record low F = 46.6 |Aug avg record low F = 45.1 |Sep avg record low F = 35.8 |Oct avg record low F = 26.2 |Nov avg record low F = 14.9 |Dec avg record low F = 3.6 |year avg record low F = -10.2

|Jan record low F = -18 |Feb record low F = -19 |Mar record low F = -12 |Apr record low F = 9 |May record low F = 25 |Jun record low F = 31 |Jul record low F = 40 |Aug record low F = 35 |Sep record low F = 26 |Oct record low F = 21 |Nov record low F = 0 |Dec record low F = -19

|Jan snow depth inch = 15.9 |Feb snow depth inch = 13.6 |Mar snow depth inch = 12.0 |Apr snow depth inch = 2.7 |May snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jun snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jul snow depth inch = 0.0 |Aug snow depth inch = 0.0 |Sep snow depth inch = 0.0 |Oct snow depth inch = 0.2 |Nov snow depth inch = 7.3 |Dec snow depth inch = 11.1 |year snow depth inch = 19.7

|access-date = November 28, 2022 |access-date = November 28, 2022

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,960 people, 1,116 households, and 841 families residing in the town. The population density was 83.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,165 housing units at an average density of 32.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 98.58% White, 0.10% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.

There were 1,116 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,486, and the median income for a family was $59,350. Males had a median income of $40,125 versus $29,737 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,616. About 2.1% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Alice Moore Hubbard, American feminist, writer, and, with her husband, Elbert Hubbard was a leading figure in the Roycroft movement
• John James Knowlton, former Wisconsin State Assemblyman
• Wally Schang, a catcher in major league baseball from 1913 to 1931. Schang Rd. in Wales named after him
• Adoniram J. Warner, former US Congressman, Union Army General in American Civil War

Communities and locations in Wales

• Buffalo Creek – A stream flowing northward through the town.
• Colgrave – A location on Centerline Road in the western part of the town.
• Goodleburg Cemetery – An unused cemetery located in the town.
• South Wales – A hamlet on the border of the town of Aurora in the southwest part of Wales. This community lies at the south end of NY-400 on NY-16 and is the home of the Gow School.
• Wales Center – A hamlet near the northern town border.
• Wales Hollow (or "Woods Hollow") – A location near the town's western edge.
• Sgt. Mark A. Rademacher Memorial Park, commonly known as Hunters Creek Park, managed by the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, is located in Wales.

References

References

1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Explore Census Data".
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Wales town, Erie County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
5. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].