In 1803, Didymus C. Kinney and wife Phebe (Hartwell) purchased land and built a cabin in the southwest corner of the township, which has since been turned into a museum. The following year, a migration of Quaker settlers began.
The town was separated from the town of Hamburg in 1850 and was first named "Ellicott", after Joseph Ellicott, an agent of the Holland Land Company. Within months, the name was changed to the town of "East Hamburgh". On March 1, 1934, the town was renamed "Orchard Park" after its principal settlement.[4]
In the early 1900s, a large fire burned down most of the central part of the village of Orchard Park around South Buffalo Street.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.52 square miles (99.76 km2), of which 38.44 square miles (99.56 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2), or 0.21%, is water.[2]
Major routes
US 219 passes through the west part of the town and forms junctions with US 20A (Quaker Street) and NY 179 (Milestrip Road).
US 20 (Southwestern Boulevard) passes through the north part of the town and forms a junction with NY 277 and NY 240 (Orchard Park Road).
As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 28,272 people, 11,553 households, and 7,656 families residing in the town. The population density was 717.7 inhabitants per square mile (277.1/km2). There were 10,644 housing units at an average density of 276.4 per square mile (106.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.9% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.
There were 10,277 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $100,575, and the median income for a family was $112,906. About 1.1% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line.
Government
Orchard Park Municipal Center
The town of Orchard Park has a supervisor-council form of government. Elected at large positions are Supervisor, Council Member, Clerk, Highway Superintendent and Town Justice. Other appointed positions are Town Attorney and Deputy Attorney, Engineer, Assessor, Building Inspector, Recreation and Youth Services Director and Chief of Police.
Supervisors
Town of Orchard Park
Eugene Majchrzak (2022–Present)
Joseph Liberti (2020-2021) Served as the Deputy Supervisor w/o voting power
Chestnut Ridge Park – A popular county park with a wide range of activities, located in the south section of the town on Chestnut Ridge Road (Route 277).
Orchard Park also has a number of private, Catholic schools, including Nativity and St. John Vianney. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (pre-k through 8), closed in 2014 after exhaustive research conducted by the Diocese of Buffalo on demographics, finances and educational relevance.[14]
Culture
Art
The annual Orchard Park Festival of the Arts, an outdoor art and craft show, is held each year on the third weekend of September, on the campus of Orchard Park Middle School. It is sponsored by the Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce. It was organized as the Quaker Arts Festival in the 1960s by Orchard Parkers John Coleman of The Suburban Press and Chet Seymour of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, and was originally held on the grounds of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church. It was run by the Orchard Park Jaycees from 1963 to 2017.
Music
Since 1985, under the direction of the Orchard Park Council of the Arts, local businesses and the town of Orchard Park sponsor free outdoor musical entertainment throughout the summer at the pavilion bandstand on the grounds of the middle school.
Organized in 1949, the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra, composed of more than 70 volunteer musicians, performs four regular concerts each year in the high school auditorium.
The Orchard Park Chorale was founded in 1975 under the sponsorship of the Adult Education Program of the Orchard Park School District. Its more than fifty singers perform regularly at the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church.
West Herr Field, the home stadium of Erie Community College's football team, is located in Orchard Park adjacent to Highmark Stadium.
The Orchard Park High School football team won the 2008 and 2011 New York State Public High School Class AA Championship.
The Orchard Park High School baseball team won the 1988 State Championship.
The Orchard Park High School volleyball team won the 2008 New York State Championship.
The 1993 and 1994 Orchard Park Little League Baseball team won the New York State Championship. They recently won five Section titles in three summers with one team winning three in the 10u, 11u, and 12u divisions.
^Kulp, Suzanne. "History of Orchard Park". Town of Orchard Park. Town of Orchard Park. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
^"Chestnut Ridge". Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry (Erie.gov). Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
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