Fredonia, New York

Fredonia is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. It is located in the town of Pomfret and sits south of Lake Erie.

The village has the State University of New York at Fredonia in its northwest part. Fredonia is special because it is one of only twelve villages in New York that still uses a charter. Other villages use a different law instead.

History

The village that is now Fredonia was first home to early Mound Builders, then the Erie people, and later the Seneca people of the Iroquois.

The area was called Canadaway, meaning "among the hemlocks". In 1791, Robert Morris bought the land from Massachusetts and sold it to the Holland Land Company. Pioneers began settling there around 1803 or 1804. In 1821, William Hart dug the first well for natural gas in the United States in Fredonia. This gas powered lights in local shops and a mill.

Fredonia became an official village in 1829. Its name was created by Samuel Latham Mitchill and combines "freedom" with a Latin ending. The Fredonia Academy, founded in 1824, was the first higher school in Chautauqua County. It later became part of the State University of New York system.

In the late 1880s, many people from Sicily moved to Fredonia, influencing the town’s culture. The village also hosted training camps for the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Braves.

Geography

Fredonia is located in the northern part of the town of Pomfret. It is bordered to the north by the town and city of Dunkirk.

The village covers an area of 5.2 square miles (13.4 km²). It is mostly land, with a small stream called Canadaway Creek flowing northward to Lake Erie. U.S. Route 20 runs through the village. Exit 59 on the New York State Thruway helps connect Fredonia and Dunkirk using New York State Route 60.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Fredonia had a population of 9,585. The median age was 27.7 years. About 15% of residents were under the age of 18, and 16% were 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 87 males.

Almost all residents, 99.8%, lived in urban areas.

There were 3,549 households in Fredonia. About 35% were married-couple households, and 33% had a female householder without a spouse. Around 38% of households were made up of individuals.

There were 4,151 housing units, with 14.5% vacant.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,230 people. The population density was 2,159.6 inhabitants per square mile (833.8/km²). The village was mostly white, with small percentages of other groups. About 3.91% of people were Hispanic/Latino.

The age groups in the village were spread out. Males made up about 47% of the population, and females made up about 53%.

2000 census

In 2000 there were 10,706 people, 3,641 households, and 1,951 families living in the village.

Notable people

Fredonia, New York, has been home to many interesting people. Some of these include George Borrello, a New York state senator, and Pete Correale, a well-known comedian and broadcaster. Others include William Barker Cushing, a U.S. naval officer, and Jennifer Stuczynski, an Olympic athlete. The village has also been home to authors, judges, and leaders.

Other mentions

In a book called Houses from Books, a writer named Daniel D. Reiff looked at the homes in Fredonia. He used Fredonia to show how books affected house styles in the United States. Reiff chose Fredonia because he lived there and studied all the house styles from 1984. Only a few houses were lost during that time.