Salamanca (city), New York


Salamanca is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States, inside the Allegany Indian Reservation, one of two governed by the Seneca Nation of New York. The population was 5,815 at the 2010 census. It was named after José de Salamanca, a Spanish nobleman and cabinet minister of the mid-19th century.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of, of which is land and, or 3.88%, is water.
Salamanca is within the Allegany Indian Reservation of the Seneca Nation of New York. The city population of about 5,800 is about 17% Native American; this does not include Seneca people living in the nearby hamlets of Jimerson Town and Kill Buck. The city lies along the Allegany River and is adjacent to Allegany State Park.
The Southern Tier Expressway pass south of the city, as do U.S. Route 219 and New York State Route 417.
Salamanca serves as a hub for the area's public bus service. Coach USA, Fullington Trailways, the Seneca Transit System, and the Olean Area Transit System all converge on the city. The city's only active rail depot is on the east side of the city, serviced by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad.

Climate

History

What is now known as the city of Salamanca was originally two separate communities, one on Little Valley Creek and the other on Great Valley Creek; the westernmost one of the two was called "Hemlock", a name derived from the numerous hemlock trees throughout the surrounding mountains. Hemlock was later renamed "West Salamanca" and was eventually incorporated into the single city of Salamanca. The city was incorporated in 1913.
At one time the city was a thriving railroad hub, with the Erie Railroad, Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh all having facilities there. Generations of Salamanca residents worked for the railroads, and much of the housing was originally built for them by the railroads. The city also benefited from the then-thriving lumber industry that dominated much of southwestern Cattaraugus County at the turn of the century, as boomtowns along the Allegheny River such as Elko, South Valley and Red House all used the railroads to ship their goods upstream. At the time of the city's incorporation, it peaked at just under 10,000 residents, not far behind Olean, the major hub of the county; Olean, however, would continue to grow rapidly into the 1950s, while Salamanca's population would begin falling behind almost immediately. The Salamanca Rail Museum was opened in the former BR&P depot in 1984 to house the archives.
The majority of the city, with the exception of a northeastern spur along Great Valley Creek, was constructed on the Allegany Indian Reservation held by the Seneca Nation of New York, as established in various treaties. Under the nation's policy, non-Seneca residents are barred from owning real property on the reservation, and non-Senecas can only lease the property from the Seneca Nation. As arranged by the railroads, the previous leases had nominal payments and covered only the land; improvements were considered to be owned by the non-native citizens.
When the leases expired in the early 1990s, the nation tried to gain more from its leases, raising their costs and asserting not only the land, but the improvements were also subject to the native leases. Numerous people living in the city did not agree on the amount of lease payments or the legitimacy of the Senecas' absolute ownership claim. The controversy aroused bitterness, lawsuits, and appeals to government officials. Congress passed a law explicitly placing the improvements under Seneca jurisdiction, the new leases were put into effect, and fifteen houses were seized and their owners evicted for refusing to sign the leases. The current leases are in effect until 2030, with an option to extend until 2070; proceeds from the lease payments are distributed quarterly to enrolled Seneca Nation members, providing a basic income guarantee.
Despite the lack of ownership, leased land held by non-Senecas is subject to property tax, which the lessee must pay to the city, Cattaraugus County, and the Salamanca City Central School District. Seneca-owned land is exempt under the Treaty of Buffalo Creek. Once a Seneca acquires the land, it is taken off the tax rolls; for this reason, the city of Salamanca does not auction off abandoned properties on the reservation in a property tax auction, for fear Seneca individuals will buy the land, removing it from the tax rolls.

Government

The city has a council-mayor system, with the mayor elected at-large and five trustees selected from wards, generally numbered from west to east.
"Between 2004-05 and 2009-10, State aid for the City, including casino revenues, increased by an average annual rate of nearly 50 percent. Salamanca’s average annual expenditure increases on debt service, general government, transportation, utilities and public safety between 2004-05 and 2009-10 were all in the double digits." This was attributable to revenues from the Seneca Allegany Casino.

Casino revenues

The Seneca Nation opened a gambling casino in Salamanca in May 2004. About 1,000 new jobs were created by the casino operation, resulting in a housing shortage in the small town as new workers entered the city. Under the arrangement with the state, a 25% share of the casino's revenue goes to the city and county, which they can use for needed projects. Revenues for the city increased dramatically.
Significant change did not quickly take place in the city, with new construction in only a few select areas. Main Street and US Route 219 remain largely untouched. Redevelopment was delayed when the Nation stopped casino payments in late 2010 in a dispute with the state over its opening racinos elsewhere in the state; payments were resumed in 2013. The state provided the city with emergency funds to help support it until the dispute was settled. The Senecas again announced it would halt payments to the state in 2017, stating a clause in the gaming compact had expired and its obligation to continue paying the state was no longer in effect.
Because of the contentious relations between Seneca and non-Seneca residents, columnist Selena Zito described Salamanca as a "failed American city" in 2011 in a column that soon drew the rebuke of city officials.

Economy

Retail shops include several Seneca-owned cigarette, tobacco, coffee shops, and gas stations; there are several empty storefronts, especially in the city's central business district on and near Main Street. The Seneca Nation has made efforts to diversify, establishing a tribal holding company in 2009 and an economic development corporation in 2011.
Among the national chains that operate franchises in Salamanca are McDonald's, Burger King, Little Caesars, Holiday Inn Express, Tim Hortons, Subway, RadioShack, NAPA and AutoZone on the west side; and Rite-Aid, Save-a-Lot and Family Dollar in the center of the city. Save-a-Lot competes with Parkview Supermarket, which is affiliated with Olean Wholesale Grocery and owned by Erie County, Pennsylvania-based Sander's Markets, while Holiday Inn Express competes with the locally owned Hotel Westgate; the Dudley Hotel, which predates both, has sat vacant for several years. Family Dollar is in the city's only shopping mall, Salamanca Mall, in which the regional Worth W. Smith Hardware chain, a local antique shop, and a small café also operate.
Regional banks Five Star Bank, Community Bank, N.A. and Cattaraugus County Bank all have branches in Salamanca, as does the CCSE Federal Credit Union.
A number of industrial factories, among them McHone Industries and Salamanca Lumber, operate in the center part of the city, and East End Plastics operates a plant on the east side of the city.

Religion

The Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention, Seventh-day Adventists, Free Methodist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses and Lighthouse Baptist Church all have branches in the city bounds. At least two other independent churches also operate; the local United Methodist Church disaffiliated in the late 2010s.

Media

Radio stations WQRS and WGGO are licensed to Salamanca. WQRS carries an album-oriented classic rock format run by Olean-based Sound Communications; WGGO, whose studios and transmitter are owned by Michael Washington, runs a satellite conservative talk format. WGWE, while licensed to neighboring Little Valley, has its studios in Salamanca. That station, a Seneca Nation owned-and-operated broadcaster, runs a classic hits format.
The Salamanca Press is the local newspaper. A daily paper for most of the 20th century, the paper reverted to a weekly publication in 2009.
There is no direct television broadcasting in Salamanca; the city is ostensibly part of the Buffalo media market, and local cable and satellite providers carry those stations, but the hilly terrain around the city makes television reception problematic. Two low-powered stations based in Olean can occasionally be received over the air. Atlantic Broadband is the local cable provider.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States census, Salamanca had a population of 5,815. The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was 75.5% non-Hispanic white, 0.9% African-American, 16.9% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.8% reporting two or more races, and 3.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,097 people, 2,469 households, and 1,575 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,015.6 people per square mile. There were 2,749 housing units at an average density of 457.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 74.26% White, 0.66% Black or African American, 20.74% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.
There were 2,469 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,579, and the median income for a family was $30,996. Males had a median income of $25,549 versus $19,180 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,812. About 18.0% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people