Editing Lackawanna, New York

{{For|other places with this name|Lackawanna (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Lackawanna
| native_name        = {{small|{{native name|del|Lèkaohane}}}}
| official_name      = 
| image_skyline      = Lackawanna's City Hall.jpg
| settlement_type    = [[Administrative divisions of New York#City|City]]
| nickname           = 
| pushpin_map        = New York
| pushpin_label      = Lackawanna
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Lackawanna's Orange City Hall
| image_flag         = LackawannaNYflag.gif
| image_seal         = LackawannaNYseal.gif
| image_map          = Erie County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Lackawanna highlighted.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Lackawanna in Erie County and New York
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Administrative divisions of New York#County|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Erie County, New York|Erie]]
| government_type    = [[mayor-council government|Mayor-Council]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Annette Iafallo ([[United States Democratic Party|D]])
| leader_title1      = [[City Council]]
| leader_name1       = {{Collapsible list
 |title       = Members' List
 |frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
 |title_style = <!-- (optional) -->
 |list_style  = text-align:left;display:none;
 |1           = President:
 |2           = • Frederic J. Marrano ([[United States Democratic Party|D]])
 |3           = • W1: John Ingram ([[United States Democratic Party|D]])
 |4           = • W2: Geoffrey Szymanski ([[United States Democratic Party|D]])
 |5           = • W3: Dean J. Moretti ([[United States Democratic Party|D]])
 |6           = • W4: Kevin R. Surdyke ([[United States Republican Party|D]])
}}
| established_date   = 1909
| named_for          = [[Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania]]
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 17.09
| area_land_km2      = 16.96
| area_water_km2     = 0.13
| population_footnotes = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 6.60
| area_land_sq_mi    = 6.55
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.05
| elevation_m        = 190
| elevation_ft       = 623
| coordinates        = {{Coord|42|49|10|N|78|49|32|W|region:US-NY_type:city(20,000)|display=inline,title}}
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 19949
| population_metro   = 1254066
| population_density_km2 = 1176.36
| timezone           = [[Eastern Time Zone (North America)|EST]]
| utc_offset         = −5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = −4
| website            = {{URL|www.lackawannany.gov}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code        = 14218
| area_code          = [[Area code 716|716]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 36-029-40189
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0954863
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 3046.58
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web |title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory |url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| population_rank    = NY: [[List of cities in New York (state)|35th]] ([[2010 United States Census|2010]])
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_est     = 
}}

'''Lackawanna''' is a [[Administrative divisions of New York#City|city]] in [[Erie County, New York]], United States, just south of the city of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] in western [[New York (state)|New York]] State. The population was 19,949 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web|title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Lackawanna city, New York |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3640189|access-date=February 22, 2016|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder}} {{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> It is one of the fastest-growing cities in New York, growing in population by 10% from 2010 to 2020. It is part of the [[Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area]]. The city of Lackawanna is in the western part of Erie County.

The town's name derives from the [[Lackawanna Steel Company]], which owned the steel plant around which the city developed.<ref name="History">{{cite web| title = History of the City of Lackawanna| work = Welcome to the City of Lackawanna Official Website| url = http://www.ci.lackawanna.ny.us/history.html| access-date = July 3, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090309030714/http://www.ci.lackawanna.ny.us/history.html| archive-date = March 9, 2009| url-status = dead}}</ref> During the early 20th century, the Lackawanna steel plant was the largest in the world. The word "Lackawanna" refers to the steel company's original location in [[Lackawanna River|the river valley of the same name]], in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. That place name, in turn, might come from [[Delaware languages|Lenape]] ''lèkaohane'', meaning "sandy stream", or ''lechauhanne'', [lɛxaohánɛk], meaning "forks of the river".<ref>{{cite book |last=Bright |first=William |year=2004 |title=Native American Placenames of the United States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA247 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |pages=247–248 |accessdate=1 February 2023}}</ref>

==History==
Originally part of the [[Buffalo Creek Reservation]], the area was not open to settlement until 1842 when the [[Seneca Indians]] sold it. In 1851 the [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|town]] of Seneca was formed; the name was changed to [[West Seneca]] in 1852. The area now known as Lackawanna was then called West Seneca or Limestone Hill.

Lackawanna was a center of [[steel]] manufacture throughout most of the 20th century. In 1899, the Lackawanna Steel Company, based in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]] since its founding, purchased all the land along the West Seneca shore of [[Lake Erie]]. Construction was started in 1900 and the [[Lackawanna Steel Company]] relocated to the area in 1902. The plant began operations in 1903. In 1909, the area's residents voted to split from West Seneca, forming the city of Lackawanna.<ref name="History"/>

With most of the city's workers employed by Lackawanna Steel, city affairs often revolved around events at the mill. Several attempts to organize a labor union at the mill resulted in violence. In 1910, a strike was broken by mounted police, who killed one worker.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Whelan |first=Frank |date=September 2, 1991 |title=THE VIOLENT STRIKE OF '41 BETHLEHEM STEEL CLASH FOREVER CHANGED NATION'S WORKER-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS LABOR PAINS |url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1991-09-02-2810498-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717212533/https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1991-09-02-2810498-story.html |archive-date=July 17, 2021 |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=The Morning Call}}</ref> In 1919, steel workers formed a union again and joined the nationwide [[Steel strike of 1919]]. The workers were joined by sympathy strikes in adjacent companies, and two picketing workers were killed by company guards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cichon |first=Steve |date=July 23, 2021 |title=[BN] Chronicles: Lackawanna Steel laborers martyred in the fight to organize, 1919 |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/local/bn-chronicles-lackawanna-steel-laborers-martyred-in-the-fight-to-organize-1919/article_3d637050-eb2f-11eb-abc1-77e4bf787b64.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725055338/https://buffalonews.com/news/local/bn-chronicles-lackawanna-steel-laborers-martyred-in-the-fight-to-organize-1919/article_3d637050-eb2f-11eb-abc1-77e4bf787b64.html |archive-date=2021-07-25 |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=Buffalo News |language=en}}</ref> Although the strike lasted into the summer of 1920, well after the national strike had ended, the union failed to win recognition from the company. As a result of the strike, Lackawanna elected a [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist]] mayor, John H. Gibbons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brady |first=Erik |date=June 28, 2021 |title=Erik Brady: India Walton surprised many. 100 years ago in Lackawanna, John Gibbons did her one better |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/local/erik-brady-india-walton-surprised-many-100-years-ago-in-lackawanna-john-gibbons-did-her/article_f94042b8-d80a-11eb-af04-2378cb8b6e10.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725055338/https://buffalonews.com/news/local/bn-chronicles-lackawanna-steel-laborers-martyred-in-the-fight-to-organize-1919/article_3d637050-eb2f-11eb-abc1-77e4bf787b64.html |archive-date=July 25, 2021 |access-date=December 15, 2021 |website=Buffalo News |language=en}}</ref> After another violent strike in 1941, the [[Congress of Industrial Organizations|CIO]] finally succeeded in negotiating a contract for the Lackawanna steel workers.<ref name=":0" />

In 1922, the [[Bethlehem Steel]] Company acquired the Lackawanna Steel Company. With the 20th-century growth of the Bethlehem Steel plant, at one time the largest in the world, came the continued growth of the city and its institutions. At its peak, the plant employed 20,000 people. It attracted immigrants from many lands to settle and make their homes.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} Due to industrial restructuring in the latter half of the 20th century, as well as property tax assessment increases levied on the plant by the city, the steel plant declined in business and eventually closed in 1983, following massive job layoffs.<ref>{{cite news| title = Bethlehem Rejects Lackawanna Plan| work = [[The New York Times]]| date = March 18, 1983| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/18/business/bethlehem-rejects-lackawanna-plan.html| access-date =3 July 2009 }}</ref>

In the 21st century, efforts have been made to develop the former steel plant [[brownfields]] to other uses. The site has a diversity of tenants, some occupying buildings remaining from the former steel plant and a few in newer buildings. Opponents say that the brownfield is not safe and claim that contaminants in the field have caused cancer and other medical issues.<ref>{{cite web| last1 = DePalma| first1 = Anthony| last2=Staba |first2=David | title = Sickened, and Fighting Another Cold War| work = CCAM NEWS 2007 part 4| publisher = Mothball Millstone! Connecticut Coalition Against the Millstone Nuclear Power Reactor| date = December 23, 2007| url = http://www.mothballmillstone.org/news2007d.html#sickened| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071116072232/http://mothballmillstone.org/news2007d.html#sickened| url-status = usurped| archive-date = November 16, 2007| access-date =3 July 2009 }}</ref> [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] reports are still ongoing and contested.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/details.cfm?id=252984&& |title=Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator for New York: Senators Clinton, Schumer and Representatives Slaughter, Higgins Urge President Bush to Compensate Nuclear Workers |access-date=2007-08-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070731071537/https://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/details.cfm?id=252984&& |archive-date=July 31, 2007 |df=mdy-all }} Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton Statement & Releases March 20, 2006</ref>

As part of redevelopment, [[wind turbine]]s were built on the former Bethlehem Steel property in 2007. These initial eight 2.5 megawatt turbines will provide power for up to 9,000 households and are considered a sustainable energy source.<ref>{{cite web| title = About Steel Winds| publisher = Steel Winds.com| url = http://www.steelwinds.com/steelwinds/about.cfm| access-date = 3 July 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081120050322/http://www.steelwinds.com/steelwinds/about.cfm| archive-date = November 20, 2008| url-status = dead}}</ref>

The [[Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Light]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2007.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

On November 9, 2016, a [[2016 Bethlehem Steel fire|major fire]] broke out at the former galvanizing plant of the Bethlehem Steel complex.

===Railroads===
The [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]], originally the [[Lackawanna and Western Railroad]], operated from 1851 to 1960. In 1960 it was consolidated with the [[Erie Railroad]] to become the [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]]. This operated until 1976, when it was absorbed by [[Conrail]].

===Notable court case===
The city of Lackawanna was the defendant in the 1971 district court decision ''[[Kennedy-Park Homes Association v. City of Lackawanna]]''. This decision forbade the municipal government (Lackawanna) from interfering with the construction of a low-income housing development in a predominantly white section of the city. The court ruled such action would amount to [[racial discrimination]].<ref>{{cite web|title =436 F. 2d 108 - ''Kennedy Park Homes Association v. City of Lackawanna, New York''| year =1970| volume =F2d| issue =436| page =108| publisher =OpenJurist| url=http://openjurist.org/436/f2d/108|access-date =1 January 2011}}</ref>

===The Lackawanna Six===
The [[Buffalo Six|Lackawanna Six]] (also known as the Buffalo Six) are a group of [[Yemeni Americans]] convicted of providing "material support" to [[Al-Qaeda]]. The group was accused of traveling to [[Afghanistan]] and [[Pakistan]] in the spring of 2001 to attend terrorist training camps.<ref>{{cite news |last = Purdy |first = Matthew |author2=Lowell Bergman  |title = WHERE THE TRAIL LED Unclear Danger: Inside the Lackawanna Terror Case |work = The New York Times |date = October 12, 2003 |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/12/nyregion/12LACK.html?position=&ei=5007&en=6c72ae19117871d4&ex=1381291200&adxnnl=1&partner=USERLAND&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1130180644-8piERM4UI408SpeT7oO5EA |access-date = 2007-09-08}}</ref> The men had claimed that their travel was to Pakistan only, and for the purpose of religious instruction.

The group was arrested in Lackawanna on September 13, 2002, by the FBI. A member of the Lackawanna Cell, [[Jaber A. Elbaneh]], never returned to the U.S. after his trip to Afghanistan. In September 2003 the FBI announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. Captured by [[Yemen]] police, he was convicted and sentenced to a prison in Yemen for involvement in the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker ''Limburg'' off the coast of Yemen. The remaining members of the group pleaded guilty in December 2003 and were given various sentences in federal prison.<ref>{{cite web| last = Aziz| first = Roya|author2=Monica Lam | title = Profiles: The Lackawanna Cell| work = Chasing the Sleeper Cell| url = https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sleeper/inside/profiles.html
| access-date =July 3, 2009 }}</ref>

Jaber Elbaneh escaped from a Yemeni prison in 2006 after joining a successful group prison break. He was identified as one of 23 people, 12 of them Al-Qaeda members, who escaped on February 3, 2006. On February 23, 2006, the FBI confirmed the escape, as they issued a national press release naming Elbaneh to the [[FBI Most Wanted Terrorists]] list.<ref name="fbi">{{cite web| title=Recent Escapees from Yemen Prison Added to Most Wanted Terrorists and Seeking Information - War on Terrorism Lists| date=February 23, 2006| publisher= Federal Bureau of Investigation| url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/recent-escapees-from-yemen-prison-added-to-most-wanted-terrorists-and-seeking-information-war-on-terrorism-lists| access-date=1 January 2011}}</ref> On May 20, 2007, Elbaneh turned himself in to Yemen authorities on the condition that his prison sentence would not be extended. The incident of the Lackawanna Six has tarnished the city's reputation, but it is recovering.<ref>{{cite news |last = Vezner |first = Tad |title = The lessons of Lackawanna: Terror case leaves lasting mark on New York town |work = The Toledo Blade |date = February 26, 2006 |url = http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/NEWS08/602260378 |access-date = 2007-09-08}}</ref>

In July 2009, it was reported that prior to authorities sending in 130 federal and local members of the Western New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, there were suggestions that [[United States Army|federal troops]] be used to capture the suspects.<ref name="buffalo">{{cite news | last = Michel| first = Lou| title = Lackawanna officials say troops in city was bad idea| work = The Buffalo News| date = July 26, 2009| url =http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/744712.html| access-date =27 July 2009 }}</ref> At the time, Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] and Defense Secretary [[Donald Rumsfeld]] believed that the Yemeni men should be declared [[enemy combatant]]s and could have been tried by a [[Guantanamo military commission|military tribunal]]. [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] rejected this proposal, and the arrests proceeded without incident.<ref name="buffalo" />

==Geography==
The city has an area of {{convert|17.1|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.1|sqkm|order=flip|2}}, or 0.75%, is water.<ref name="Census 2020" /> Lackawanna sits on [[Lake Erie]], although the [[Bethlehem Steel]] facility's remnants occupy the waterfront. Smokes Creek (named after [[Seneca Indian]] Chief [[Sayenqueraghta]] who was nicknamed "Old Smoke") runs through the city before it discharges into Lake Erie.

Abbott Road is a major road that runs north–south through the city. Ridge Road is a main east–west road in the city.

===Adjacent cities and towns===

*[[Buffalo, New York|City of Buffalo]]—north
*[[West Seneca, New York|Town of West Seneca]]—east
*[[Orchard Park (town), New York|Town of Orchard Park]]—southeast
*[[Hamburg, New York|Town of Hamburg]]—south
*[[Blasdell, New York|Village of Blasdell]]—south
*[[Lake Erie]]—west

=== Major highways ===
* [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]] [[Image:NYS Thruway Sign.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 90 in New York|Interstate 90]] ([[New York State Thruway]]), runs through the extreme southeast corner of the city.
* [[Image:US 62.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 62 in New York|U.S. Route 62]] (South Park Ave.), North–south roadway that runs through the city from Buffalo into Blasdell and Hamburg.
* [[Image:NY-5.svg|20px]] [[New York State Route 5]] (Fuhrmann Blvd., Hamburg Tprk.), North-South (signed east–west) roadway through the city that runs from Hamburg to Buffalo. Busy north–south (signed east–west) route for traffic to and from Buffalo.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 14549
|1920= 17918
|1930= 23948
|1940= 24058
|1950= 27658
|1960= 29564
|1970= 28657
|1980= 22701
|1990= 20585
|2000= 19064
|2010= 18141
|2020= 19949
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 19,064 people, 8,192 households, and 4,775 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|3,114.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 8,951 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,462.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 83.99% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 9.50% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.40% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.31% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]] (excluding Yemeni Arabs), 0.01% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 2.30% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.49% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 5.08% of the population. Lackawanna also has a sizeable Yemeni population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lackawanna-s-yemeni-community-again-reacts-to-unwelcome-spotlight/article_345e6ddf-bc2e-5728-acfc-a32bf049aeee.amp.html|title=Lackawanna's Yemeni community again reacts to unwelcome spotlight|website=Buffalonews.com|access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref>

There were 8,192 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. Of all households 37.0% were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,354, and the median income for a family was $39,237. Males had a median income of $32,063 versus $22,794 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,727. About 13.1% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
The city of Lackawanna has a mayor-council form of government. A councilmember is elected from each of the four wards of the city, considered [[single-member district]]s. The mayor and council president are elected [[at-large]]. Fire and police services are also provided by city-run departments.<ref name="History"/>

Because of its resemblance to a popular mid-20th century west coast building type, Lackawanna's burnt-orange city hall is distinctive for possibly being the only [[Dingbat (building)|dingbat]] city hall in the United States.

==Religious institutions==
The city of Lackawanna is home to fourteen Protestant churches, the Masjid Alhuda Guidance Mosque (the largest mosque in the Buffalo area), ten Roman Catholic churches, including Our Lady of Victory Basilica (OLV); and Saint Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church.

===Our Lady of Victory Basilica===
[[Image:Our Lady of Victory 2.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Our Lady of Victory Basilica]]
Lackawanna's [[Our Lady of Victory Basilica (Lackawanna, New York)|Our Lady of Victory Basilica]] is a [[National Shrine]]. Next to the basilica is Holy Cross Cemetery. It has been a parish cemetery since 1849, although burials date to 1830.

[[Father Nelson Baker]] was responsible for the building of a working boys' home ([[protectory]]) in 1898. He also supervised construction of an infants' home in 1907, a maternity home in 1915, Our Lady of Victory Hospital in 1919, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory in 1926. Father Baker named the basilica after the shrine of Notre Dame des Victoires in [[Paris]], which he visited as a seminarian in 1874. He was in charge of the basilica and the institutions of charity until his death at 94, on July 29, 1936.

Father Baker's social programs have evolved into Baker Victory Services, which care for more than 2,500 children each day. Baker Victory Services Adoption Program has evolved into a renowned resource for a wide range of adoptive services. Their mission is to assist birth mothers, families and adoptees through the often complex and always emotional adoption process. Our Lady of Victory Hospital, closed in 1999, is being converted into senior housing.<ref>{{cite journal| last = Thrall| first = Terese Hudson| title = Design & Construction - Finding a New Use for an Old Hospital| journal = Hospitals & Health Networks| publisher = Hospital & Health Networks| date = April 2007| volume = 81| issue = 4| page = 27| pmid = 17486933| url = http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/04APR2007/0704HHN_InBox_Design&domain=HHNMAG| access-date = 3 July 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110711165238/http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG%2FArticle%2Fdata%2F04APR2007%2F0704HHN_InBox_Design&domain=HHNMAG| archive-date = July 11, 2011| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Design - Hospital finds new life in senior housing| publisher = Health Facilities Management| url = http://www.hfmmagazine.com/hfmmagazine_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HFMMAGAZINE/PubsNewsArticleGen/data/03MAR2007/0703HFM_Upfront_Design&domain=HFMMAGAZINE| access-date = 3 July 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080228044430/http://www.hfmmagazine.com/hfmmagazine_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HFMMAGAZINE%2FPubsNewsArticleGen%2Fdata%2F03MAR2007%2F0703HFM_Upfront_Design&domain=HFMMAGAZINE| archive-date = February 28, 2008| url-status = dead}}</ref> The Homes of Charity provide the funds to continue Baker's social programs through donations.

Our Lady of Victory Basilica had its 75th anniversary in 2001. The Catholic Church named Father Baker a "[[Servant of God]]" in 1987, the first step towards declaring him a saint. In 1999, Father Baker's remains were moved from Holy Cross Cemetery and re-interred inside the basilica. This was a recommended step for his [[canonization]] process. On January 14, 2011, [[Pope Benedict XVI]] approved a document of the [[Congregation for the Causes of Saints]] declaring Father Baker "Venerable." His cause for canonization, as an "apostle of charity," continues under review by Vatican officials.<ref>{{cite web| title = The Road to Sainthood| work = Father Nelson Baker - The Apostle of Charity| publisher = Our Lady of Victory.org| url = http://olvbvs.org/ourladyofvictory/FatherBaker/sainthood_flashcheck.htm| access-date = 3 July 2009}} {{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last = Villarrubia| first = Eleonore| title = The Servant of God, Father Nelson Baker| publisher =Catholicism.org| date = January 31, 2006| url = http://catholicism.org/nelson-baker-sog.html| access-date =3 July 2009 }}</ref>

==Education==
===Public===
Children in Lackawanna attend school in the [[Lackawanna City School District]]. Grades Pre-K to 1 attend Truman Elementary School. Martin Road Elementary School has grades K–5. In a shared building, grades 6 through 8 are in the Lackawanna Middle School section and grades 9 through 12 are in Lackawanna High School section.<ref>{{cite web| title = Lackawanna City School District| url = http://www.lackawannaschools.org/lackawanna/site/default.asp| access-date = 3 July 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070719022437/http://www.lackawannaschools.org/lackawanna/site/default.asp| archive-date = July 19, 2007| url-status = dead}}</ref>

The Global Concepts Charter School, a [[charter school]] in the New York State system, offers education from Kindergarten through Grade 12. The school consists of two separate buildings. The K-8 building is at 1001 Ridge Road. The high school, grades 9–12, are at 30 Johnson Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalccs.org/|title=Global Concepts Charter School - A Buffalo Charter School |website=www.GlobalCCS.org|access-date=December 6, 2017}}</ref>

===Private===
Our Lady of Victory Elementary School, a private school affiliated with the [[Roman Catholic Church]], includes kindergarten through Grade 8.<ref>{{cite web| title = Our Lady of Victory Elementary School| url = http://olv-bvs.org/ourladyofvictory/School/Welcome.html| access-date = 3 July 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090604154810/http://olv-bvs.org/ourladyofvictory/School/Welcome.html| archive-date = June 4, 2009| url-status = dead}}</ref>

==Notable people==
<!-- Datboimax Buffalo Rapper and music producer
 -->
* [[R. J. Adams]] (aka Bob Shannon), film and TV actor, radio personality ([[WWKB|WKBW]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0011276/|title=R.J. Adams|website=IMDb|access-date=December 6, 2017}}</ref>
* Father [[Nelson Baker]], Roman Catholic priest responsible for building the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory; "Padre of the Poor"; established social programs (for orphans, people with disabilities, and unwed mothers), which still serve over 2,500 people a day
* [[John Batorski]], former professional football player
* [[Raymond Castilloux]], racing cyclist, winner of first place classification at New York Central Park representing US cycling team at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics
* [[Raymond F. Gallagher]], former New York State Senator
* [[Joe Hesketh]], former [[Major League Baseball]] pitcher who played from 1984 through 1994 for the [[Montreal Expos]], [[Atlanta Braves]] and [[Boston Red Sox]]
* [[Ron Jaworski]], [[ESPN]] broadcaster and former quarterback for the [[Philadelphia Eagles]], [[Los Angeles Rams]], [[Miami Dolphins]], and [[Kansas City Chiefs]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ronjaworski.com/about_rj.php|title=Ron Jaworski.com Biography|website=RonJaworski.com|access-date=December 6, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814025340/https://www.ronjaworski.com/about_rj.php|archive-date=August 14, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
*[[Mike Mamula]], defensive lineman for [[Boston College Eagles]] who was selected #7 in the first round by the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] in the 1995 NFL draft<ref>{{cite magazine| title = Mike Mamula| magazine = The Sporting News| url = http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/players/3149/index.html| access-date = 3 July 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080228144255/http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/players/3149/index.html| archive-date = February 28, 2008| url-status = dead}}</ref>
*[[Pat McMahon (coach)|Pat McMahon]], former college baseball coach
* [[Abdulsalam Noman]], former city councilman and first [[Yemeni-American]] elected in New York State
* [[John R. Pillion]], former US congressman
* [[Francis J. Pordum]], former New York State Assemblyman
* [[Frederick F. Pordum]], former Erie County Legislator
* [[Connie Porter]], author best known for her books for children and young adults<ref>{{cite web| title = Biography: Connie Porter| work = Uncrowned Queens - African American Community Builders| url = http://wings.buffalo.edu/uncrownedqueens/Q/bios/P/porter_connie.html| access-date = 3 July 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100714154400/http://wings.buffalo.edu/uncrownedqueens/Q/bios/P/porter_connie.html| archive-date = July 14, 2010| url-status = dead}}</ref> Her novel ''All-Bright Court'' is set in Lackawanna.
*[[Sayenqueraghta]], war chief of the eastern Seneca tribe in the mid-18th century, lived near Smoke Creek (or Smokes Creek) in what is now Lackawanna, NY. He died in Smoke Creek (named after him) in 1786.<ref>Conover, George Stillwell (1885). Sayenqueraghta, King of the Senecas. Observer Stream Print. p. 13.</ref><ref>Thomas S. Abler, “KAIEÑˀKWAAHTOÑ (Sayenqueraghta, Siongorochti, Gayahgwaahdoh, Giengwahtoh, Guiyahgwaahdoh, Kayenquaraghton) (Old Smoke, Old King, Seneca King, King of Kanadesaga),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 4, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed September 13, 2024, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/kaienkwaahton_4E.html.</ref>
* [[Ruben Santiago-Hudson]], actor and playwright; set his musical ''[[Lackawanna Blues]]'' in the Lackawanna community of 1956<ref>{{cite web| title = Lackawanna Blues (2005) (TV)| publisher = The Internet Movie Database| url =https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407936/| access-date =3 July 2009 }}</ref> Major acting role was in ABC series "Castle." In 1996 he received [[Tony Award]] for performance in "Seven Guitars". The Fine Arts Center at Global Concepts Charter High School is named in his honor.
* [[Dick Shawn]] (born Richard Schulefand), actor, comedian, and singer; appeared in ''[[The Producers (1968 film)|The Producers]]'' and ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]''; his parents owned a store in Lackawanna
* [[Dr. Lonnie Smith]], award-winning jazz organist; has worked closely with [[George Benson]]; has appeared with [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Gladys Knight]], and [[Dionne Warwick]]
* [[Margaret Sullivan (journalist)|Margaret M. Sullivan]], ''New York Times'' public editor; serves on the [[Pulitzer Prize]] Board; previously editor of ''[[The Buffalo News]]'';<ref>{{cite web| last = Garcia| first = Camille P.| title = Life at the top of One News Plaza: Margaret M. Sullivan| work = 10 of the most powerful WNY women| publisher = Buffalo Spree| date = September–October 2006| url = http://www.buffalospree.com/archives/2006_0910/091006wny10women02.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081121105057/http://www.buffalospree.com/archives/2006_0910/091006wny10women02.html| archive-date = November 21, 2008| url-status = dead}}</ref> media columnist at the ''[[Washington Post]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/margaret-sullivan/|title=Margaret Sullivan|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=December 6, 2017}}</ref>
* [[John B. Weber]], the youngest colonel (age 20) in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] after his appointment to the 89th United States Colored Infantry; elected to [[United States Congress|Congress]] and served from 1885 to 1889; first commissioner of the immigration station at [[Ellis Island]]. 
*Dr. [[Debbie Almontaser]], founded and is a former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy.  She is also a community activist of [[Yemen]]i descent.

==Photos of Lackawanna==
<gallery>
Image:Lackawanna Veterans Stadium 3.jpg|Lackawanna's Veterans Stadium (formerly [[Ron Jaworski]] Stadium)
Image:Windmills at Lackawanna, New York.jpg|Wind turbines of the [[Steel Winds]] project at former Bethlehem Steel plant along Lake Erie
Image:Former OLV Hospital 2.jpg|Entrance to the former Our Lady of Victory Hospital
File:Holy Cross Cemetery 2.jpg|South Park Avenue entrance to Holy Cross Cemetery
</gallery>

== See also ==
* {{Portal-inline|New York (state)}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.lackawannany.gov City of Lackawanna official website]

{{Erie County, New York}}
{{Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area}}
{{Great Lakes Megalopolis}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Erie County, New York]]
[[Category:Cities in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area]]
[[Category:New York (state) populated places on Lake Erie]]
[[Category:New York (state) placenames of Native American origin]]