Cheektowaga

Cheektowaga comes from the Erie-Seneca Indian word, Ji-ik-do-wah-gah, or "place of the crabapple tree." The earliest Indian dwellers were Neutrals, who lost their lands to the Seneca tribe of the League of the Iroquois. For almost a century, this area remained hunting and fishing grounds of the Six Nations. Of the few Indian villages along the Niagara frontier, one was located in central Cheektowaga.

In 1939, when Cheektowaga celebrated the centennial of its incorporation as a town, the population was 25,000. In 1950 the census reported 45,354 and in the 1960 census Cheektowaga's population reached the 84,056 mark. The 1990 census showed Cheektowaga at 99,000 residents.

Cheektowaga has become, still is, and will be one of the most progressive townships in New York State. Its residents and businesses have had faith in its past and look forward to the town's bright future.