History

The Town of Amherst was created by the State of New York on April 10, 1818. Amherst was formed from part of the Town of Buffalo (later the City of Buffalo), which had previously been created from the Town of Clarence. Timothy S. Hopkins was elected the first Supervisor of the Town of Amherst in 1819. Part of Amherst was later used to form the Town of Cheektowaga in 1839.

[edit]Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 53.5 square miles (138.6 km²), of which, 53.2 square miles (137.9 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (0.50%) is water.

Much of Amherst was originally floodplain and marshland, much of which has been drained in recent years to facilitate development of new homes and businesses. The central and southern parts of the town are heavily suburbanized, however the southernmost hamlets (Eggertsville, Snyder) and the Village of Williamsville have managed to retain much of their original character. The northern part of the town is still relatively undeveloped with the prominent exception of the portions along Niagara Falls Boulevard (US 62) bordering the Town ofTonawanda and the Town of Wheatfield, New York. Some sections of northern and eastern Amherst have experienced problems with residential foundations as a result of unstable soil conditions. A few active farms may still be found in the northern part of the town.

Amherst is bordered on the north by Tonawanda Creek and Niagara County, New York. Ellicott Creek flows through the town.