Jamestown

 

City (1990 pop. 34,681), Chautauqua co., W N.Y., on Chautauqua Lake; founded c.1806, inc. as a city 1886. It is the business and financial center of a dairy, livestock, and vineyard area. The chief industries are food processing and furniture and machine manufacture. Nearby are Allegany State Park and the Chautauqua Institution, a cultural and recreational center on the lake. Lucille Ball was born in the city.

For other places with this name, see Jamestown.

City of Jamestown, New York
Satellite Image of Jamestown, New York
Coordinates: 42°5′44″N 79°14′19″W / 42.09556, -79.23861
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Chautauqua
Founded	1810
Incorporated (village)	1827
Incorporated (city)	1886
Government
- Mayor	Samuel Teresi
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2003)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-6)
ZIP codes	14701, 14733
Area code(s)	716
FIPS code	36-38264
GNIS feature ID	0953925

Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 30,726 at the 2000 census.

The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake. The town of Chautauqua, home of the Chautauqua Institution, is 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Jamestown.

History

The City of Jamestown was incorporated in 1886. The city has been a center for the manufacture of wood products such as furniture as well as a major producer of mattresses. The town was once called the "Furniture Capital of the World." Although much of these industries have migrated away from the area in recent times, Jamestown still retains a few large manufacturing plants for various multinational corporations. The city has a large concentration of citizens of Swedish and Italian ancestry.

Babe Ruth World Series

Jamestown has been the host to 13 Babe Ruth World Series since 1980. The city will be hosting the 2008 13-Year-Old Babe Ruth World Series. The Jamestown World Series Host Committee runs a website, JamestownWorldSeries.com which has information regarding the upcoming series and a deep history of previous tournaments.

Timeline

Timeline of events in Jamestown, New York are presented here.^[1]

• 1810 - Jamestown founded
• 1827 - Jamestown incorporated as a village
• 1886 -

• April 13, 1886: Oscar F. Price is elected as first mayor.^[2]
• April 19, 1886: Jamestown incorporated as a city.

• 1887 - Jamestown Electric Light and Power Company, Art Metal, and WCA Hospital established.
• 1888 - Jamestown Woolen Spinning Co. established; cornerstone of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church laid
• 1889 - American Aristotype Co. established
• 1890 - First electric trolley car in Jamestown
• 1891 - A fire destroyed the Old Homestead Hotel at Third and Pine Streets and four people died. James Prendergast Library is opened and the Municipal Light Plant is started
• 1892 - Chautauqua Worsted Mills formed
• 1893 - Jamestown Veneer Works started by Nathan Wilson; first ice cream company started making Collins Ice Cream.
• 1895 - City Hall cornerstone laid; City Council decides to lay no more wooden sidewalks; Eleazer Green is elected mayor.
• 1896 - Empire Worsted Mills is formed
• 1898 - Chautauqua Towel Mills is opened
• 1899 - Henry H. Cooper elected mayor
• 1900 - Tinkham Brothers established their business; Furniture Index was published; Hall Textile Corp. formed.
• 1903 - Jamestown purchased a water system; J. P. Danielson Tool Co. organized
• 1906 - James L. Weeks is elected mayor
• 1907 - Crescent Tool Company started by Karl Peterson and Charles F. Falldine
• 1908 - Samuel A. Carlson is elected mayor. Music Study Club organized. Jamestown Symphony Orchestra started
• 1910 - Excavation begun for construction of Jamestown General Hospital
• 1911 - Norden Club started;

• August 6, 1911 - Lucille Ball was born.
• September 28, 1911 - the first plane flew over Jamestown

• 1914 - Norden Clubhouse completed.
• April 8, 1917 - Company E left for guard duty; Emerson Glass Co. started.
• 1918 - Jamestown Corp. formed to make airplane propellors; steamer, City of Pittsburgh sinks at Boatlanding.

• July 7, 1918 - The death of Ira Lou Spring, the first Jamestown man to die in France in World War I.

• 1921 - Zonta Club organized.
• 1925 - Hotel Samuels sold; Scottish Rite Temple formally opened; taxpayers vote a $350,000 bond issue for Third Street Bridge;
• 1926 - Third Street Bridge completed.
• 1927 - Jamestown celebrated centennial of its incorporation as a village. Lars Larson is elected mayor.
• 1930 - Samuel A. Carlson serves as mayor once again
• 1931 - A fire destroys the old Martyn Factory. The city purchases Niagara, Lockport & Ontario Power Co.
• 1932 - Ground broken for the new armory; Erie Railroad station is dedicated; Community Chest permanently formed
• 1933 - Elk Furniture Co. sold; Milton Carlson and Frederick Larson took over Jamestown Airport; board of education assumed title to school forest; Councilman Leon F. Roberts elected mayor
• 1934 - Jamestown Airport Corp. offered airport to the city; city secured the old armory as relief center; ground breaking exercise held at new high school
• 1935 - Board of Education opened new industrial arts building; City Council approved $314,000 airport for North Main Street site;

• November 1935 - Jamestown High School formally dedicated

• 1937 - Temple Hesed Abraham dedicated; Alfred Collegiate Extension Center opened with 80 students
• 1938 - Harry C. Erickson becomes mayor; Jamestown General Hospital's maternity annex opened.
• 1939 - Twelve local plans surveyed by government to produce supplies in wartime; city's new airport formally dedicated
• 1940 - PONY league baseball began; Co. E inducted into federal service
• 1941 - Jamestown Municipal Stadium dedicated; Samuel A. Stroth elected mayor.
• 1942 - East Second Street widening ordered; flames destroyed old state armory
• 1945 - Jamestown is hit by a tornado
• 1946 - Dr. Carlyle C. Ring named superintendent of schools
• 1950 - Jamestown Community College opened
• 1951 - Stanley A. Weeks is elected mayor; addition to municipal power plant opened.
• 1954 - Samuel A. Stroth is elected mayor; Allegheny airlines began east-west flight via Jamestown.
• 1955 - Carl F. Sanford is elected mayor
• 1956 - Lucy and Desi Arnaz visit Jamestown
• 1957 - $400,000 runway improvement to Jamestown Municipal Airport
• 1958 - New sewage disposal plant opened; modernization of Buffalo Street pumping station; new wing opened at Jamestown General Hospital
• 1959 - Start of Jamestown's new post office.
• 1960 - Jamestown celebrates sesquicentennial of first house erected here; Mohawk Airlines serves Jamestown.
• 1961 - Jamestown Community College moved into new Falconer Street campus. William D. Whitehead elected mayor
• 1963 - The City's first parking ramp opened at Main and Second Streets. Frederick H. Dunn elected mayor. Grandin Mills on Allen Street leveled by fire. Singer Natalie Merchant was born.
• 1964 - Washington Street Bridge completed.
• 1967 - Addition to Jamestown High School completed. JCC opened new Science and Engineering Building. Charles B. Magnuson elected mayor.
• 1968 - Addition to James Prendergast Free Library completed.
• 1969 - Cherry Street parking ramp opened. Rail service to Jamestown discontinued by Erie- Lackawanna Railway. Stanley N. Lundine elected mayor. New Gustavus Adolphus Children's Home opened.
• 1970 - Final approval granted for Brooklyn Square Urban Renewal Project.

Gallery

Sherman Hotel, 1907 postcard	East Third Street, 1906 postcard	City Hall, postcard circa 1901-1907	U.S. Courthouse, Post Office, postcard sent in 1908
Y.W.C.A., postcard sent 1913	Prendergast Library, postcard circa 1901-1907	Main Street, 1914 postcard	Main Street, looking north, 1907 postcard
Erie Railroad Station, 1909 postcard

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 31,730 people, 13,558 households, and 7,904 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,364.3/km² (3,534.6/mi²). There were 15,027 housing units at an average density of 646.1/km² (1,673.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.52% White, 3.39% African American, .64% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.94% of the population.

There were 13,558 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,837, and the median income for a family was $33,675. Males had a median income of $30,003 versus $20,039 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,316. About 15.8% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The factual accuracy of this section is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page

This section lists the mayors of Jamestown, New York.

1. Oscar F. Price, 1886 - May 7, 1894^[1]
2. Eleazer Green, May 7, 1894^[1] - April 11, 1898^[1]
3. Henry H. Cooper, April 11, 1898^[1] - 1900^[1]
4. J. Emil Johnson, 1900^[1] - 1906
5. James L. Weeks, 1906 - 1908
6. Samuel A. Carison, 1908 - 1928
7. Lars Larson, 1928 - 1930
8. Samuel A. Carlson, 1930 - 1934
9. Leon F. Roberts, 1934 - 1938
10. Harry C. Erickson, 1938 - 1941
11. Samuel A. Stroth, 1941 - 1951
12. Stanley A. Weeks, 1951 - 1954
13. Samuel A. Stroth, 1954 - 1955
14. Carl F. Sanford, 1955 - 1961
15. William D. Whitehead, 1961 - 1963
16. Frederick H. Dunn, 1963 - 1967
17. Charles B. Magnuson, 1967 - 1970
18. Stanley N. Lundine, 1970-1976
19. Steven B. Carlson 1976 - 1990 ^{[2] [3]}
20. Donald W. Ahlstrom 1990 - 1992
21. Carolyn G. Seymour 1992 - 1994 ^[4]
22. Richard Kimball 1994 - 2000
23. Samuel Teresi, 2000 - Current ^[5]

Economy

Major Businesses

The Jamestown area has a few large manufacturing plants that are major employers in this region. These include Bush Industries (makers of ready-to-assemble furniture), Cummins Inc. (manufacturer of diesel engines, the heavy duty engine plant is located in Lakewood, just west of Jamestown, but is named Jamestown Engine Plant - JEP), MRC Bearings, Valeo (a plant under its Engine Cooling division is located here) and Truck-Lite (makers of truck lighting systems).

Education

Jamestown has one campus of Jamestown Community College which provides a two-year education. Jamestown Business College now provides a four-year degree in business administration.

Jamestown also houses a high school, Jamestown High School; three middle schools, Persell Middle School, Washington Middle School, and Jefferson Middle School; as well as six elementary schools, C.C. Ring School, CV Bush School, Fletcher School, Lincoln School, Love School, and Rogers School.

Athletically the Red Raider Football team has competed in 4 NYS football championships, and won 3 in 1994, 1995, and 2000. The Red Raider Marching Band from Jamestown High School is one of the most traveled high school marching bands in the country, having been as far as Hawaii, and appearing on such shows as The Late Show with David Letterman. They also played at the pregame show at the 2004 Fed-Ex Orange Bowl. In December 2007 they will be traveling to Florida again, to play at the Citrus Bowl.

Jamestown Public Schools Official Site

Sports

This is the home city for the Jamestown Jammers baseball team of the New York - Penn League. The Jammers are the Single A Short Season affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

Jamestown is also home to the Jamstown Vikings, whose home arena is the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena.

Notable Natives

• Roger Goodell, the current NFL Commissioner, was born and raised in Jamestown.
• Robert H. Jackson, a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, attended Jamestown High School.
• Lucille Ball, the television legend whose hometown and birthplace is Celoron.
• Natalie Merchant, a musician
• 10,000 Maniacs rock band called Jamestown their home.
• Roger Tory Peterson, a naturalist, artist, educator, and photographer was born in Jamestown and is remembered through the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
• Walter Washington, Washington DC's first African American Mayor.
• Nick Carter, a singer from Backstreet Boys, was originally from Jamestown, though he grew up elsewhere.
• Mitchell Anderson, actor from Doogie Howser, among others
• Ryan Veast, guitarist from the band Gwar

Transportation

The Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport (JHW) is north of the city and provides scheduled and charter air service.

Bus service is provided by Coach USA of Erie. Connections are available. to the Greyhound service in Buffalo. There is also a countywide bus service (CARTS) and taxi service through various companies.

Museums

The Fenton History Center [1] is named after former resident Reuben Fenton, the twenty-fifth governor of New York.

The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center [2] is dedicated to the city's best-known daughter, Lucille Ball.

The Robert H. Jackson Center [3] exists to preserve the life and legacy of Robert H. Jackson.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History [4] continues the legacy of Roger Tory Peterson by promoting the teaching and study of nature, and to thereby create knowledge of and appreciation and responsibility for the natural world.

Sister Cities

Jamestown has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

• Jakobstad, Finland
• Ðakovica, Kosovo, Serbia

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} History
2. ^ Carlson To Be Sworn In As Mayor of Jamestown
3. ^ Carlson Blasts Ahlstrom
4. ^ Nineteen Candidates Emerge for Library District Board
5. ^ "About the Mayor" from the City of Jamestown Website

External links

• Official Website
• City of Jamestown, NY, government
• Jamestown City Court
• Post Journal, Newspaper
• History of Jamestown
• Jamestown Jammers Website
• Chamber of Commerce
• Local Web Portal, Business Directory
• 1240-AM WJTN, Radio
• 1340-AM WKSN, Radio
• 89.7-FM WNJA, Radio
• 93.3-FM WWSE, Radio
• 101.9-FM WHUG, Radio
• 103.1 WQFX, Radio
• 106.9-FM WKZA, Radio
• 107.9-FM WRFA, Radio
• History of Jamestown

Coordinates: 42.095457° N 79.238619° W

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