Cattaraugus County, New York

Cattaraugus County is a county in New York, United States, on the Pennsylvania border in the state’s Southern Tier. It had a population of 77,042 at the 2020 census and covers 1,322 square miles (3,425 km2), centred near 42°14′N 78°38′W.

Little Valley is the county seat, and its postal code is 14755. The county has 2 cities, 10 villages and 33 towns, plus a handful of unincorporated hamlets. It runs on Eastern time and carries FIPS code 36009.

Towns & Villages in Cattaraugus County

Cattaraugus County’s population centres split between two small cities, ten incorporated villages, and dozens of hamlets that sit inside the county’s 33 towns without their own incorporation. Type key: CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated hamlet with no separate government.

Two names cause confusion at first glance: the village of Cattaraugus sits in the town of New Albion, not in a town of the same name — the county has no “Town of Cattaraugus.” Ellicottville, a village of under 400 people, punches well above its population as a ski-resort hub thanks to Holiday Valley and HoliMont on its edge.

ZIP Codes

• 14755 — Little Valley (county seat)
• 14760 — Olean (also serves North Olean, East Olean, South Olean)
• 14779 — Salamanca (also serves the Allegany Territory)
• 14070 — Gowanda
• 14706 — Allegany
• 14737 — Franklinville
• 14042 — Delevan
• 14770 — Portville
• 14719 — Cattaraugus
• 14731 — Ellicottville
• 14772 — Randolph
• 14723 — East Randolph

Smaller hamlets such as Kill Buck and Versailles share a ZIP with a neighboring post office town rather than carrying their own.

Geography

The county sits in New York’s Southern Tier, a hilly, forested stretch of the Allegheny Plateau cut by the Allegheny River and Cattaraugus Creek. Allegany State Park, one of the largest state parks in New York, covers much of the southeast, and the Seneca Nation’s Allegany and Cattaraugus territories cross the county along the Allegheny River and Cattaraugus Creek. Land makes up 1,308 of the county’s 1,322 total square miles, with 14 square miles of water.

Cattaraugus County borders Erie County to the north, Wyoming County to the northeast, Allegany County to the east, Chautauqua County to the west, and McKean County and Warren County, both in Pennsylvania, to the south.

Demographics

The 2020 census counted 77,042 residents, down from earlier decades as the county’s manufacturing base contracted. Olean (13,437) and Salamanca (5,929) are the two largest communities; together they hold roughly a quarter of the county’s population. Median household income runs well below the New York median of $82,095, reflecting the rural, post-industrial economy of the Southern Tier. Population density is about 59 people per square mile of land, concentrated along the Olean-Allegany-Salamanca corridor and thinning out in the hill towns to the east and south.

Economy & Local Life

Olean anchors the county’s economy, historically as a refining and manufacturing town and today as home to St. Bonaventure University and several plastics and packaging manufacturers. Salamanca sits inside the Allegany Territory of the Seneca Nation, whose Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino is one of the county’s largest employers. Cattaraugus County government and the Olean General Hospital / Upper Allegheny Health System are major public-sector and healthcare employers. In Ellicottville, tourism drives the local economy: Holiday Valley and HoliMont draw skiers all winter, and the village fills again each fall for its Fall Festival.

History

Cattaraugus County was created from Genesee County in 1808 and formally organized with its own county government in 1817. Its name comes from a Seneca word describing “bad-smelling banks,” a reference to natural gas seeping from rock along Cattaraugus Creek. The county has long been home to Seneca Nation territory: the Allegany Territory around Salamanca and the Cattaraugus Territory along Cattaraugus Creek both predate the county’s organization and remain sovereign Seneca land today. Olean grew as a 19th-century transportation hub where the Allegheny River met early canal and rail routes; Ellicottville’s ski industry developed in the mid-20th century around Holiday Valley.

Getting There

Interstate 86 (the Southern Tier Expressway, following the old NY Route 17 corridor) runs east-west through the county, linking Olean, Allegany and Salamanca. NY Route 16 and NY Route 219 run north-south toward Ellicottville and Buffalo.

• Olean — the county’s largest city, on I-86
• Salamanca — 15 miles southwest of Olean, in the Allegany Territory
• Ellicottville — 20 miles north of Olean, the ski-resort village
• Jamestown, Chautauqua County — about 30 miles west of Olean

Cattaraugus County-Olean Airport in Ischua and Great Valley Airport handle general aviation; the nearest commercial service is Buffalo Niagara International Airport, roughly 60 miles north.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Cattaraugus County, New York?
It is in the Southern Tier of western New York, directly north of the Pennsylvania border and southeast of Buffalo.

What is the population of Cattaraugus County?
77,042 people, according to the 2020 census.

How big is Cattaraugus County?
1,322 square miles total (1,308 square miles of land), making it one of New York’s larger counties by area.

What is the county seat of Cattaraugus County?
Little Valley is the county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Cattaraugus County?
The county has 2 cities, 10 villages and 33 towns, along with several unincorporated hamlets.

What ZIP codes are in Cattaraugus County?
ZIP codes include 14755 (Little Valley), 14760 (Olean), 14779 (Salamanca), 14070 (Gowanda) and 14731 (Ellicottville), among others.

What is Cattaraugus County known for?
Allegany State Park, the Seneca Nation’s Allegany and Cattaraugus territories, and Ellicottville’s Holiday Valley and HoliMont ski resorts.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New York.