Fredonia, New York
Fredonia is a village of 9,467 people in Chautauqua County, New York.
Why visit Fredonia
Townapedia lists 9 museums and landmarks, 8 parks and trails, 24 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 7 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia Opera House, Dunkirk Light and Dunkirk Post Office.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 81°F; February lows average 21°F, and about 76 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Fredonia
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Fredonia
Fredonia (Seneca: Ganë́'daweö) is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 9,871 as of the 2020 census. Fredonia is in the town of Pomfret south of Lake Erie. The village is the home of the State University of New York at Fredonia (in the northwest part of the village).
From the Wikipedia article Fredonia, New York (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do7
State University of New York at Fredonia
School · 0.9 mi
Four-year liberal arts college
Fredonia Opera House
Cinema and theater
Theater in Fredonia, New York, United States
9 Church Street, Fredonia
Museums and landmarks9
Dunkirk Light
Lighthouse · National Register of Historic Places · 3.8 mi
Lighthouse in New York, United States
Dunkirk Post Office
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.8 mi
Historic post office building located at Dunkirk in Chautauqua County, New York
Fredonia Commons Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Historic district in New York, United States
School No. 7
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
School building in Dunkirk, New York, United States
United States Post Office
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Government building in Fredonia, New York
Parks, trails and playgrounds8
Restaurants and cafes24
Tim Hortons
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 mi
3936 Vineyard Drive, Dunkirk
Mo-We 05:00-20:00; Fr-Su 05:00-20:00
Buddy Brewster’s Ale House
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 mi
10450 Bennett Road, Fredonia
DeJohn's Italian Spaghetti House
Restaurant · Italian
26 West Main Street, Fredonia
12 more on the map.
History
The village that is now Fredonia was most likely first occupied by early Mound Builders, then the Erie people (13th to 17th centuries), then the Seneca people of the Iroquois.
The area's original name was Canadaway (from the Seneca word Ganadawao, meaning "among the hemlocks"). The Seneca know it today as Ganë́'daweö.
In 1791, Robert Morris purchased the Fredonia land from Massachusetts and sold it to the Holland Land Company. Parcels were sold to pioneers around 1800, and the first settlers came around 1803 or 1804. Among the first settlers included Zattu Cushing, the county's first judge, and David Eason, the county's first sheriff.
In 1821, William Hart dug the first well specifically to produce natural gas in the United States on the banks of Canadaway Creek in Fredonia. It was 27 feet (8.2 m) deep, excavated with shovels by hand, and its gas pipeline was hollowed out logs sealed with tar and rags. It supplied enough natural gas for lights in two stores, two shops and a gristmill (currently the village's fire station) by 1825. Expanding on Hart's work, the Fredonia Gas Light Company was formed in 1858, becoming the first American natural gas company. A stone monument in downtown Fredonia marks the site of the first gas well.
From the History section of Fredonia, New York on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship12
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Place of worship · Jehovahs Witness · 1.8 mi
970 Central Avenue, Dunkirk
Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.6 mi
1032 Central Avenue, Dunkirk
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging5
Schools, colleges and libraries16
Map of Fredonia
87 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34°F | 21°F | 3.0 in | 26.7 in |
| Feb | 36°F | 21°F | 2.0 in | 13.0 in |
| Mar | 45°F | 28°F | 2.4 in | 11.6 in |
| Apr | 58°F | 38°F | 3.6 in | 1.4 in |
| May | 69°F | 49°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 77°F | 59°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 81°F | 64°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 79°F | 63°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 74°F | 56°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 62°F | 46°F | 4.7 in | 0.2 in |
| Nov | 50°F | 37°F | 3.8 in | 5.4 in |
| Dec | 40°F | 28°F | 2.9 in | 17.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Fredonia Hcn (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Chautauqua County has had 18 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2022-11-20: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm (Winter Storm)
- 2020-03-20: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-12-19: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2014-12-22: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding (Snowstorm)
- 2014-07-08: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Chautauqua County-Dunkirk Airport (DKK) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 miles away.
- Dunkirk 3 mi north, about 4 min by car
- Brocton 7 mi southwest, about 11 min by car
- Mayville 16 mi southwest, about 25 min by car
- Angola 21 mi northeast, about 33 min by car
- Angola on the Lake 21 mi northeast, about 33 min by car
- Falconer 23 mi south, about 37 min by car
- North Collins 23 mi northeast, about 37 min by car
- Celoron 23 mi south, about 38 min by car
- Jamestown 24 mi south, about 39 min by car
- Eden 26 mi northeast, about 42 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- US Post Office—Fredonia NY Nov 10, Pubdog at en.wikipedia, Public domain
- Fredonia Village Hall, Generic1139, CC BY 3.0
- School No. 7 Dunkirk NY Nov 10, Pubdog ( talk ), Public domain
- Dunkirk Post Office Nov 09, Doug Kerr from Upstate New York, CC BY-SA 2.0
- SUNY Fredonia - 20200427 - 04 - Mason Hall, Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
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