Western New York Split Into Two Sections: Northtowns/Southtowns

If you ask anyone who grew up in Western New York they will tell you that the 716 is divided into two sections, the Northtowns and Southtowns. But this division is much more than just an imaginary line.

Northtowns Vs Southtowns

It is funny, but people who live in the Northtowns rarely visit the Southtowns and vice versa. I grew up in West Seneca and lived in Amherst, Lancaster, and Hamburg, and I will be honest, I have avoided the other "towns" when I lived in one or the other.

So why the split? It really has to do with the weather and lake effect snow. The line of lake effect snow is where the split really happens. The Southtowns are known to get the most lake effect snow, while the Northtowns are usually spared the "feet" of snow the Southtowns get.

Where Is The Divide Between The Northtowns And Southtowns?

According to our very limited research, due toa lack of budget, we looked up "Southtowns" on Wikipedia and found that the "Southtowns" are made up of:

Hamburg, Orchard Park, Aurora, Wales, Evans, Eden, Boston, Colden, Holland, North Collins, Collins, Concord, Sardinia, and Brant.

The "Northtowns" are made up of:

City of Buffalo, Lancaster, Alden, Newstead, Clarence, Amherst, Tonawanda, and Grand Island.

So where do they separate? That would be the "Middletowns". These are West Seneca, Elma, and Marilla.

Not many people from Amherst are heading to Eden, and folks from Holland rarely travel up to Grand Island. So would you agree that this is where the split in Western New York happens?

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Gallery Credit: Dave Fields