View source for Clarence Center, New York

{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Clarence Center, New York
| settlement_type    = [[Census-designated place]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = Erie County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Clarence Center highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 260px
| map_caption        = Location in [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]] and the state of [[New York (state)|New York]]

<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Erie County, New York|Erie]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Town (New York)|Town]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Clarence, New York|Clarence]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 5.85
| area_land_km2      = 5.85
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.26
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.26
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 3337
| population_density_km2 = 445.44
| population_density_sq_mi = 1153.68

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 193
| elevation_ft       = 633
| coordinates        = {{coord|43|0|40|N|78|38|5|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = {{ubl|14032 (Clarence Center)|14031 ([[Clarence (CDP), New York|Clarence]])}}
| area_code          = [[Area code 716|716]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 36-15836
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0946736
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
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}}

'''Clarence Center''' is an affluent [[Hamlet (New York)|hamlet]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in the [[Clarence, New York|town of Clarence]] in [[Erie County, New York]], United States. The population was 3,337 as of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clarence Center, NY {{!}} Data USA |url=https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clarence-center-ny#:~:text=Between%202020%20and%202021%20the,$124,925,%20a%204.6%25%20increase. |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=datausa.io |language=en}}</ref> It is part of the [[Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area]].

Clarence Center, within the south-central part of the town, is the location of most of the town government facilities, although the actual town hall is within the Clarence postal zone.

Clarence Center is also one of the postal zones in the town with a ZIP code of 14032. This area comprises most of the northern part of the town.

==History==
The community was founded in 1823 as Van Tines Corners.
The community was the first in the town of Clarence to have access to a rail line, with the "Peanut" line being pulled through the community in 1853, the station was named "Clarence Center," Railroad service was cut off on December 31, 1977, and today the line has been mostly ripped up, replaced by a cycling trail, referred to as the "Peanut" line, an homage to the original "Peanut" line, on which rail came to the community.

===Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash===
{{Main|Colgan Air Flight 3407}}
On February 12, 2009 at 10:20&nbsp;pm, a Continental Connection flight operated by [[Colgan Air]] went down in Clarence Center, killing all 44 passengers and five crew members, along with one resident on the ground whose house the plane impacted. The plane, a [[Bombardier Dash 8|Bombardier Dash 8 Q400]] 74-seat turboprop, had logged only 1819 hours, having been delivered in 2008. Up to a week after the crash, the entire neighborhood was closed off because of the numerous residents wanting to see the crash site.<ref name="cnn">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/13/plane.crash.new.york/index.html |title=Search for answers begins in Buffalo plane crash |date=February 13, 2009 |publisher=CNN.com |access-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref>

==Geography==
Clarence Center is located at {{Coord|43|0|40|N|78|38|5|W|type:city}} (43.011158, -78.634749).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|2.1|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

As suggested by its name, Clarence Center lies near the middle of the town.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2020= 2605
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
| align = right
| align-fn = center
}}
===2020 census===

As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], Clarence Center had a population of 2,605.<ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N,P1_003N,P1_004N,P1_005N,P1_006N,P1_007N,P1_008N,P1_009N,P2_001N,P2_002N,H1_001N,H1_002N&for=place%3A15836&in=state%3A36|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=April 30, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref> The median age was 44.7 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.2 males age 18 and over.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME,DP1_0021P,DP1_0024P,DP1_0025C,DP1_0049C,DP1_0045C,DP1_0069C,DP1_0073C,DP1_0125P,DP1_0126P,DP1_0129P,DP1_0133P,DP1_0137P,DP1_0138P,DP1_0139P,DP1_0141P,DP1_0142P,DP1_0143P,DP1_0145P,DP1_0146P,DP1_0147C,DP1_0148C,DP1_0149C,DP1_0156C,DP1_0157C,DP1_0158C,DP1_0159P,DP1_0160P&for=place%3A15836&in=state%3A36|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=April 30, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

90.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.9% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME,P2_002N,P2_003N&for=place%3A15836&in=state%3A36|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=April 30, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

There were 961 households in Clarence Center, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 64.1% were married-couple households, 8.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

There were 994 housing units, of which 3.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.1%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census<ref name="Census2020PL"/>
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| [[White Americans|White]] || 2,371 || 91.0%
|-
| [[African Americans|Black or African American]] || 20 || 0.8%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian and Alaska Native]] || 3 || 0.1%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] || 102 || 3.9%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and [[Pacific Islander|Other Pacific Islander]] || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 14 || 0.5%
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]] || 95 || 3.6%
|-
| ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race)'' || 84 || 3.2%
|}

===2000 census===

As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>, there were 1,747 people, 622 households, and 508 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was {{convert|822.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 634 housing units at an average density of {{convert|298.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.28% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.52% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.17% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.17% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.11% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.29% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.46% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.97% of the population.

There were 622 households, out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the community, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the hamlet was $66,311, and the median income for a family was $70,179. Males had a median income of $53,542 versus $27,266 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $25,363. About 1.7% of families and 1.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including none of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
==Characteristics==
The heart of the community is the more heavily settled area by the intersection of Clarence Center and Goodrich Roads. This location is sometimes referred to as "the four corners" or merely "the corners". There is a business on each corner, currently{{when|date=June 2020}} a coffee shop, a bank, a day care center, and a small cluster of gift shops.

Although Clarence Center occupies most of the northern part of the town, the population is less than the part of the town that is called Clarence.

A hiking/biking trail connects Clarence Center to [[Akron, New York]], to the east and to [[New York State Route 78|NY Route 78]], Transit Road, to the west.

The [[J. Eshelman and Company Store]] at 6000 Goodrich Rd., was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1982.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>

==Education==
It is in the Clarence Central School District.<!--UNI 07590--><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36029_erie/DC20SD_C36029.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Erie County, NY|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-07-21}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36029_erie/DC20SD_C36029_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

East of the four corners is the Clarence Center Elementary School, which serves most of the northern part of the town.

==Notable people==
*Dancer [[Neil Haskell]] is a Clarence Center native. He is an original cast member of the Broadway musical  ''[[Hamilton: An American Musical]]''.
*Retired [[National Hockey League]] player [[Marcel Dionne]] has a residence in Clarence Center.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ny/561  Information about Clarence Center Elementary School]

{{Erie County, New York}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Hamlets in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Erie County, New York]]
[[Category:Hamlets in Erie County, New York]]