Attica (town), New York

Attica is a town in Wyoming County, New York. The population was 7,702 at the 2010 census. The town is named after a region in Greece.

The Town of Attica is on the north border of the county and contains part of a village also named Attica (the northern part of the village is within the adjacent town of Alexander in Genesee County).

History
The Town of Attica was established in 1811 from a part of the Town of Sheldon. In 1816, part of Attica was used to make the new Town of Orangeville.

Attica is the location of New York's Attica Correctional Facility, which was the location of the infamous Attica Prison riot that occurred on September 13, 1971. That prison and the New York Wyoming Correctional Facility are located south of the Village of Attica.

In the season 1 finale of the HBO series Oz, Attica is referenced by unit manager Tim McManus as his hometown and the riot as his original impetus for his wanting to set up the prison unit Emerald City.

Geography
The north town line is the border of Genesee County, New York.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.0 sqmi, of which 35.7 sqmi is land and 0.3 sqmi (0.83%) is water. Tonawanda Creek passes through the northwest part of the town.

NY-98 intersects NY-238 and NY-354 at Attica village.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,028 people, 1,497 households, and 1,053 families residing in the town. The population density was 168.8 people per square mile (65.2/km²). There were 1,603 housing units at an average density of 44.9 per square mile (17.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 72.79% White, 21.07% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 5.18% from other races, and 0.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.16% of the population.

There were 1,497 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 16.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 44.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 209.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 240.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $44,877, and the median income for a family was $49,375. Males had a median income of $32,060 versus $22,220 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,817. About 3.7% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Attica

 * Attica – Part of the Village of Attica is in the north part of the town. The remainder is inside Genesee County.
 * Attica-Wyoming County Correctional Facility complex – A New York state prison complex, south of Attica Village.
 * Attica Center – A hamlet southeast of Attica Village on Route 238.
 * Vernal Corners – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town.