Angola

History

The community was previously called "Evans Station". Around 1854 or 1855, the earliest recorded reference to Angola is in an 1822 publication, when it was one of 3 townships divided from Collins. A post office was established there in 1822 bearing the name "Angola". The first postmaster was Jacob Taylor, a Quaker. The new name was apparently chosen because, at that time, local residents (primarily Quakers) were supporting missionary efforts in the Portuguese colony of Angola in Africa. The economy of the village improved with the arrival of a railroad line in 1852. The Village of Angola was incorporated in 1873. In June 2004, an attempt to dissolve the village was thwarted by a judicial ruling that the petitions for a referendum were invalid. In 2007, the village agreed to dissolve its police department and contract with the Town of Evans for police services. Angola officers would be hired by Evans. In February 2008, local officials rejected the urging of local politician Kevin Gaughan to reduce the size of the village board, stating that no financial savings would result. Gaughan, a proponent of reducing the number of government entities in Erie County, is also a proponent of metro government. The US Post Office—Angola was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The Friends of the Village of Angola is a non-profit group of volunteer members whose purpose is to bring more foot traffic to the village. They work to improve and maintain many behind-the-scenes things in Angola. The Friends are responsible for organizing the annual Christmas in the Village, funded by the annual summer Drifters Car Cruise and Donations from individuals and local businesses. On December 18, 1867, just after 3 pm, the last coach of the Buffalo-bound New York…

Geography

Angola is located in southwestern Erie County at (42.639109, -79.030709), near the geographic center of the town of Evans. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. Angola is east of the shore of Lake Erie and is west of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90). It is on the New York-Buffalo-Chicago Main Line of CSXT and on the Jersey City-Buffalo-Chicago Main Line of the Norfolk Southern Railway. From 1907 to 1932 Angola was on the Buffalo-to-Erie (Pa.) Main Line of the Buffalo & Lake Erie Traction Company (B&LET) and its successor, the Buffalo & Erie Railway (B&E), a high speed interurban electric railway. The B&E was abandoned with the approval of the New York State Public Service Commission to promote the growth and development of highway transportation.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,944
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,920
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  4,848
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  4,360
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,255
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,820
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,818
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  3,438

Largest nearby schools

• FRONTIER MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · HAMBURG · 1,071 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• EDEN MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL
  High · EDEN · 672 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• LAKE SHORE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ANGOLA · 671 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• ERIE 2-CHAUTAUQUA-CATTARAUGUS BOCES
  Other · ANGOLA · 636 students · 5.6:1 ratio
• PINEHURST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · LAKE VIEW · 583 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• WILLIAM G HOUSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · ANGOLA · 503 students · 9.7:1 ratio
• HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · DERBY · 356 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• G L PRIESS PRIMARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · EDEN · 345 students · 12.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2023-02-06
  1 km NE of West Seneca, New York
• M 2.6 — 2022-03-15
  5 km SSW of Warsaw, New York
• M 2.52 — 2017-07-11
  11 km NNW of Barker, New York
• M 2.7 — 2009-12-21
  10 km NNE of Olcott, New York
• M 2.58 — 2009-09-20
  20 km ESE of Oakville, Canada
• M 2.91 — 2009-06-05
  4 km SSE of Attica, New York