collins

Collins is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The town is on the south border of the county and is considered to be one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County. The population indicated by the 2000 census was 8,307. The population for 2007 is estimated at 7,092, a loss of 1,215 citizens. The area was first settled around 1808. Many of the first settlers were Quakers, who intended to assist the local Native Americans. The Town of Collins was formed March 6, 1821 from the Town of Concord. The town lost land to create the new Towns of Brant in 1839 and North Collins in 1852. Because of the concentration of dairy farms, there were once ten cheese factories in the town. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 48.2 square miles (125 km), of which, 48.1 square miles (125 km) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km) of it (0.08%) is water. The south town line of Collins, marked by Cattaraugus Creek, is the county line of Cattaraugus County. US...