Lackawanna

City in western New York State, on Lake Erie, adjoining Buffalo; population (1990) 20,600. Its primary industry is steel production, augmented by bridgeworks, shipyards, and the manufacture of cement, concrete, and, abrasives. There are extensive railway workshops.

Originally part of an American Indian reservation, it was settled as part of West Seneca in 1850. Known as Limestone Hill, it was primarily agricultural until the arrival of the Lackawanna Steel Corporation in 1899, then became one of the leading US steel manufacturers, taking its present name in 1909. In 1977 the steel facilities, owned by Bethlehem Steel, were considerably reduced.