Portville, New York

The Town of Portville is located in Cattaraugus County in the southwestern corner of New York State along the Pennyslvania border, locally referred to as the Southern Tier.  Portville is 65 miles south of Buffalo and 90 miles south of Rochester.  Its eastern town line is the border of Allegany County, New York, and its southern town line is the Pennsylvania border. 

The Town of Portville was first settled in 1805 as a result of its flourishing timber industry which to a lesser degree continues today.   The name is derived by the town's early role in shipping lumber and other items down river.

The Town of Portville is 36 square miles.  According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.0 square miles, of which, 35.6 square miles of it is land and 0.4 square miles of it (1.14%) is water.  Generally speaking, businesses and residences throughout the town have their own wells and septic systems.  Police services are provided by the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Department.  Fire services are provided by the Portville and Westons Mills Fire Departments with mutual aid being provided by adjacent towns.  The Village of Portville of  1,100 people, which is in the southwest corner of the town, has its own water and sewer system, maintains its own roads and has its own police department.

There are four postal zip codes within the Town of Portville - 14770 which includes around half of the area of the Town and all of the Village, 14788 for Westons Mills, 14760 for Olean postal distribution only, and 14727 for Cuba postal distribution only.

Communities and locations in the Town of Portville

• Bedford Corners – A hamlet near the east town line on NY Route 305.
• Carroll – A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town, east of the Allegheny River.
• Haydenville – A hamlet on the western town line on County Road 92.
• Lake View Terrace – A hamlet in the northeast part of the town on County Road 79.
• Main Settlement – A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town on NY Route 417.
• Mill Grove – a hamlet on the Allegheny River on Route 305 in the southeast corner of the town. It once marked the south extent of the Genesee Valley Canal.
• Portville – The Village of Portville is a municipal corporation of 430 properties and 1,000 persons located on 2+ squares miles of the Town of Portville in the southeast part of the town on Dodge Creek by the Allegheny River. NY-305 and NY-417 conjoin through the village.
• Stephens Lake – A small lake north of Weston Mills.
• Toll Gate Corner – A location in the southeast corner of the town at the junction of Routes 305 and 417.
• Weston Mills – A hamlet on the north bank of the Allegheny River on Route 417. It was named after the Weston brothers, owners of several businesses.