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Home | Settlement A | Alfred (village), New York
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The Village of Alfred lies in the north-central part of the Town of Alfred on the eastern edge of Allegany County. Alfred is located in the hills of Western New York along the Southern Tier. The layout of the valley is such that the lowest part contains the village, and upon the hills to the East and West are Alfred University and Alfred State College (respectively). The valley was originally called "Kanakadea" (or "Canakadea," or other spellings) by Native Americans. Local college legends state that Kanakadea means "valley of the insane," as it was cursed either due to its being a burial ground, or purposely by the Indians as they were forced out by European settlers. Alfred is located in the 607 (telephone) area code, 14802 zip (postal) code, and is in the second poorest county in the state (Allegany) , neighboring one of the wealthiest, in terms of per capita income (Steuben) . The closest cities are Hornell and Olean. The elevation of Alfred is about 1700 ft (518.2 m), but due to the hilliness of the region, this varies greatly within the town. The hills greatly affect the weather in Western New York, which results in quick changes as well as different conditions in neighboring valleys. The weather is often described by the truism that says: "If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes; it'll change." The Village of Alfred hosts the annual Hot Dog Day festival (early April). The village of Alfred is home to the largest optical telescope in New York State, at the Stull Observatory at Alfred University. |
