North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is allocation of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south border.

Tonawanda in the Seneca tongue means “Swift Running Water”. Tonawanda Creek, which flows into the Niagara River, once had large stretches of rapids (see Rapids, New York) until it was tamed in imitation of the construction of the Erie Canal.

The city furthermore calls itself “The Lumber City,” due to its gone primary industry and behind was the largest port upon the Great Lakes during the top of the Erie Canal. Along Goundry Street are mansions built for the lumber barons, including 208 Goundry Street, called “Kent Place”, designed by Stanford White. Many of the local residents lecture to to the city as “The Jewel of Niagara County” due to its geographical quality between the Niagara River and Erie Canal. It is also home to the 2009 Class AA NYS Football Champion Lumberjacks. Street signs on the borders of town suitable visitors to “The Home Of The Carousel”.

After the first settlers arrived in 1809, North Tonawanda became ration of the town of Wheatfield, New York in Niagara County, from May 1836. An abortive try at a village containing portions in two counties and two towns from January 1854 until April 1857, it was ration of the Niagara County/Town of Wheatfield component, with the other portion in Erie County and the Town of Tonawanda. The experiment was and no-one else after New York State removed the village’s North Tonawanda component. Oral records claims a dispute between merchants was the cause, but the captivation of communities in two counties and two towns was unwieldy. After becoming a village on May 8, 1865 (still in the Town of Wheatfield, but as allowance of Martinsville, New York), North Tonawanda was incorporated as a City upon April 24, 1897.