The Town of Wheatfield is divided between four zip codes and has long wanted to rectify that.
Town officials this week gave their support to federal legislation that would create a new zip code for the town. It is working with Congressman Tim Kennedy’s office on the effort, as only Congress can grant the request.
Currently, the town is divided between the following postal codes:
• 14094, based around Lockport
• 14132, based around Sanborn
• 14120, based around North Tonawanda
• 14304, based around Niagara Falls
“The Town of Wheatfield needs its own identity and having one zip code would help our community in this regard,” the resolution states.
It is something the town has tried to accomplish with congressmen for the past 20 years.
Town Supervisor Don MacSwan said the four codes come from when Wheatfield was a rural community with a small population. Now it is more of a bedroom community whose population over the past 30 years has gone from 11,125 in 1990 to a 2024 estimate of 18,578.
“Now is the time to give us a zip code,” MacSwan said.
These four codes existing in one municipality have caused plenty of residential issues as the town grows. The resolution states this has caused confusion in filing death certificates and there are several street names and home addresses in common across the four zip codes.
In one instance, a new home builder had its National Grid electric service delayed by two months due to a wrong zip code being listed.
This change would not give the town a new post office.
One such bill going through Congressional committee, H.R. 3095, lists the Town of Pendleton among 72 communities in 20 states that would get its own zip code if passed. That town is also divided between the 14120 and 14094 codes and saw its population go from 5,010 in 1990 to an estimated 7,135 in 2024.
Congressman Nick Langworthy, whose district goes into Pendleton, gave his support for the change.
Residents can write letters to the town showing their support so that this proposal does not die in committee.