Olean, New York
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1898 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Olean City. It lies in ZIP code area 14760. It stands on Olean Creek. The Survey maps it on the Olean quadrangle. 13,937 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,463 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Then and now
1898 to 1986The same ground, surveyed 88 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Olean
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 10 records
Beardsley-Oliver Houselisted 2008
Conklin Mountain Houselisted 1998
Oak Hill Park Historic Districtlisted 1997
Olean Armorylisted 1995
Olean Public Librarylisted 1985
Olean School #10listed 2010
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Complexlisted 2001
Temple B'Nai Israellisted 2012
Union and State Streets Historic Districtlisted 2015
US Post Office-Oleanlisted 1989
Population over time
2 figuresOlean fell from 14,452 to 13,937 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 14,452 | |
| 2020 | 13,937 | -515 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 19 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1898 USGS Olean quadrangle1:62500, 5 printings
- 1938 USGS Olean quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1943 USGS Olean quadrangle1:62500
- 1960 USGS Buffalo quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Olean quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1962 USGS Buffalo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1967 USGS Buffalo quadrangle1:250000
- 1973 USGS Buffalo quadrangle1:250000
- 1986 USGS Olean quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
173 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 173 fires within 5 miles of Olean between 1992 and 2019, burning about 165 acres in total. 16 started naturally. 22 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 71 |
| Debris and open burning | 34 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 22 |
| Smoking | 17 |
| Natural | 16 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 8 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2008 | Smoking | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 5 September 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 23 September 2017 | Smoking | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | N/A |
| 20 September 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 14 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 14 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 12 September 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 12 September 2008 | Smoking | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Olean: 5 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany Aggregates Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Allegany Aggregates Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| E.F. Lippert and Co. S & G Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| E.F. Lippert and Co. S & G Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gulf Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gulf Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| William J. Lippert & Son S & G Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary |
Storms near this place
50 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Olean in 50 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 33 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 3 hail, 3 flood. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2001 | Lightning | Olean | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| January 1999 | Heavy Snow | Olean | $150,000 | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Flood | Olean | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $45,000 | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Flash Flood | Olean | $35,000 | no account filed |
| September 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $25,000 | Several trees were reported down in Olean. Some of the trees fell on houses. |
| March 2011 | Flood | Olean | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 2011 | Flood | Olean | $25,000 | no account filed |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $20,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires down on a house on South Barry Street. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $17,000 | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $15,000 | Trees and wires were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $15,000 | A newspaper article reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds in Olean. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported downed trees blocking several roads in Olean. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires down on Garden Avenue. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported trees down on Main Street. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $15,000 | A trained spotter reported trees down and an awning torn off a building. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $15,000 | Numerous trees and branches were downed throughout Olean. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires down. |
| August 2012 | Flash Flood | Olean | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Olean | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $12,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and wires. |
| August 1996 | Flash Flood | Olean | $11,000 | no account filed |
| October 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| September 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees down on West Riverside Drive. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires down. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Olean | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $5,000 | Trees and wires were reported down in multiple locations around Olean. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Olean | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $3,000 | Numerous trees downed in Olean. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $2,000 | Tree and several powerlines downed. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $2,000 | Trees and wires were downed. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $2,000 | Multiple reports of trees down were received. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $2,000 | Several trees and wires were down around Olean. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $2,000 | Trees and power lines were reported down in Olean. |
| August 1996 | Hail | Olean | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olean | $1,000 | Trees were reported down. |
| June 2024 | Heavy Rain | Olean | - | Total 24 hour rainfall from COOP observation station OLNN6 in Olean of 4.41 inches. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Olean | - | Video of water on Union Street near Jamestown Community College in Olean. |
| September 2024 | Flash Flood | Olean | - | Buffalo Street closed due to flooding. |
| September 2022 | Flash Flood | Olean | - | Flash flooding with road closures occurred on South Union Street and Martha Avenue just south of Olean. |
| August 2021 | Heavy Rain | Olean | - | Storm total rainfall that was reported during the entirety of the passage of the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Olean | 0.5 miles | 19 | |
| Seneca Heights | 0.6 miles | 19 | |
| South Olean | 0.6 miles | 19 | |
| Boardmanville | 0.9 miles | 19 | |
| North Olean | 1.2 miles | 19 | |
| Baldwin Heights | 1.5 miles | 19 | |
| Homer Hill | 1.6 miles | 19 | |
| Village of Saint Anthony | 2.4 miles | 19 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Olean | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q630963 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 959338. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.








