South ValleyNY
A town of 244.
Is South Valley a good place to live?
33% of the land in South Valley is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. South Valley State Forest, at 4,434 acres with 19.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. South Valley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
244 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to South Valley: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Valley, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in South Valley.
Open space protected for good: nearly a third of South Valley
34 miles of trail wind through 3 parks and preserves. The concentration of trails for South Valley comes to 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Valley State Forest | 19.7 mi | 4,434 |
| 2. Pine Hill State Forest | 1.2 mi | 70 |
| 3. Allegany State Park | — | 2,648 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
South Valley has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
South Valley’s median household income stands at $57,000, below both New York’s towns ($82,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in South Valley dropped by 20, to 36. The top destinations are Randolph (19%), Salamanca (8%) and Ellicott (6%). Half of commuters travel less than 17 miles.
| South Valley | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.7% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in South Valley
South Valley’s typical July afternoon high stands at 79°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards: high risk in South Valley, mostly inland flooding
Federal disaster aid has reached households in South Valley after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2014. South Valley’s FEMA risk score comes in at 62 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 84% come from inland flooding and 6% from tornadoes. One claim on flood insurance has been paid out here since 1992.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy South Valley is
Among adults in South Valley, 20% say their health is fair or poor. Of 32 CDC measures, South Valley beats the New York average on 2 and trails it on 11. In South Valley, 39% of adults have high blood pressure, and 16% smoke cigarettes.
| South Valley | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | South Valley | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12.1% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Kinzua Dam and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Valley. Close and well known come first.
14 mi DamKinzua Dam
22 mi LakeChautauqua Lake
27 mi National forestAllegheny National Forest
29 mi State parkKinzua Bridge State Park
15 mi State parkAllegany State Park22 mi Ski areaHoliday Valley79 runs · 790 ft verticalPhoto credits
Kinzua Dam: Niagara, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chautauqua Lake: Banderas, Public domain · Allegheny National Forest: IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5 · Kinzua Bridge State Park: Nicholas from Pennsylvania, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Allegany State Park: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
Everything we know about South Valley
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of South Valley
About 0 of every 100 South Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
100% of working residents leave South Valley for work
Where South Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about South Valley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Valley, NY a good place to live?
South Valley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.