town (township), Erie county, western New York, U.S. It lies immediately east of Buffalo, on Ellicott, Scajaquada, and Cayuga creeks, near Lake Erie (Erie, Lake). Originally part of the Holland Land Purchase and the town of Amherst, the site was first settled in 1808 by Appollos Hitchcock, who was appointed Indian agent for the Buffalo Reservation. The town, incorporated in 1839, derived its name from an Iroquoian word, ji-ik-do-wah-gah (“place of the crab apple tree”). There was some fleeting land speculation when the railroads came through after the American Civil War. Rapid residential, industrial, and commercial growth occurred after World War II. Cheektowaga includes most of the village of Depew (incorporated 1892) and the village of Sloan (1896). Some 20 cemeteries are located within the town limits, and the Greater Buffalo International Airport occupies the northeastern section. Area 29 square miles (76 square km). Pop. (1990) 99,314; (2000) 94,019.