Cuba, New York

• Black Creek – A former community in the town, now in the town of New Hudson. Black Creek is mentioned often in the early history of the town.
• Cuba – A village in the western part of the town.
• Cuba Lake – A lake in the northwest corner of the town.
• North Cuba – A hamlet north of Cuba village on Route 305.
• Oil Springs Creek – A stream passing through the Village of Cuba.
• Oil Springs Reservation – A reservation of the Seneca at the western town line.
• South Cuba – A hamlet south of Cuba village on Route 305.
• Seymour – A former community in the town located near North Cuba.
• Summit – A location east of Cuba village on County Road 20 (Cuba-Friendship Road), also called "Cuba Summit".
• Tannery Creek – A stream flowing across the town and through Cuba village.

Cuba is north of the town of Clarksville and south of the town of New Hudson. It is east of the town of Ischua in Cattaraugus County and west of the town of Friendship.

John S. Minard's Civic History of Cuba, published in 1910, states:

"Cuba is a Roman word and means Goddess or Protector of the Young. So in all probability, the Legislators of 1822, when they set aside the township from the town of Friendship, by accident, stumbled upon the word and appropriated the name, the significance of which is pleasant to think of."

Simeon DeWitt, the surveyor general for New York State in the early 19th century, was an avid student of ancient Roman mythology and is credited with suggesting the name.

Though it may seem that the town was named after the island of Cuba, this is not the case. A common reason for this perception is the prevalence of other towns in the area with names of Spanish cities or towns, such as Salamanca, Panama, and Bolivar.

Starting in the 1870s, Cuba was a notable cheese producing town in New York. Part of the reason for why Cuba was so important in the cheese trade was its location on railroads making access from New York City easy.[6] In the early 20th century, Cuba was known as the "Cheese Capital of the World".[7]

Cuba Lake is a man-made lake located about two miles (3.2 km) north of the village at 1,542 feet (470 m) above sea level.[8] It is the highest reservoir in Allegany County and the sixth-highest in western New York State. It was constructed in 1858 at a cost of $150,000, as a reservoir to feed the Genesee Valley Canal. At the time of its construction, Cuba Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world. The lake contains many game fish including bass, walleye, and northern pike.

Today, the lake mainly serves as a source of recreation for locals. It is surrounded by over 300 homes, many of which are year-round dwellings. The road surrounding the lake is about seven miles (11 km) in length and very narrow.

The Seneca Oil Spring is located near the spillway end of Cuba Lake on the Oil Springs Reservation in Allegany County. This is the site of a famed spring described by the Franciscan Missionary Joseph de La Roche Daillon in 1627, the first recorded mention of oil on the North American Continent. In 1927, the New York State Oil Producers Association sponsored the dedication of a monument at the site describing the history of the oil industry in North America. The site is now under the supervision of Allegany County and a picnic area is available for those visiting there.

The McKinney Stables

Cuba is also home to the McKinney Stables of Empire City Farms, which the locals call the Block Barn, on Route 305 south of the Historic District. Constructed in 1909, this structure, which is made almost entirely of cement, is nearly 350 feet (110 m) long and is completely fireproof. It was built to house William Simpson's "McKinney" horses. It has been a popular stable and the Czar of Russia sent a mare there to be mated with "Mckinney". It was once considered by the Anheuser Busch company as a spot to house its famous Clydesdales. Each year in September it hosts the Cuba Garlic Festival.

The stables were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[9]

The main high school in Cuba is Cuba-Rushford Middle High School, which formed after a merger of the Cuba and Rushford school districts. The Middle High School sits north of the town on Route 305 and teaches grades 6-12. What is known as the "Old" High School on Elm Street now teaches grades K-5; the "Old" Elementary School across the street is now the Elm Street Academy, part of a BOCES program. The mascot of Cuba was the Greyhounds until the merger in the mid-1990s when the mascot was renamed to the Rebels. The Rebel's mascot resembles Yosemite Sam, with slight variations in the character design in order to avoid copyright issues.

West of Cuba, between the village of Allegany and the city of Olean, is St. Bonaventure University (SBU); SBU's campus is located on the Olean/Allegany border. Some of SBU's teams, such as the basketball and baseball teams, play in the Atlantic 10 Conference of NCAA Division 1.

Several of the State University of New York campuses are near Cuba. Olean is home to a Jamestown Community College satellite campus. About 30 miles (48 km) east of Cuba in Alfred are Alfred University and Alfred State College. About 20 miles (32 km) north of Cuba, in Houghton, is Houghton College.