History & Culture · Western New York
Andover sits on Allegany County's eastern edge
Andover's local identity starts with its eastern Allegany County setting, 1824 formation, village center, and later Wellsville boundary change.
Published July 7, 2026 · Last verified July 7, 2026
Andover is one of those towns where the edge of the county matters.
It sits on the eastern side of Allegany County and includes the Village of Andover, giving the place both a rural town frame and a village center. Steuben County country lies nearby, so roads and addresses can feel connected in more than one direction.
The boundary story is tidy enough to remember. Andover was established in 1824 from part of Independence, then grew in 1855 when part of Wellsville was added. Those changes still sit underneath today’s village, rural roads, and town lines.
Route 417 may be the first thing a visitor notices. For a resident, the place is more layered: a county-edge town, a village name, and a nineteenth-century map that still shapes ordinary addresses.
Andover does not need one giant landmark to be memorable. Its shape is the story.