The people who live in City of Dunkirk and the Village of Fredonia share more than geography. Values, traditions, sporting events, cultural celebrations, and a common history blur the boundaries of these two adjacent communities. A highway overpass, slightly different demographics, family background, and a certain historic “territoriality” may cause some residents to identify more with one municipality than the other. However shared resources, challenges, and geographic isolation caused by miles of rural land to the west, south, and east, and Lake Erie to the northwest, make people come together and feel like they are one community. The area also enjoys a great wealth of diversity. People of African American, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, Asian, Mid-Eastern, European, Oceanic, and Native American heritage make their home here.

The area is populated by families. Some are wealthy and professional. Some are seasonal students attending SUNY Fredonia and Jamestown Community College. Most are working class residents with 22% living below the poverty level. The families are nice. For the most part, there is not a lot of crime, blight, or traffic. Despite the high unemployment rate, people generally like living here, in this easy-going, not-too-populated area, surrounded by rolling hills, forests, and a Great Lake. But, like most every other community in America, there are on-going issues. One local early-childhood educator confided that the biggest “invisible” problem in the community is child-abuse and child-neglect. These are problems that are not well understood, nor easy to solve. It is this challenge that the CREATE Project hopes to impact.