Elma is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 11,317 at the 2010 census. The town is named after a type of tree.Elma is in the county's south-central part, southeast of Buffalo. Elma refers to itself as the "heart of Erie County". It is part of the Southtowns region.HistoryThe area was settled around 1827. The early residents included members of the Ebenezer Society.Elma was the last town formed in the county. When the time came to put up a post office for the local lumber mill, a resident suggested it be named after a famous large American elm, then growing at the corner of the modern Clinton and Bowen Road. The name was accepted, and after all procedures were carried out, the new Elma Post Office was established in 1852 and began receiving mail three times a week. The town was officially created in 1857 from parts of the towns of Aurora and Lancaster.Fran Striker, the creator of the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet, was killed in a car accident here on September 4, 1962, while moving with his family.After moving back to western New York in 2007, long-time Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas opened Thurman Thomas Sports Training in Elma.
