Bolivar (/ˈbɒlɪvər/ BOL-i-vər) is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States.

[3] Bolivar is on the south border of the county and is east of Olean.

During the brief initial oil boom of the 1880s it was purportedly the wealthiest locale, per capita, in the United States.

By the early 1900s the initial boom, with its economic and population impacts, had significantly faded, but secondary oil recovery techniques applied to the oil fields (starting around 1920) drastically rejuvenated the industry in the area.

Bolivar was served (1881–1947) by the Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern Railroad (PS&N) and predecessors, (1881–1893) by the Bradford, Eldred & Cuba Railroad System (BE&C), and (1903–1926) by the Olean, Bradford & Salamanca Railway (OB&S) and predecessors.

24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.