Canisteo (/ˌkænɪsˈtiːoʊ/[3]) is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States.

The name "Canisteo" derives from the Seneca language and translates roughly to "board on the water".

[citation needed] The first settlers arrived around 1788, making Canisteo one of the earliest locations occupied in the county.

A large proportion of the first settlers of Canisteo were from Pennsylvania,[4] since at the time access was primarily via the Susquehanna River; there were no direct links to Albany or New York City.

Boats descend the Canisteo laden with one thousand bushels of wheat.

"[5]: 22 Products were shipped via the Canisteo, Chemung, and Susquehanna Rivers to the port of Baltimore.

[7] After arrival of the Erie Railroad in 1851, the Village of Canisteo was home to a variety of small manufacturers.

In a news story on the best students of 1893–1894 we see that there were five teachers, all women, plus the male principal, who also taught.

[12] After its abandonment in 1914 when the Greenwood Street Elementary School was built, it became Strait's Mill, then a feed store, before being torn down about 1952 and replaced by a bus garage.

Adjacent to it to the south, between Fifth and Sixth Streets, is the Rotary Field, which remained the venue for school sports until the 1990s, when new facilities were built on Purdy Creek Road.

[14]: 94  To reach another academy from Canisteo one had to go 15 miles (24 km) northwest, to Alfred, New York, in Allegheny County.

"[15]: 350  The New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (1896–1916) crossed Academy St., where it stopped at a platform for student and teacher use.

At that time the following subjects were offered, arranged by school department: Latin, Greek, German, French, and English language; arithmetic, algebra, and geometry; natural philosophy (science), botany, geology, physiology, anatomy, and geography.

[21] An elementary school was built in 1914 just to the south of the academy, replacing the 5th Street building.

A new Canisteo Central School was constructed, attaching to the preserved heating plant portion of the elementary school, constructing a new front and main entrance facing Greenwood Street, connecting with the portion of the building occupying the academy site.

In 1959, a new elementary school was constructed further south, at 120 Greenwood Street, including a competition swimming pool.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 54.4 square miles (140.8 km2), all land.

The Canisteo River flows west to east through the northern part of the town.