Lewiston was selected by Rand McNally as one of the "Top Ten Best Small Towns in America" in November 2012.

Lewiston recently won an online voting contest sponsored by USA Today and Rand McNally for "Best for Food" small town in America, beating 176 other communities.

Lewiston has over 30 locally owned and operated restaurant/food establishments within a mile, primarily on Center Street, catering to a variety of tastes.

Various cultures of Native American tribes inhabited the Lewiston area for thousands of years, with the earliest known artifacts dating to 5000 B.C.

[4] The Village of Lewiston (formerly known as The Landing) was the site of the first European settlement in western New York in 1720, where trading started along the river.

[5] In addition to its ancient indigenous settlement, Lewiston became historically significant during European development of North America, and strategic in United States and Canadian history.

A commemorative sign marks the location where the American force embarked to cross the Niagara River.

After the Americans lost the battle, a British retaliatory raid in December 1813 burned Lewiston to the ground and killed several civilians.

While most American militia deserted, the local Tuscarora natives stood and fought a delaying action which bought enough time for the surviving citizens to escape.

The earliest recorded railway in the United States was an inclined wooden tramway built here in 1764 by John Montresor (1736–1799), a British military engineer.

Called "The Cradles" and "The Old Lewiston Incline," it featured loaded carts pulled up wooden rails by rope.

[7] For many African Americans escaping slavery in the 1840s and 1850s, Lewiston was the final stop on the Underground Railroad before they crossed the Niagara River to freedom in Canada.

Built in 1824, the Frontier House was known for a time as the finest hotel in the United States west of the Hudson River.

Lewiston has completed a multi-million dollar upgrade of its business district, which has been renovated with brick sidewalks and period lanterns.

Tourists and visitors flock to Lewiston, primarily in the summertime, to enjoy its many festivals, fine restaurants, Artpark, and to learn about its history.

[9] Nearby is the former Army Ordnance Depot, which has a landfill containing heavy metal contamination, as well as radioactive material from the Manhattan Project of World War II, conducted at Tonawanda, New York.

The formation of Niagara Falls began between what is now Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Village of Lewiston, approximately 12,000 years ago.

The residence at 810 Center Street, which became the Clarkson House, was among the first structures added as the village was rebuilt after being burnt to the ground during the War of 1812.