Western New York lies between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
Western New York . Western New York consists of 17 western counties in New York State : Allegany , Cattaraugus , Chautauqua , Chemung , Erie , Genesee , Livingston , Monroe , Niagara , Ontario , Orleans , Schuyler , Seneca , Steuben , Wayne , Wyoming , and Yates , with a land area of 11764 sqmi .