Cheektowaga is a town (also a Census-esignated Place, see below) in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 94,019. The name comes from the Iroquoian word Ji-ik-do-wa-gah, meaning the place of the crab apple tree. Cheektowaga has a large Polish-American community, about 39.9% of population is of Polish heritage.