Tonawanda, city (1990 pop. 17,284), Erie co., NW N.Y., on the Niagara River at the terminus of the Erie Canal; inc. as a village 1854, as a city 1903. An industrial suburb of Buffalo and a lake port, Tonawanda is a commercial center and a transshipment point. Its manufactures include steel, office equipment, chemicals, paint, and plastics.

The name Tonawanda refers to several locations in Western New York. Its use confuses even the people who live in nearby Metro Buffalo communities.

• Tonawanda (city), New York, a city on the northern edge of Erie County
• Tonawanda (town), New York, also within Erie County and bordering the Niagara River and the City of Tonawanda
• Tonawanda (CDP), New York, a census-defined area which consists of the entire Town of Tonawanda (excluding the village of Kenmore)
• North Tonawanda, New York, a city in the southern part of Niagara County along the Niagara River (across the Erie Canal/Tonawanda Creek from the city of Tonawanda)
• Tonawanda Island, part of the City of North Tonawanda
• Tonawanda Creek, a tributary of the Niagara River

Tonawanda may also refer to:

• Tonawanda Kardex (an old NFL team)
• Glacial Lake Tonawanda
• Tonawanda Reservation
• Tonawanda Reservation, Erie County, New York
• Tonawanda Reservation, Genesee County, New York
• Tonawanda Reservation, Niagara County, New York