Harris Hill, New York
Encyclopedia
Harris Hill is a hamlet
(and a census-designated place
) located in the Town of Clarence
in Erie County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 4,881 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo
–Niagara Falls
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. The region is named after Asa Harris, a former officer in the American Colonial Army, who established a tavern near the top of a low hill northeast of Buffalo.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the region has a total area of 4 square miles (10.4 km²), all land.
Harris Hill is in the southwest corner of the town and is centered on the intersection of Main Street (NY Route 5
) and Harris Hill Road.
To the south east of Harris Hill is a large crushed stone Quarry
that plunges some 30 meters in to the bedrock. The quarry now owned by Buffalo Crushed Stone was opened in 1904
. Freed slaves would sneak under Main Street (NY Route 5
) through limestone caves and exit north at the bottom of the Onondaga (geological formation)
in to a swampy forest. The tavern has since been repurposed as the Home Town Cleaners. It has since been renamed Reed's Laundry and Dry cleaning.
of 2000, there were 4,881 people, 1,859 households, and 1,435 families residing in the community. The population density
was 1,207.0 per square mile (466.5/km²). There were 1,992 housing units at an average density of 492.6/sq mi (190.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.38% White, 0.51% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races
, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 1,859 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples
living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the community the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the area was $62,500, and the median income for a family was $66,971. Males had a median income of $52,478 versus $31,910 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $29,056. About 1.4% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
(and a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
) located in the Town of Clarence
Clarence, New York
Clarence is a town located in the northeastern part of Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 30,673 according to the 2010 census. This represents an increase of 17.42% from the 2000 census figure . Clarence is also the name of a postal district in the south part of the town...
in Erie County
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,881 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
–Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area
The Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area, designated by the United States Census Bureau, encompassing two counties – Erie and Niagara – in Western New York, with a population, as of the 2010 census, of 1,135,509 inhabitants...
. The region is named after Asa Harris, a former officer in the American Colonial Army, who established a tavern near the top of a low hill northeast of Buffalo.
Geography
Harris Hill is located at 42°58′1"N 78°40′40"W (42.967058, -78.677828).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the region has a total area of 4 square miles (10.4 km²), all land.
Harris Hill is in the southwest corner of the town and is centered on the intersection of Main Street (NY Route 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
) and Harris Hill Road.
To the south east of Harris Hill is a large crushed stone Quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
that plunges some 30 meters in to the bedrock. The quarry now owned by Buffalo Crushed Stone was opened in 1904
History
Asa Harris's Tavern was a stop on the Underground railroadUnderground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. Freed slaves would sneak under Main Street (NY Route 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
) through limestone caves and exit north at the bottom of the Onondaga (geological formation)
Onondaga (geological formation)
The Onondaga Formation is a group of hard limestones and dolostones of Devonian age that form an important geographic feature in some areas in which it outcrops, in others; especially its Southern Ontario portion, the formation can be less prominent as a local surface feature.In upstate New York...
in to a swampy forest. The tavern has since been repurposed as the Home Town Cleaners. It has since been renamed Reed's Laundry and Dry cleaning.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,881 people, 1,859 households, and 1,435 families residing in the community. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,207.0 per square mile (466.5/km²). There were 1,992 housing units at an average density of 492.6/sq mi (190.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.38% White, 0.51% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 1,859 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the community the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the area was $62,500, and the median income for a family was $66,971. Males had a median income of $52,478 versus $31,910 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $29,056. About 1.4% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.