Inlet, New York
Encyclopedia
Inlet is a town
in Hamilton County
, New York
in the United States of America. The population was 406 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from its location on an adjacent lake.
The Town of Inlet is on the western edge of the county.
The Town of Inlet was formed in 1901 from the north part of the Town of Morehouse
.
In 1901, the community of Inlet set itself off as a village by incorporation, but has since abandoned that status.
"An American Tragedy
", Theodore Dreiser
's award-winning novel based on the murder of Grace Brown
, included a scene at Arrowhead. The murder took place in Punkey Bay on Big Moose Lake
in 1906. Three days later, Chester Gillette
was arrested at the Arrowhead Hotel in Inlet, the site of the present Arrowhead Park. Gillette was sentenced to die on the electric chair
in Auburn, New York
. The book was later made into the movie "A Place in the Sun
" starring Montgomery Clift
and Elizabeth Taylor
.
, the town has a total area of 66.4 square miles (172 km²), of which, 62.3 square miles (161.4 km²) of it is land and 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²) of it (6.19%) is water.
The west town line is the border of Herkimer County
. The Moose River defines the south town line.
New York State Route 28
is an east-west highway across Inlet and is the only significant road in the town.
The Fulton Chain Lakes
stretch across Inlet into neighboring areas.
and Webb
in Herkimer County. To the south is the Town of Morehouse
. The Town of Long Lake
forms the northern and eastern boundary.
of 2000, there were 406 people, 188 households, and 128 families residing in the town. The population density
was 6.5 people per square mile (2.5/km²). There were 1,003 housing units at an average density of 16.1 per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.31% White, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races
, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.46% of the population.
There were 188 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples
living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.59.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.2% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,574, and the median income for a family was $37,361. Males had a median income of $29,063 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $21,076. About 7.9% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Hamilton County
Hamilton County, New York
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is named after Alexander Hamilton, the only member of the New York State delegation who signed the United States Constitution in 1787 and later the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. Its county seat is Lake Pleasant...
, 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...
in the United States of America. The population was 406 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from its location on an adjacent lake.
The Town of Inlet is on the western edge of the county.
History
The area developed to service the needs of many sportsman after the middle of the 19th Century, and was known as the "Inlet on Fourth Lake."The Town of Inlet was formed in 1901 from the north part of the Town of Morehouse
Morehouse, New York
Morehouse is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 151 at the 2000 census. The name is that of an early settler, Andrew Morehouse....
.
In 1901, the community of Inlet set itself off as a village by incorporation, but has since abandoned that status.
About the Area
Inlet has been a hub of Adirondack eco-tourism for more than a century. Inlet is surrounded by over one million acres (4,000 km²) of lands within the Adirondack Park that are easily accessible."An American Tragedy
An American Tragedy
-Plot summary:The ambitious but immature Clyde Griffiths, raised by poor and devoutly religious parents who force him to participate in their street missionary work, is anxious to achieve better things. His troubles begin when he takes a job as a bellboy at a local hotel. The boys he meets are...
", Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
's award-winning novel based on the murder of Grace Brown
Grace Brown
Grace Mae Brown was an American skirt factory worker whose murder caused a nationwide sensation, and whose life inspired the fictional character Roberta Alden in the Theodore Dreiser novel, An American Tragedy, as well as the Jennifer Donnelly novel, A Northern Light...
, included a scene at Arrowhead. The murder took place in Punkey Bay on Big Moose Lake
Big Moose Lake
-Neighboring towns:*Big Moose, New York*Eagle Bay, New York*Inlet, New York*Old Forge, New York*Thendara, New York-External links:*People v. Gillette...
in 1906. Three days later, Chester Gillette
Chester Gillette
Chester Ellsworth Gillette , an American convicted murderer, became the basis for the fictional character Clyde Griffiths in the Theodore Dreiser novel, An American Tragedy, which in turn was the basis of the 1951 Academy Award-winning film A Place in the Sun.- Background :Gillette was born in...
was arrested at the Arrowhead Hotel in Inlet, the site of the present Arrowhead Park. Gillette was sentenced to die on the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
in Auburn, New York
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...
. The book was later made into the movie "A Place in the Sun
A Place in the Sun
A Place in the Sun is a 1951 American drama film based on the novel An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser and the play, also titled An American Tragedy, which was adapted by Patrick Kearney from the novel. It tells the story of a working-class young man who is entangled with two women; one who...
" starring Montgomery Clift
Montgomery Clift
Edward Montgomery Clift was an American film and stage actor. The New York Times’ obituary noted his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men"....
and Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 town has a total area of 66.4 square miles (172 km²), of which, 62.3 square miles (161.4 km²) of it is land and 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²) of it (6.19%) is water.
The west town line is the border of Herkimer County
Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
. The Moose River defines the south town line.
New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28 is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major routes, including Interstate 88 , U.S. Route 20 , and the...
is an east-west highway across Inlet and is the only significant road in the town.
The Fulton Chain Lakes
Fulton Chain Lakes
The Fulton Chain Lakes are a string of eight lakes located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York in the United States of America. These lakes are located in Herkimer County and Hamilton County...
stretch across Inlet into neighboring areas.
Adjacent towns and areas
Inlet forms its western border with the Towns of OhioOhio, New York
Ohio is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 922 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the state of Ohio. The town is in the northwest part of the county and northeast of Utica. Part of Ohio is within the Adirondack Park....
and Webb
Webb, New York
Webb is a the northernmost town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The town is named after William Seward Webb, President of the Raquette Lake Transportation Company, the Fulton Chain Railway Company, Fulton Navigation Company, and the Mohawk and Malone Railway; his railroads were...
in Herkimer County. To the south is the Town of Morehouse
Morehouse, New York
Morehouse is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 151 at the 2000 census. The name is that of an early settler, Andrew Morehouse....
. The Town of Long Lake
Long Lake, New York
Long Lake is a town in Hamilton County, New York in the United States. The population was 852 at the 2000 census. The town is named for long Long Lake beside which it sits. The town is entirely within the Adirondack Park and is the most northerly town in the county. It is a summer tourism...
forms the northern and eastern boundary.
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 406 people, 188 households, and 128 families residing in the town. 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 6.5 people per square mile (2.5/km²). There were 1,003 housing units at an average density of 16.1 per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.31% White, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 3.20% 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 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.46% of the population.
There were 188 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% 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, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.59.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.2% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,574, and the median income for a family was $37,361. Males had a median income of $29,063 versus $15,625 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 town was $21,076. About 7.9% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Inlet
- Cascade Lake – A lake in the northern corner of the town.
- Eagle BayEagle Bay, New YorkEagle Bay is a hamlet on Route 28 in the Town of Webb in Herkimer County, New York. Eagle Bay is on the border of the Herkimer and Hamilton counties, and borders Fourth Lake. Its permanent population is 293 spread out among 968 housing units .-Sources:Eagle Bay is a hamlet on Route 28 in the Town...
– A hamlet in Herkimer County at the west town line of Inlet. - Eighth Lake – A Fulton Chain Lake northeast of Seventh Lake.
- Fourth Lake – A large lakeLakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
shared between the Town of Inlet and Herkimer CountyHerkimer County, New YorkHerkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
. The lake is part of a series of the Fulton Chain Lakes. - Inlet – The hamletHamlet (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...
of Inlet is on the eastern tip of Fourth Lake near the west town line. Inlet is the only significant community in this town and is located on NY-28. - Limekiln Lake – A lake south of Inlet, divided by the west town line.
- Seventh Lake – A lake east of Sixth Lake.
- Sixth Lake – A small lake east of Inlet.