Otsego, New York
Encyclopedia
Otsego is a town
in Otsego County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 3,904 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a lake on its border.
The Town of Otsego is in the north central part of the county.
purchased land (Cooper Patent) that now is marked, in part, by Cooperstown. Major settlement began around 1788.
The Town of Otsego was organized while still in Montgomery County
in
1788 and is the oldest town in the county.
, the town has a total area of 57.8 square miles (149.7 km²), of which, 54.2 square miles (140.4 km²) of it is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it (6.18%) is water.
Otsego Lake
forms most of the eastern boundary, and Canadarago Lake
forms part of the western boundary.
New York State Route 80
is a north-south highway along the west side of Otsego Lake. At Cooperstown, NY-80 is partly conjoined with New York State Route 28
as an east-west highway. New York State Route 205
intersects NY-80 in the western part of Otsego.
of 2000, there were 3,904 people, 1,701 households, and 1,029 families residing in the town. The population density
was 72.0 people per square mile (27.8/km²). There were 2,193 housing units at an average density of 40.5 per square mile (15.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.75% White, 0.64% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.26% from other races
, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population.
There were 1,701 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples
living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,036, and the median income for a family was $48,320. Males had a median income of $33,684 versus $22,868 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $26,305. About 4.5% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% 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 Otsego County
Otsego County, New York
Otsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...
, 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 3,904 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a lake on its border.
The Town of Otsego is in the north central part of the county.
History
Gideon Hawley, a missionary, arrived in this area in 1753. William CooperWilliam Cooper (judge)
William Cooper was the founder of Cooperstown, New York and father of writer James Fenimore Cooper, who apparently used his father as the pattern for the Judge Marmaduke Temple character in his book The Pioneers....
purchased land (Cooper Patent) that now is marked, in part, by Cooperstown. Major settlement began around 1788.
The Town of Otsego was organized while still in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...
in
1788 and is the oldest town in the county.
People of note
- Willard BundyBundy Manufacturing CompanyThe Bundy Manufacturing Company was a 19th-century American manufacturer of timekeeping devices that went through a series of mergers, eventually becoming part of International Business Machines. The company was founded by the Bundy brothers....
- inventor of the time clock. - James Fenimore CooperJames Fenimore CooperJames Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
- lived much of his life in Cooperstown and died there. - Isaac SingerIsaac SingerIsaac Merritt Singer was an inventor, actor, and entrepreneur. He made important improvements in the design of the sewing machine and was the founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Company...
worked at a machine shop in Fly Creek in the 1830s. The family of his future business partner, Edward C. Clark, has been a major benefactor of Cooperstown since the 19th century.
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 57.8 square miles (149.7 km²), of which, 54.2 square miles (140.4 km²) of it is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it (6.18%) is water.
Otsego Lake
Otsego Lake
Otsego Lake is a small lake located in Otsego County, New York in the USA and is the source of the Susquehanna River. Cooperstown, New York is at the southern end. Glimmerglass State Park is located on the northeastern shore...
forms most of the eastern boundary, and Canadarago Lake
Canadarago Lake
Canadarago Lake is the second largest lake in Otsego County, New York, USA, lying to the west of and parallel to the larger Otsego Lake.The lake's name is also spelled "Candajarago Lake" or "Caniadaraga Lake".- Bordering areas :...
forms part of the western boundary.
New York State Route 80
New York State Route 80
New York State Route 80 is a west–east New York State Route located within Onondaga, Madison, Chenango, Otsego, Herkimer, and Montgomery Counties in New York. Its western terminus is located at a junction with NY 175 in the city of Syracuse in Onondaga County, from which it...
is a north-south highway along the west side of Otsego Lake. At Cooperstown, NY-80 is partly conjoined with 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...
as an east-west highway. New York State Route 205
New York State Route 205
New York State Route 205 is a state highway in New York, running from near the city of Oneonta to the town of Otsego in Otsego County. NY 205 is a two-lane highway its entire length and passes through Hartwick....
intersects NY-80 in the western part of Otsego.
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 3,904 people, 1,701 households, and 1,029 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 72.0 people per square mile (27.8/km²). There were 2,193 housing units at an average density of 40.5 per square mile (15.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.75% White, 0.64% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.26% 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 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population.
There were 1,701 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,036, and the median income for a family was $48,320. Males had a median income of $33,684 versus $22,868 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 $26,305. About 4.5% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Otsego, New York
- Brookwood Point – A projection into Otsego Lake north of Cooperstown.
- Cattown – A hamlet west of Fly Creek and Oaksville on NY-80.
- CooperstownCooperstown, New YorkCooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
– Most of the Village of Cooperstown. - Five Mile Point – A projection into Otsego Lake near the north town line.
- Fly Creek – A hamlet west of Cooperstown on conjoined NY-28/NY-80.
- Oaksville – A hamlet west of Fly Creek on NY-80.
- Pail Shop Corners – A hamlet north of Fly Creek.
- Panther Mountain – An elevation on the east side of Canadarago Lake.
- Pierstown – A hamlet near the west side of Otsego Lake.
- Snowdon – A hamlet near the west town line on NY-80.
- Taylortown – A location north of Pail Shop Corners.
- Toddsville – A hamlet south of Cooperstown.
- Tunnicliff Hill – An elevation north of Snowdon.
- Twelve Thousand – A location in the northwest corner of the town.
- Wileytown – A hamlet in the southwest part of the town on NY-205.