Portland, New York
Encyclopedia
Portland is a town
in Chautauqua County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 5,502 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Portland is on the shore of Lake Erie
west of the City of Dunkirk
. The Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility
is within Portland. Because the residents of this facility are counted as Portland residents by the U.S. Census Bureau, most statistics about the town are heavily skewed and not representative of the non-institutionalized population.
The Town of Portland was founded in 1813 from the Town of Chautauqua
.
Subsequently, the town was reduced in size to form two new towns: Ripley
(1816) and Westfield
(1829).
A genealogical history of Portland, New York was published in 1873 by Dr. H. C. Taylor titled "Historical Sketches of the Town of Portland, New York". An all names index was created for this book by Agnes Lee Mitchell in 1989 and published by the Chautauqua County Genealogical Society.
, the town has a total area of 34.3 square miles (88.8 km²), of which, 34.3 square miles (88.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.09%) is water.
The New York State Thruway
(Interstate 90
) and US 20
cross the northern part of the town. NY 5
parallels the shore of Lake Erie
.
)
of 2000, there were 5,502 people, 1,655 households, and 1,161 families residing in the town. The population density
was 160.6 people per square mile (62.0/km²). There were 2,096 housing units at an average density of 61.2 per square mile (23.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.93% White, 12.05% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.02% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.51% from other races
, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.62% of the population.
There were 1,655 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples
living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 140.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 148.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,909, and the median income for a family was $37,006. Males had a median income of $27,464 versus $21,636 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $12,881. About 8.9% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 6.7% 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 Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
, 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 5,502 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Portland is on the shore of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
west of the City of Dunkirk
Dunkirk (city), New York
Dunkirk is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the USA. It was officially incorporated in 1880, though it was first settled around 1805. The population was 12,563 at the 2010 census. Dunkirk is bordered on the north by Lake Erie. It shares a border with the Village of Fredonia to the south,...
. The Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility
Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility
Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility is a minimum security prison in New York in the USA. The prison is located by the Village of Brocton in Chautauqua County, New York. The facility provides special treatment for non-violent offenders....
is within Portland. Because the residents of this facility are counted as Portland residents by the U.S. Census Bureau, most statistics about the town are heavily skewed and not representative of the non-institutionalized population.
History
The region was first settled in 1804.The Town of Portland was founded in 1813 from the Town of Chautauqua
Chautauqua, New York
Chautauqua is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, U.S. . The population was 4,666 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. The traditional meaning remains 'bag tied in the middle'...
.
Subsequently, the town was reduced in size to form two new towns: Ripley
Ripley, New York
Ripley is a town on Lake Erie in the westernmost part of Chautauqua County, New York, USA. The population was 2,636 at the 2000 census. The town was named after General Eleazer Wheelock Ripley. There are no incorporated villages in the town, but there is one CDP: Ripley.- History :Ripley was...
(1816) and Westfield
Westfield (town), New York
Westfield is a town in the western part Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2000 census. Westfield is also the name of a village within the town.- History :...
(1829).
A genealogical history of Portland, New York was published in 1873 by Dr. H. C. Taylor titled "Historical Sketches of the Town of Portland, New York". An all names index was created for this book by Agnes Lee Mitchell in 1989 and published by the Chautauqua County Genealogical Society.
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 34.3 square miles (88.8 km²), of which, 34.3 square miles (88.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.09%) is water.
The New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
(Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
) and US 20
U.S. Route 20 in New York
U.S. Route 20 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Newport, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts. In the U.S. state of New York, US 20 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Ripley to the Massachusetts state line in the Berkshire Mountains. US 20 is the longest...
cross the northern part of the town. NY 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...
parallels the shore of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
.
Adjacent towns and areas
(ClockwiseClockwise
Circular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
)
- Lake ErieLake ErieLake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
- PomfretPomfret, New YorkPomfret is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 14,703 at the 2000 census.The Town of Pomfret lies in the north-central part of the county, south of Dunkirk, New York.- History :...
- StocktonStockton, New YorkStockton is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,331 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Richard Stockton, who signed the Declaration of Independence....
; ChautauquaChautauqua, New YorkChautauqua is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, U.S. . The population was 4,666 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. The traditional meaning remains 'bag tied in the middle'...
- WestfieldWestfield (town), New YorkWestfield is a town in the western part Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2000 census. Westfield is also the name of a village within the town.- History :...
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 5,502 people, 1,655 households, and 1,161 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 160.6 people per square mile (62.0/km²). There were 2,096 housing units at an average density of 61.2 per square mile (23.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.93% White, 12.05% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.02% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.51% 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 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.62% of the population.
There were 1,655 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 140.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 148.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,909, and the median income for a family was $37,006. Males had a median income of $27,464 versus $21,636 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 $12,881. About 8.9% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Portland
- BroctonBrocton, New YorkBrocton is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States.The name was derived by combining the names "Brockway" and "Minton," two prominent local families...
– The Village of Brocton. Nearby is a New YorkNew YorkNew 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...
State Correctional Facility, Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional FacilityLakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional FacilityLakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility is a minimum security prison in New York in the USA. The prison is located by the Village of Brocton in Chautauqua County, New York. The facility provides special treatment for non-violent offenders....
. - Greencrest – A lakeside hamlet on the Lake Erie shore in the northeast part of the town.
- Green Hills – A hamlet on the shore of Lake Erie.
- Lake Erie State ParkLake Erie State ParkLake Erie State Park is located in the Town of Portland in Chautauqua County, New York, USA, northeast of the village of Brocton. Its major attraction is its Lake Erie beach, but it has camping and other recreational facilities.-Activities and services:...
– A lakeside park in the northeast part of the town. - Portland – The town government is located in this hamlet, located on Route 20 west of Brocton.
- Skinner Switch – A location west of Portland.
- Van Buren Point - A hamlet on the Lake Erie shore in the northeast part of the town, east of Greencrest.
- Vineyard – A hamlet northwest of Brocton.
- West Portland – A hamlet on Route 20 near the west town line.