Rushford, New York
Encyclopedia
Rushford is a town in Allegany County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 1,259 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Rushford is in the northwest part of Allegany County and is northeast of Olean
, New York
.
The film Ghost Lake was filmed in Rushford in 2004.
. Part of Rushford was taken to form the newer Town of New Hudson
in 1825.
When Rushford Lake
was formed by a dam on Caneadea Creek in 1927, the communities of East Rushford and Kelloggville were flooded by the rising water.
became a governor of New York.
Hiram Bond corporate lawyer, investment banker whose farm in Santa Clara, California was used by Jack London as the opening scene in "The Call of the Wild
".
Philip Gordon Wylie
, a noted author, married Frederica Ballard who was born and raised in Rushford, New York; they are both buried in Rushford.
Franklin G. Babbitt, US Navy submarine commander, Naval Attaché and Defense Attaché to Moscow, was raised in Rushford. He and his wife Norma are buried in Podonque Cemetery in Rushford.
, the town has a total area of 36.1 square miles (93.5 km²), of which, 35.3 square miles (91.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (2.10%) is water.
The western town line is the border of Cattaraugus County
(Town of Farmersville
).
New York State Route 243
crosses the town (east-west).
of 2000, there were 1,259 people, 479 households, and 346 families residing in the town. The population density
was 35.6 people per square mile (13.8/km²). There were 1,394 housing units at an average density of 39.4 per square mile (15.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.97% White, 0.08% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.16% from other races
, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 479 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples
living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,557, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $26,800 versus $20,855 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,156. About 13.4% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Allegany County, New York
Allegany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,946. Its name derives from a Delaware Indian word, applied by settlers of Western New York State to a trail that followed the Allegheny River. Its county seat is...
, 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 1,259 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Rushford is in the northwest part of Allegany County and is northeast of Olean
Olean, New York
Olean is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County, and serves as the financial, business, transportation and entertainment center of the county. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern Tier region of New York.The city is...
, 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...
.
The film Ghost Lake was filmed in Rushford in 2004.
History
The first settler arrived in 1808. The Town of Rushford was formed in 1816 from part of the Town of CaneadeaCaneadea, New York
Caneadea is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,694 at the 2000 census. The name is from the natives and means "where the heavens rest on earth."The Town of Caneadea is in the northwest quadrant of the county....
. Part of Rushford was taken to form the newer Town of New Hudson
New Hudson, New York
New Hudson is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 736 at the 2000 census.The Town of New Hudson is on the west border of the county, northeast of Olean, New York.- History :The town was first settled around 1820....
in 1825.
When Rushford Lake
Rushford Lake
Rushford Lake is a small reservoir in the western part of New York, USA. The lake is in the northwest part of Allegany County, New York, mostly in the Town of Rushford, but the eastern part of the lake is in the Town of Caneadea....
was formed by a dam on Caneadea Creek in 1927, the communities of East Rushford and Kelloggville were flooded by the rising water.
Past Residents of Note
Resident Frank W. HigginsFrank W. Higgins
Frank Wayland Higgins was an American politician. He was a delegate to the 1888 Republican National Convention, and a member of the New York State Senate from 1894 to 1902. He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1903 to 1904, elected in 1902; and Governor of New York from 1905 to 1906,...
became a governor of New York.
Hiram Bond corporate lawyer, investment banker whose farm in Santa Clara, California was used by Jack London as the opening scene in "The Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild is a novel by American writer Jack London. The plot concerns a previously domesticated dog named Buck, whose primordial instincts return after a series of events leads to his serving as a sled dog in the Yukon during the 19th-century Klondike Gold Rush, in which sled dogs...
".
Philip Gordon Wylie
Philip Gordon Wylie
Philip Gordon Wylie was an American author.-Biography:Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, he was the son of Presbyterian minister Edmund Melville Wylie and the former Edna Edwards, a novelist, who died when Philip was five years old. His family moved to Montclair, New Jersey and he later attended...
, a noted author, married Frederica Ballard who was born and raised in Rushford, New York; they are both buried in Rushford.
Franklin G. Babbitt, US Navy submarine commander, Naval Attaché and Defense Attaché to Moscow, was raised in Rushford. He and his wife Norma are buried in Podonque Cemetery in Rushford.
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 36.1 square miles (93.5 km²), of which, 35.3 square miles (91.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (2.10%) is water.
The western town line is the border of Cattaraugus County
Cattaraugus County, New York
Cattaraugus County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 80,317. The county seat is Little Valley.-History:...
(Town of Farmersville
Farmersville, New York
Farmersville is a town located in the eastern border of Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 1,028 at the 2000 census.- History :The area was first settled around 1805, but no permanent settlement was made until around 1817...
).
New York State Route 243
New York State Route 243
New York State Route 243 is a short east–west state highway in the Southern Tier of Western New York. Despite its minimal length, it is an important route as it provides access to Rushford Lake.-Route description:...
crosses the town (east-west).
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 1,259 people, 479 households, and 346 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 35.6 people per square mile (13.8/km²). There were 1,394 housing units at an average density of 39.4 per square mile (15.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.97% White, 0.08% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.16% 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 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 479 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% 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, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,557, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $26,800 versus $20,855 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 $13,156. About 13.4% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Rushford
- Balcom Beach – A hamlet on the north side of Rushford Lake on Route 243.
- East Rushford – A former community now covered by Rushford Lake.
- Fairview – A hamlet at the northwest corner of the town.
- Hardy Corners – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
- Hillcrest – A hamlet on the south side of Rushford Lake on County Road 49.
- Kellogsville – A former community now covered by Rushford Lake.
- Rushford – The hamlet of Rushford on Route 243, west of Rushford Lake.
- Rushford Lake – A 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,...
located on the eastern town line, so that part of the lake is in the adjacent town of CaneadeaCaneadea, New YorkCaneadea is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,694 at the 2000 census. The name is from the natives and means "where the heavens rest on earth."The Town of Caneadea is in the northwest quadrant of the county....
.