Columbia, New York
Encyclopedia
- For the place formerly called Columbia in Tompkins County, New York, see EtnaEtna, New YorkEtna is an unincorporated community in Tompkins County, New York. It lies at an elevation of 1020 feet ....
, 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...
.
Columbia is a town
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 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...
, 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...
. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,630 (up from 1,587
in 1990).
The Town of Columbia is at the south border of the county and is southeast of Utica
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
.
History
The area was called "Coonradstown" during the early settlement period. The original settlers, mainly of German extraction, abandoned their holdings during the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and the next settlement period took place around 1791. The first school, opened in 1795, was taught in the German language.
The town was organized in 1812 from part of the Town of Warren
Warren, New York
----Warren is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. The town is named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill....
, which was itself made by a partition of the Town of German Flatts
German Flatts, New York
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,629 at the 2000 census.The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer on the south side of the Mohawk River, and southeast of Utica.-Herkimer:This...
.
The population of Columbia in 1865 was 1,732.
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 35 square miles (90.6 km²), of which, 35 square miles (90.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.06%) is water.
The south town line is the border of 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:...
.
The Unadilla River
Unadilla River
The Unadilla River in New York State flows from south of Utica to the village of Sidney, where it flows into the Susquehanna River, which eventually empties into the Chesapeake Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean....
flows westward through the town.
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 a major north-south highway through Columbia.
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 1,630 people, 581 households, and 457 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 46.6 people per square mile (18.0/km²). There were 631 housing units at an average density of 18.0 per square mile (7.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.53% White, 0.06% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population.
There were 581 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 110.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,758, and the median income for a family was $43,864. Males had a median income of $30,605 versus $22,031 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 $15,591. About 10.9% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Columbia, NY
- Cedarville – A 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...
at the west town line on County Road 18. - Columbia Center – A hamlet near the middle of the town at the junction of County Roads 18 and 101.
- Dennison Corners – A hamlet on NY-28 at the north town line.
- Elizabethtown – A hamlet in the north part of the town, south of North Columbia at the junction of County Roads 43 and 123.
- Getman Corners – A hamlet on NY-28 south of Dennison Corners.
- Kingdom – A hamlet at the east town line, southeast of Getman Corners.
- McCoon Crossing – A hamlet near the south town line, located west of South Columbia on County Road 150.
- Millers Mills – A location north of Millers Mills Crossing, located west of Unadilla Lake.
- Millers Mills Crossing – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
- North Columbia – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town.
- Orendorf Corners – A location north of South Columbia on NY-28 at County Road 18.
- Schuylers Corners – A location north of South Columbia, located on NY-28.
- South Columbia – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town on NY-28.
- Spinnerville – A hamlet east of North Columbia and west of Dennison Corners, located near the north town line.
- Unadilla Lake – A small 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,...
formed by the widening of the Unadilla River in the southwest part of the town. - Youngs Mills – A hamlet near the south town line, west of McCoon Crossing.