Fairfield, New York
Encyclopedia
Fairfield is a town
in Herkimer County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 1,607 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Fairfield
, Connecticut
.
The Town of Fairfield is north of the Village of Herkimer
and east of Utica
. The community of Fairfield is in the south central part of the town.
, but the major influx occurred after 1785, mainly from New England
.
The town was established from part of the Town of Norway
in 1796.
From 1802 to 1901, the Fairfield Academy
offered secondary and higher education at its campus in the hamlet of Fairfield. From 1812 until 1841, the Fairfield Medical College
, a division of the academy, trained medical practitioners, including Marcus Whitman
.
, the town has a total area of 41.3 square miles (107 km²), of which, 41.1 square miles (106.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.46%) is water.
The west town line is marked by the West Canada Creek
. Fairfield is north of the Mohawk River
, but does not border it.
New York State Route 29
, an east-west highway crosses Fairfield. New York State Route 169
is a north-south highway in the western part of the town. New York State Route 170
is another north-south highway, but in the eastern part of Fairfield. New York State Route 170A is at the east town line.
of 2000, there were 1,607 people, 561 households, and 430 families residing in the town. The population density
was 39.1 people per square mile (15.1/km²). There were 611 housing units at an average density of 14.9 per square mile (5.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.44% White, 0.37% African American, 0.19% Native American, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.
There were 561 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,104, and the median income for a family was $45,069. Males had a median income of $31,992 versus $21,944 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,603. About 9.0% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 13.0% 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 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...
. The population was 1,607 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Fairfield
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
The Town of Fairfield is north of the Village of Herkimer
Herkimer (village), New York
Herkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States, about southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people. The village is named after the Herkimers, Palatine German immigrants who settled in this area in 1723...
and east 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....
. The community of Fairfield is in the south central part of the town.
History
A few settlers, actually tenants, made the future town their home before 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...
, but the major influx occurred after 1785, mainly from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
The town was established from part of the Town of Norway
Norway, New York
Norway is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 711 at the 2000 census.The Town of Norway is located in the east-central part of the county and is northeast of Utica.The town borders the Adirondack Park.- History :...
in 1796.
From 1802 to 1901, the Fairfield Academy
Fairfield Academy
Fairfield Academy was an academy that existed for nearly one hundred years in the Town of Fairfield, Herkimer County, New York.-Founding:It was organized as an academy for men in 1802, when the community was an active local manufacturing center...
offered secondary and higher education at its campus in the hamlet of Fairfield. From 1812 until 1841, the Fairfield Medical College
Fairfield Academy
Fairfield Academy was an academy that existed for nearly one hundred years in the Town of Fairfield, Herkimer County, New York.-Founding:It was organized as an academy for men in 1802, when the community was an active local manufacturing center...
, a division of the academy, trained medical practitioners, including Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman was an American physician and Oregon missionary in the Oregon Country. Along with his wife Narcissa Whitman he started a mission in what is now southeastern Washington state in 1836, which would later become a stop along the Oregon Trail...
.
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 41.3 square miles (107 km²), of which, 41.1 square miles (106.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.46%) is water.
The west town line is marked by the West Canada Creek
West Canada Creek
West Canada Creek is a river in upstate New York, USA. West Canada Creek drains the south part of the Adirondack Mountains and empties into the Mohawk River near the Village of Herkimer...
. Fairfield is north of the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
, but does not border it.
New York State Route 29
New York State Route 29
New York State Route 29 is a state highway extending for across the eastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. The western terminus of the route is at NY 28 and NY 169 in Middleville, Herkimer County. The eastern terminus of the route is at NY 22 just south of Salem,...
, an east-west highway crosses Fairfield. New York State Route 169
New York State Route 169
New York State Route 169 is a north–south state highway located within Herkimer County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 5S in the town of Danube to a junction with NY 28 and NY 29 in the village of Middleville...
is a north-south highway in the western part of the town. New York State Route 170
New York State Route 170
New York State Route 170 is a north–south state highway in Herkimer County, New York, United States. It runs from NY 169 in the city of Little Falls to NY 29 in the town of Fairfield. It has only one other junction with a signed state highway, that being NY 170A, its spur route...
is another north-south highway, but in the eastern part of Fairfield. New York State Route 170A is at the east town line.
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 1,607 people, 561 households, and 430 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 39.1 people per square mile (15.1/km²). There were 611 housing units at an average density of 14.9 per square mile (5.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.44% White, 0.37% African American, 0.19% Native American, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.
There were 561 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,104, and the median income for a family was $45,069. Males had a median income of $31,992 versus $21,944 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 $15,603. About 9.0% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Fairfield
- Countryman – A location near the west town line, southwest of Fairfield village.
- Dillenbeck Corners – A location in the southeast part of the town on County Road 70.
- Eatonville – A hamlet at the south town line on NY-169.
- Fairfield – The hamlet of Fairfield is near the center of the town on NY-29 at the junction of County Roads 103 and 142.
- Goodell Corners – A location in the southeast part of the town near the town line, located on NY-170 at NY-170A.
- MiddlevilleMiddleville, New YorkMiddleville is a village in Herkimer County, New York, New York. The population was 550 at the 2000 census.The Village of Middleville is on the boundary of the Towns of Newport and Fairfield. The village is north of the Village of Herkimer and is east of Utica.- History :The community was first...
– Part of the Village of Middleville is within the west town line at the intersection of NY-29 and NY-169. - Old City – A hamlet at the northwest corner of the town on County Road 7.
- Welch Corners – A location in the northwest corner of the town, south of Old City and located on NY-29.