Schoharie (town), New York

Schoharie is a town in Schoharie County, New York, USA. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census. The village is named after a native word for driftwood.

The Town of Schoharie has a village, also called Schoharie. The town is on the northeast border of the county and is west of Albany.

History

The town was settled around 1718 by Palatine Germans.

During the American Revolution, most of the buildings in the town were destroyed by British raiders and their native allies.

Schoharie became a district in Albany County before the formation of Schoharie County. As a town formed in Albany County in 1788, it became the founding town of the newly created Schoharie County upon the county's formation in 1795. In 1797, part of the town was used to form the Towns of Blenheim, Broome, Cobleskill, and Middleburgh. The Towns of Esperance and Wright were removed from Schoharie in 1846.

Author Chris Hedges grew up in Schoharie, where his father was the pastor of a Presbyterian church. He writes about the town in "Losing Moses on the Freeway: The 10 Commandments in America" (2005). NYS Assemblyman Pete Lopez is a long-time resident of Schoharie. He was the Supervisor of the Town of Schoharie for years before becoming County Clerk.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.0 square miles (77.6 km²), of which, 29.8 square miles (77.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.57%) is water.

Part of the northeast town line is the border of Schenectady County.

Interstate 88 crosses the north part of the town. New York State Route 30 is a north-south highway. New York State Route 30A diverges from NY-30 near the north town line. New York State Route 7 parallels the Interstate across the north part of Schoharie. New York State Route 443 intersects NY-30 at Vromans Corners.

The Schoharie Creek flows northward out of the town. The Cobleskill Creek inters Schoharie Creek by Old Central Bridge in the northwest part of the town.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,299 people, 1,314 households, and 883 families residing in the town. The population density was 110.7 people per square mile (42.7/km²). There were 1,435 housing units at an average density of 48.2/sq mi (18.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.30% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.

There were 1,314 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,576, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $31,737 versus $25,603 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,676. About 3.8% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Schoharie

*"'Barton Hill -- A location in the northeast part of Schoharie.
*Central Bridge -- A hamlet at the north town line on NY-30A.
*East Cobleskill -- A hamlet at the west town line at County Road 1A and NY-145.
*Howes Cave -- A hamlet at the west town line north of Cobleskill Creek on County Road 8.
*Old Central Bridge -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town on NY-7 by Interstate 88.
*Schoharie -- The Village of Schoharie is on NY Route 30 adjacent to Schoharie Creek in the southeast part of the town.
*Schoharie Hill -- An elevation northwest of Schoharie village, south of the Interstate.
*Sidney Corners -- A location in the northwest corner of the town at the junction of NY-7 and County Road 70.
*Vroman Corners -- A location north of Schoharie village on NY-30 at NY-443.

References

External links

* [http://www.schohariecounty-ny.gov/CountyWebSite/townsch/index.jsp Town of Schoharie, NY]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyschoha/chap22.html Early history of Schoharie]