Otto, New York

Otto, New York
—  Town  —
Otto, New York Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 42°22′57″N 78°48′53″W / 42.3825°N 78.81472°W / 42.3825; -78.81472
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Cattaraugus
Government
- Type	Town Council
- Town Supervisor	Ronald W. Wasmund (D)
- Town Council	Members' List • Brenda S. Mallaber (D) • Maria C. Stang (R) • James T. Wojdan (D) • Francis E. Feth (R)
Area
- Total	32.3 sq mi (83.6 km2)
- Land	32.2 sq mi (83.3 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	1,755 ft (535 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	831
- Density	25.8/sq mi (10.0/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	14766
Area code(s)	716
FIPS code	36-55783
GNIS feature ID	0979331

Otto is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 831 at the 2000 census. The name comes from Jacob S. Otto, an agent of the Holland Land Company.

The Town of Otto lies on the northern border of the county.

History

The town was first settled around 1816. The Town of Otto was formed in 1823 from part of the Town of Perrysburg. In 1854, the town was divided to form the Town of East Otto. Otto lost more territory to Perrysburg in 1823, and to Ashford in 1835.

The First Congregational Church of Otto is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.3 square miles (84 km²), of which, 32.2 square miles (83 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.34%) is water.

The north town lins is formed by Cattaraugus Creek and is the border of Erie County, New York, and the west town line is formed by South Branch (of Cattaraugus Creek).

The main highways through Otto are county roads. Cattaraugus County Route 12 is the main road through town, which extends southwestward Cattaraugus and northeastward toward East Otto, while Cattaraugus County Route 11 (North Otto Road) spurs northward from the hamlet of Otto through North Otto, and Cattaraugus County Route 13 (Maples Road) splits off east of the hamlet toward Ellicottville.

Part of the Zoar Valley is located by the north town line.

Adjacent towns and areas

(Clockwise)

• Collins
• East Otto
• Mansfield; New Albion
• Persia

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 831 people, 310 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The population density was 25.8 people per square mile (10.0/km²). There were 412 housing units at an average density of 12.8 per square mile (4.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.92% White, 0.72% Native American, and 0.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.

There were 310 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,625, and the median income for a family was $43,942. Males had a median income of $31,063 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,748. About 6.3% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Otto

• Otto (formerly "Waverly') – The hamlet of Otto is near the south town line at the junction of County Roads 11 and 12. It is the only significant settlement in the town.
• North Otto – The sparsely populated and heavily agricultural area located along County Road 11 between the hamlet of Otto and Zoar Valley.
• Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area – A conservation area in the northern part of the town.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Brief early history of Otto
• Zoar Valley area
• Little Valley Area Chamber of Commerce

Coordinates: 42°21′22″N 78°49′54″W / 42.35611°N 78.83167°W / 42.35611; -78.83167