- Chemung, New York
-
Chemung, New York — Town — Lowman, NY
Location within the state of New York
Chemung, New YorkCoordinates: 42°2′11″N 76°37′40″W / 42.03639°N 76.62778°W Country United States State New York County Chemung Government - Type Town Council - Town Supervisor George Richter (R) - Town Council Members' ListArea - Total 50.0 sq mi (129.6 km2) - Land 49.5 sq mi (128.1 km2) - Water 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) Elevation 955 ft (291 m) Population (2000) - Total 2,665 - Density 53.9/sq mi (20.8/km2) Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) ZIP code 14825 Area code(s) 607 FIPS code 36-15077 GNIS feature ID 0978818 Chemung is a town in Chemung County, New York, USA. The population was 2,665 at the 2000 census. The town name is derived from the river flowing through it, which means in the native dialect, "Big Horn."
The Town of Chemung is in the southeast corner of the county and is southeast of Elmira, New York. It is part of the Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
The region was visited by the Sullivan Expedition of 1779, which fought at the Battle of Newtown, just west of the current Town of Chemung.
The first clear record of settlement dates to about 1786.
The Town of Chemung was the original town in Chemung County and was incorporated into the county in 1798 at the time the county was formed [even though Chemung County was not created until 1836]. The town had been established in 1788 in Montgomery County, New York. Chemung lost territory when Tioga County, New York was formed in 1791. The "Town of Newtown" (now Town of Elmira) was taken from Chemung in 1792. Subsequently, Chemung lost more territory to form all or parts of Erin (1822), Baldwin (1856), and Ashland (1867).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 50.0 square miles (129 km2), of which, 49.5 square miles (128 km2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) of it (1.12%) is water.
The Chemung River flows through the south part of the town. Cayuta Creek, a tributary of the Chemung River defines part of the east town line.
The south border of the town is Pennsylvania (Bradford County) and the east border is Tioga County.
The Southern Tier Expressway (New York State Route 17) and New York State Route 427 are east-west highways in Chemung.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,665 people, 969 households, and 749 families residing in the town. The population density was 53.9 people per square mile (20.8/km²). There were 1,054 housing units at an average density of 21.3 per square mile (8.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.64% White, 0.53% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population.
There were 969 households out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 17.2% 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 2.71 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,167, and the median income for a family was $37,885. Males had a median income of $29,844 versus $22,958 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,201. About 8.5% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and location in Chemung
- Beantown – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town on County Road 3.
- Chemung – The hamlet of Chemung is located near the south town line. The community is adjacent to the Southern Tier Expressway and the Chemung River.
- Lowman – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town by NY-17. The Dr. Hovey Everett House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.[2] The Chemung District School No. 10 was listed in 2008.[2]
- Mallory Creek – A stream flowing past Owens Mills into Wynkoop Creek.
- Owens Mills – A hamlet near the center of the town on County Road 23.
- Wynkoop Creek – A stream on the west side of town flowing past Bean Town and entering the Chemung River near Chemung village.
Notable natives
- Geoffrey Bodine, Brett Bodine, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck champion Todd Bodine, all NASCAR drivers.
- Wells Spicer, judge who presided over preliminary hearing to see if Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan Earp as well as Doc Holliday would stand trial for murder following the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral; also was defense attorney for John D. Lee in his trial for his involvement in the Mountain Meadows massacre.
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b "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.
External links
Coordinates: 42°00′30″N 76°37′26″W / 42.00833°N 76.62389°W
Municipalities and communities of Chemung County, New York County seat: Elmira City 
Towns Villages CDPs Categories:- Populated places established in 1786
- Towns in New York
- Populated places in Chemung County, New York
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
