Florida, Montgomery County, New York

* "Another Florida is a village in Orange County". ----Florida is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 2,731 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the state of Florida.

The Town of Florida is in the eastern part of Montgomery County and is south of the City of Amsterdam, which it borders.

History

The first contact by Europeans was the 1642 visit of Jesuit missionaries to a Mohawk village, Ti-On-On-To-Gen, located by the present-day Fort Hunter. After failing to Christianize the people, the village was attacked twice by forces from French Canada.

The first settlement by Europeans came with the construction of a British fort at the native village in 1711. Later, Sir William Johnson began his illustrious and profitable colonial career as an overseer of property in the town.

Due to the influence of Johnson and other, the Mohawks remained loyal to the British during the American Revolution, but their Tory associates later forteited all their property.

The town was founded in 1793 on the anniversary of the discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon. The Towns of Florida and Charleston divided the old "Town of Mohawk," ending its existence. A new Town of Mohawk was later created in a different part of the county.

The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 eased transportation to the outside world.

In 1880, the "Village of Port Jackson" in the town was annexed to form part of the City of Amsterdam. Port Jackson had been an important port on the Erie Canal and a ferry station connecting the south side of the Mohawk River to the City of Amsterdam.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 51.5 square miles (133.4 km²), of which, 50.4 square miles (130.4 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it (2.21%) is water.

The eastern and southern town lines are the border of Schenectady County. The north boundary is the Mohawk River, and the west boundary is Schoharie Creek.

The New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) passes across the town near the Mohawk River. New York State Route 30 is a north-south highway in Florida. New York State Route 161, an east-west highway, intersects NY-30 south of the Thruway. New York State Route 5S parallels the Mohawk River.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 2,731 people, 1,056 households, and 772 families residing in the town. The population density was 54.2 people per square mile (20.9/km²). There were 1,140 housing units at an average density of 22.6/sq mi (8.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.24% White, 0.22% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.34% of the population.

There were 1,056 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,317, and the median income for a family was $49,100. Males had a median income of $29,917 versus $26,944 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,246. About 4.3% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.and the cow said hi.

Communities and locations in the Town of Florida

*Fort Hunter ("Lower Mohawk Castle") -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town near the Mohawk River and Schoharie Creek junction.
*Lost Valley -- A location south of Wellsville by Schoharie Creek.
*Millers Corner -- A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
*Mill Point -- A location north of Wellsville by Schoharie Creek.
*Minaville -- A hamlet south of South Amsterdam on NY-30.
*Scotch Bush -- A hamlet southeast of Minaville on NY-30, once known for its springs.
*Scotch Church -- A location on the southeast town line east of Scotch Bush.
*Snooks Corner -- A location south of Fort Hunter.
*South Amsterdam -- A suburb of Amsterdam on the south bank of the Mohawk River.
*South Chuctanunda Creek -- A tributary of the Mohawk River, flowing northward through Florida.
*Wellsville -- A hamlet at the west town line near Schoharie Creek.
*Youngs Corners -- A location east of Wellsville.
*Youngs Lakes -- Oxbow lakes south of Wellsville, formerly part of the Schoharie Creek.

References

External links

* [http://www.co.montgomery.ny.us/florida/ Town of Florida, NY]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyherkim/florida.html Early history of Florida]