Afton (town), New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Afton is a town in Chenango County, New York, USA. The population was 2,977 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Afton Water, a river in Great Britain.
The Town of Afton contains a village, also called Afton. The town is at the southeast corner of the county and is northeast of Binghamton.
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[edit] History
The town was first settled around 1786. The Town of Afton was founded from part of the Town of Bainbridge in 1857.
[edit] Former residents of note
- Joseph Smith, founder of Mormon Religion.
- William H. Bissell, governor of Illinois.
Hayes, Carlton Joseph Huntley, U.S. ambassador to Spain from May, 1942, to Mar., 1945
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 120.5 km² (46.5 mi²). 118.9 km² (45.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (1.29%) is water.
Interstate 88 and the Susquehanna River pass through the town. New York State Route 7 intersects New York State Route 41 at Afton village.
The west and south town lines are the border of Broome County, and the east town line is the border of Delaware County.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 2,977 people, 1,186 households, and 829 families residing in the town. The population density was 25.0/km² (64.8/mi²). There were 1,404 housing units at an average density of 11.8/km² (30.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.66% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 1,186 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,730, and the median income for a family was $40,122. Males had a median income of $30,656 versus $25,247 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,239. About 7.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Communities and locations in the Town of Afton
- Afton -- The Village of Afton is located on NY Route 7 near the center of the town and by the Susquehanna River.
- Bettsburg -- A hamlet near the south town line on NY-41. It is named after Peter Betts, a local merchant.
- East Afton -- A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town.
- Middle Bridge -- A hamlet northeast of Afton village, located on County Road 39 on the south side of the Susquehanna River.
- Nineveh -- A hamlet at the town line on NY-7.
- Nineveh Junction -- A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
- North Afton -- A hamlet near the north town line and north of Afton village on NY Route 41. It became an incorporated village in 1829, but was dissolved and re-incorporated in 1833, but later abandoned its status as a village. North Afton was formerly called "Ayrshire."
