Laurens is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,424 at the 2010 census. The Town of Laurens is in the southern half of the county, north of the City of Oneonta. There is also a village named Laurens, located in the town.

History

The town was first settled by

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ans around 1773. Joseph Mayall arrived in 1773 about one mile north of the present Laurens village. The raiding party responsible for the

Cherry Valley Massacre The Cherry Valley massacre was an attack by British and Iroquois forces on a fort and the town of Cherry Valley in central New York on November 11, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It has been described as one of the most horrific ...

also pillaged part of Laurens and burned some property. The town was formed from the Town of Otsego in 1810. It was named for Revolutionary War hero

Henry Laurens Henry Laurens (December 8, 1792) was an American Founding Father, merchant, slave trader, and rice planter from South Carolina who became a political leader during the Revolutionary War. A delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Laure ...

. A resort developed by the Oneonta Mohawk trolley line called Otsego Park was formerly located in the eastern part of Laurens. Cotton mills once were an industry in Laurens, powered by the water of Gilbert Lake. Laurens Central School is renowned for its excellent concert band, jazz band, and color guard.

Notable people

* Emelyn Elizabeth Gardner, folklorist and English professor *

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

, actor, lived in the hamlet of Mount Vision and attended Laurens Central School before moving to Australia when he was a child. * Perry G. Harrington, Wisconsin State Assemblyman, was born in the town. * Mary Whitcher, a Shaker trustee, schoolteacher, and author at the

Canterbury Shaker Village Canterbury Shaker Village is a historic site and museum in Canterbury, New Hampshire, United States. It was one of a number of Shaker communities founded in the 19th century. It is one of the most intact and authentic surviving Shaker communi ...

was born in the town.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of 42.7 square miles (110.5 km²), of which 42.6 square miles (110.3 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km²) (0.23%) is water.

Otego Creek Otego Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in Otsego County, New York. Otego Creek rises in the Town of Otsego and ...

flows southward through the eastern part of Laurens. A sulfur spring is located about one mile north of Laurens village. New York State Route 205, a north-south highway, follows the course of Otsego Creek.

New York State Route 23 New York State Route 23 (NY 23) is an east–west state highway in the eastern portion of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 26 in the Central New York town of Cincinnatus in Cortland Coun ...

, an east-west highway, passes through the center of the town.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 2,402 people, 965 households, and 692 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 56.4 people per square mile (21.8/km²). There were 1,145 housing units at an average density of 26.9 per square mile (10.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.04%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.25%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.46% Native American, 0.12%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.75% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.29% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.46% of the population. There were 965 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.9% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.88. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,324, and the median income for a family was $40,833. Males had a median income of $30,144 versus $23,235 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $16,985. About 9.8% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Laurens

*Butts Corners – A location north of West Laurens on County Road 10. *East Hill – An elevation located east of Laurens. * Gilbert Lake State Park – A state park partly inside the northern town line. * Laurens – The Village of Laurens by the junction of County Roads 10, 11 and 12, near Otsego Creek. * Mount Vision – A hamlet in the northeastern part of town on NY-205. Formerly known as "Jacksonville." *Naylor Corners – A location at the northern town line. The Bassett Family House and Kenyon Residences are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. *Oneonta Municipal Airport (N66) – The

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

is approximately three miles north of the City of Oneonta and lies in the southeastern section of the Town of Laurens. *West Laurens – A hamlet at the intersection of NY-23 and County Road 10 near the western town line, once known locally as "Sheepskin".

References

External links

Early map and brief history of Laurens
{{authority control Towns in Otsego County, New York