Russia 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 ...

Herkimer County, New York Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named a ...

, United States. The population was 2,587 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the northwestern part of the county and is northeast of Utica. The northern part of the town is in the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...

History

The area was first settled ''circa'' 1792. The town of Russia was formed from the town of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in 1806 as the "Town of Union." The name was changed to "Russia" in 1808. In 1836, part of Russia, along with part of the town of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, was used to form the now-defunct town of Willmurt. When the town of

Webb Webb most often refers to James Webb Space Telescope which is named after James E. Webb, second Administrator of NASA. It may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Webb Glacier (South Georgia) * Webb Glacier (Victoria Land) * Webb Névé, Victor ...

was formed in 1896, much of Willmurt was transferred to Webb with the rest returned to Ohio. In 1865, the population of Russia was 2,030.

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 the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.72%, are water.

Hinckley Reservoir Hinckley Lake is located by Hinckley, New York. Originally dammed up to supply water to the Erie Canal, the lake provides municipal water supply to 130,000 people in the greater Utica, New York area, is a source of hydropower, and supports recrea ...

, an impoundment on

West Canada Creek The West Canada Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in upstate New York, United States. West Canada Creek is an important water way in Hamilt ...

, crosses the north-central part of the town. West Canada Creek forms the western boundary of the town (the border with Oneida County, south of the reservoir.

New York State Route 8 New York State Route 8 (NY 8) is a north-south state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction from the Southern Tier to the northern part of Lake George. The sout ...

and

New York State Route 28 New York State Route 28 (NY 28) is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major r ...

converge at Poland village.

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 2,487 people, 993 households, and 707 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 44.0 people per square mile (17.0/km²). There were 1,252 housing units at an average density of 22.1 per square mile (8.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.75%

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 on ...

, 0.32%

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 ...

, 0.56% Native American, 0.72%

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 ...

, 0.12% 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 0.52% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 0.44% of the population. There were 993 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% 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 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,588, and the median income for a family was $40,847. Males had a median income of $29,798 versus $20,968 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 $17,563. About 12.1% of families and 14.9% 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 25.8% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Russia

Buck Hill Buck Hill is a ski hill in Burnsville, Minnesota, a suburb south of Minneapolis. It is one of three ski areas in the Twin Cities metropolitan area; the others are Afton Alps and Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area. Buck Hill opened in 1954 and offe ...

– An elevation located north of Poland. * Cold Brook – The village of Cold Brook is east of Poland village on NY-8. *Gang Mills – A former community in the northwestern part of the town. The name is from the large number of lumber mills once located in the settlement. *Grant – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the northeastern part of the town, on Black Creek, south of the Hinckley Reservoir on County Road 184. *Gravesville – A hamlet west of Russia village, located on Gravesville Road (County Road 242). It is named after William Graves, an early settler. *Hinckley Reservoir – An impoundment on West Canada Creek in the northern part of the town. *Northwood – A hamlet on the western town line north of the Hinckley Reservoir. *Pardeeville Corners – A location southeast of Grant. *

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

– The village of Poland is at the southern town line by West Canada Creek at the junction of NY-8 and NY-28. *Russia Corners – The hamlet of Russia is in the south-central part of the town, north of Poland at the junction of County Route 47 (Military Rd), County Route 133 (Russia Rd), and Beecher Road. The Russia Corners Historic District was added to 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 v ...

in 1996. * Sand Hill – An elevation located just northeast of the village of Cold Brook off NY Route 8. Sand Hill is above sea level . *Trenton Falls – A hamlet at the western town line on County Road 247. * Wheelertown – A hamlet in the northern part of Russia, located on Wheelertown Road.

References

External links

Town of Russia official website

Herkimer County Historical Society
{{authority control Utica–Rome metropolitan area Towns in Herkimer County, New York