Pomfret 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 Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 13.236 at the 2020 census. The town lies in the north-central part of the county, south of Dunkirk, and includes the village of Fredonia.

History

The area was first settled around 1806. The town of Pomfret was formed in 1808 from the town of

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua br ...

, being the first partition of Chautauqua after the county was formed. Pomfret later lost substantial parts of its territory during the formation of five new towns of the county.

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 ...

, Pomfret has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.76%, is water. The northwestern corner of the town borders

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

. The New York State Thruway ( Interstate 90) and

US 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...

pass through the town. NY 60 is a major north–south highway, and

NY 5 New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Sy ...

runs along the shore of Lake Erie.

Adjacent towns and areas

* Dunkirk town; * Dunkirk city * Stockton *

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

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 14,703 people, 5,105 households, and 2,971 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 334.9 people per square mile (129.3/km²). There were 5,558 housing units at an average density of 126.6 per square mile (48.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.28%

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 ...

, 2.07%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.86%

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 ...

, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.64% 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 0.80% 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 2.33% of the population. There were 5,105 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.2% under the age of 18, 30.7% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,444, and the median income for a family was $47,252. Males had a median income of $35,669 versus $25,997 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 $16,506. About 4.6% of families and 15.9% 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 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over. As of the Census of 2010, there were 14,965 people (an increase of 262 people or 1.78%) and 5,296 households (and increase of 191 households or 3.74%) within the town. The population density was 340.9 people per square mile (131.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was: 93.52% (13,995 people) white; 2.26% (338 people) African-American; 1.37% (205 people) Asian; 0.36% (54 people) Native American/Alaskan; 0.04% (6 people) Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; 1.08% (161 people) other; and 1.38% (206 people) two or more races. Out of the population of any race, 4.06% (607 people) were Hispanic/Latino. The population of the town was spread out, with 14.75% (2,208 people) under the age of 18, 12.91% (1,932 people) ages 18 and 19, 21.78% (3,259 people) ages 20–24, 7.54% (1,128 people) ages 25–34, 13.75% (2,057 people) ages 35–49, 16.53% (2,473 people) ages 50–64, and 12.75% (1,908 people) over the age of 65. Males made up 47.50% (7,108 people) of the total population, and females made up 52.50% (7,857 people) of the total population.

Communities and locations in the Town of Pomfret

* Bear Lake – A small lake west of Lily Dale, partly in the town. *Canadaway Creek – A stream flowing northward through the town toward Lake Erie. * Cassadaga Lake (or Cassadaga Lakes) – A

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

composed of two large sections joined by a narrow channel. The northern large section is in Pomfret, and the southern is in the town of Stockton. *Cordova – A hamlet west of Fredonia on County Road 78. * Fredonia – The village of Fredonia is on the northern town border and has a population of 11,230, or 75% of the town population. *Fredonia Reservoir – A lake intersected by Canadaway Creek. *Greencrest – A lakeside

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 ...

on the shore of Lake Erie, partly in Pomfret. *Lamberton – A hamlet located on Route 20 in the northern part of the town. * Laona – A hamlet southeast of Fredonia on NY Route 60. *

Lily Dale Lily Dale is a hamlet, connected with the Spiritualist movement, located in the Town of Pomfret on the east side of Cassadaga Lake, next to the Village of Cassadaga. Located in southwestern New York State, it is one hour southwest of Buffalo ...

– Lily Dale is a center of

Spiritualism Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and Mind-body dualism, dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (w ...

and borders the village of Cassadaga and the north end of Cassadaga Lake. *Mud Lake – A

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from ...

east of Cassadaga Lake. *Nortons Switch – A location in the western part of the town. *Reed Corners – A hamlet east of Fredonia at the junction of US 20 and NY 60. *Shumla – A hamlet on County Road 72 by the eastern town line. *Van Buren Bay – A lakeside hamlet on the shore of Lake Erie on the shore of Van Buren Bay and on NY 5.

Notable people

* Clarence Clough Buel, editor, author, born in Laona * Tommy Hartung, artist lives and works in Fredonia * Joel Hills Johnson (1802–1883), inventor, Mormon pioneer, published poet and gospel hymn writer, politician and judge * Justus Smith Stearns, businessman, Michigan Secretary of State

References

External links

Town of Pomfret official website
{{authority control Towns in Chautauqua County, New York Populated places established in 1806 1806 establishments in New York (state)