Chittenango is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Madison County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. It is in the southern part of the town of

Sullivan Sullivan may refer to: People Characters * Chloe Sullivan, from the television series ''Smallville'' * Colin Sullivan, a character in the film ''The Departed'', played by Matt Damon * Harry Sullivan (''Doctor Who''), from the British science f ...

. The population was 4,896 at the 2020 census. Chittenango is the birthplace of

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', part of a series. In addition to the 14 ''Oz'' books, Baum penned 41 other novels ...

, author of ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a 1900 children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the ma ...

''.

History

The name of the village is derived from the

Oneida Oneida may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Oneida people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy * Oneida language * Oneida Indian Nation, based in New York * Oneida N ...

name for

Chittenango Creek Chittenango Creek is a small river in central New York, United States. The creek partially forms the boundary between Onondaga County and Madison County. The Chittenango Creek watershed comprises about of drainage in Onondaga and Madison cou ...

, ''Chu-de-nääng′'', meaning "where waters run north". While the name "Chittenango" is often thought by locals to mean "river flowing north" or "where the waters divide and run north", a reference to the direction of water flow from the creek's point of origin to

Oneida Lake Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York state, with a surface area of . The lake is located northeast of Syracuse and near the Great Lakes. It feeds the Oneida River, a tributary of the Oswego River (New York), Oswego River, which ...

, there is no derivation for these alternatives. On an 1825 map of the area, the village is called ''Chittening'', a name used by early settlers which is thought to be derived directly from ''Chu-de-nääng′''. According to American

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

Lewis H. Morgan Lewis Henry Morgan (November 21, 1818 – December 17, 1881) was a pioneering American anthropologist and social theorist who worked as a railroad lawyer. He is best known for his work on kinship and social structure, his theories of social e ...

, who studied

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

customs and language in his 1851 book ''League of the Iroquois'', the name "Chittenango" may have come from ''Chu-de-nääng′ Ga-hun′-da'', a

redundant Redundancy or redundant may refer to: Language * Redundancy (linguistics), information that is expressed more than once Engineering and computer science * Data redundancy, database systems which have a field that is repeated in two or more table ...

combination of the Oneida terms for "Chittenango Creek" (''Chu-de-nääng′'') and "creek" (''Ga-hun′-da''). Initial growth of the village is largely attributed to the construction of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

, which officially opened in 1825, joining

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) 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 also has the shortest avera ...

with Albany, the capital of

, and the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

. The Erie Canal passes just north of the village. The Chittenango Canal Company, incorporated in 1818, constructed a canal in length connecting Chittenango to the Erie Canal. The village became a virtual canal town upon the construction of the Chittenango Canal Boat Landing, which featured a three-bay

dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

where canal boats were built and repaired. The canal brought prosperity, growth and expansion to the village. It created a need for inns, hotels and restaurants, and area farms and factories found the canal useful as an inexpensive and easy way to ship goods further along the canal or beyond. Because the canal connected to the Hudson River, boats were able to ship goods south to the metropolis of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. Development increased considerably with the activities of John B. Yates, who opened and operated

grist Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding. It can also mean grain that has been ground at a gristmill. Its etymology derives from the verb ''grind.'' Grist can be ground into meal or flour, depending on h ...

and

saw mills A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimens ...

, a woolen mill, stores, and founded the village's first church in 1828, the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

, now the First Presbyterian Church of Chittenango. The village was incorporated on March 15, 1842. At the time, it contained between 900 and 1,000 inhabitants, about 180 dwellings, three churches, the

Yates Polytechnic Institute The Yates Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1824 by John B. Yates in the village of Chittenango, New York, United States. The large building in which the institution was located was constructed in 1814 as a tavern before it was purchased by Y ...

, a large woolen factory, two large water lime factories, one flouring mill, three

tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

s and ten stores. In 1853, the first bank in the village, the Chittenango Bank, was organized and began business with capital of $110,000, which increased to $150,000 one year later. The bank closed business nearly one decade later, and in December 1863 the First National Bank of Chittenango was organized, occupying the same building erected by the first bank. This bank also closed down in 1883. Soon after the incorporation of the village, the first

fire company A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...

and

engine house __NOTOC__ An engine house is a building or other structure that holds one or more engines. It is often practical to bring engines together for common maintenance, as when train locomotives are brought together. Types of engine houses include: * ...

was built in 1843. The first newspaper in the village was the ''Chittenango Herald'', established in 1831 by Isaac Lyon. It later bore successively the name of the ''Chittenango Republican'', ''Chittenango Phoenix'', and ''Democratic Gazette'', until it was discontinued in 1853. In 1869 the ''Madison County Times'' was established and papers were published until 1975, at which time the ''Chittenango-Bridgeport Times'' was formed. This paper ran until 2009 when it merged with other

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

area papers to form the current ''Eagle Newspapers''. The Chittenango Pottery Company, largely owing its early success to its location near the Chittenango Landing, was established in 1897. After burning down twice, the present, now abandoned brick structure was erected. After years of neglect and disrepair, the building was demolished in 2015. The Chittenango Pottery and St. Paul's Church are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Chittenango is located in northwestern Madison County at (43.045901, -75.873785), in the southern part of the town of Sullivan. State Routes 5 and 13 pass through the village center as Genesee Street. NY 5 leads east to

and west to the center of

, while NY 13 follows NY 5 to the east as far as

Canastota Canastota is a Village (New York), village within the town of Lenox, New York, Lenox in Madison County, New York, Madison County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 4,556 at the 2020 census, down from 4,804 in 2010 Unite ...

, then turns north toward Sylvan Beach on

. To the south, NY 13 leads to Cazenovia. NY 173 has its eastern terminus at Chittenango and leads southwest to Manlius. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the village of Chittenango has a total area of , all of it recorded as land.

passes through the village center, running north to enter Oneida Lake north of

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

Climate

The

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...

can range from hot and often humid summers to very cold winters.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 5,081 people, 1,993 households, and 1,380 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 2,085 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population. There were 1,993 households, out of which 47.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% of households had

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.3% of households had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-family households (people living in households with no members related to the householder). 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.97. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18 years, 7.1% from 18 to 24 years, 11.6% from 25 to 34 years, 14.4% from 35 to 44 years, 16.7% from 45 to 54 years, 12.1% from 55 to 64 years, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males. Detailed socioeconomic information collected during past censuses was not collected during the 2010 Census. The 2010 Census used only a short form asking ten basic questions, including name, sex, age, date of birth, ethnicity, race, and homeownership status. According to the 2000 Census, the median income for a household in the village was $43,750, and the median income for a family was $50,179. Males had a median income of $34,787 versus $25,902 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $20,014. About 4.1% of families and 6.2% 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 ...

, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Chittenango School District enrolls about 2,350 K-12 students in two elementary schools (K-4), one middle school (5-8) and one high school (9-12). The district is one of 23 members of the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison

BOCES ''Boces'' is the second album by Mercury Rev, released in 1993. It was their final album with frontman David Baker, who was asked to leave shortly after the supporting tour concluded. The title is derived from the Boards of Cooperative Educati ...

, and employs about 210 instructional staff and 160 additional support staff.

Transportation

Luther Airport is located southeast of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

of Chittenango. It is a small, private grass strip, home to several small propeller aircraft including a biplane.

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

, the

New York State Thruway The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...

, passes north of the village. Exit 34A on the Thruway, west of the village, is signed for Chittenango, while Exit 34 at

, east of Chittenango, also provides access. The Chittenango travel plaza (

rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...

) serves westbound traffic on

west of Exit 34.

Culture

Chittenango holds a three-day annual festival calle
Oz-Stravaganza!
formerly called OzFest, to celebrate the literary works of author

, who was born in Chittenango on May 15, 1856. The children's novel ''

'' was published on May 17, 1900. The weekend-long festival, usually held during the first Friday/Saturday of June and the weekend thereof, includes

amusement rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This could be due to ...

, and a

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

, which features many community groups. The parade has also featured actors and actresses who played

Munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. Although a common fixture in Germanic fairy tales, they are introduced to modern audiences with the first appearance in the classic c ...

s in the 1939 film

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

, including

Jerry Maren Jerry Maren (born Gerard Marenghi; January 24, 1920 – May 24, 2018) was an American actor who played a Munchkin member of the Lollipop Guild in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film ''The Wizard of Oz.'' He became the last surviving adult Munchkin ...

Karl Slover Karl Slover (September 21, 1918 – November 15, 2011) was a Slovakian-born American actor best known as one of the Munchkins in '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). Only three other adult Munchkin performers remained alive at the time of Slover's ...

Meinhardt Raabe Meinhardt Frank Raabe (; September 2, 1915 – April 9, 2010) was an American actor. He was one of the last surviving Munchkin actors in ''The Wizard of Oz'', and was also the last surviving cast member with any dialogue in the film. He p ...

, and Margaret Williams Pellegrini. Oz-Stravaganza! was cancelled during 2020 and 2021 due to health concerns over

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. As Covid restrictions were gradually lifted, the festival came back in 2022, though on a smaller scale, with a lower amount of vendors than previous festival years. The Wizard of Oz theme continues beyond the annual festival. The village is the home of the International L. Frank Baum & All Things Oz Historical Foundation. The group is a 501(c)3 non-profit, and is 100% volunteer run. It is Chartered by the NY State Board of Regents. The organization coordinates the annual Oz-Stravaganza festival and also th
All Things Oz Museum
located in the historic village downtown. The museum features a collection of original costumes and props from the OZ universe, as well as collectibles and Baum family heirlooms. The foundation collection is nearly 15,000 items, and 1,200 - 1,400 are on exhibit at any time. In 1982, the village installed a brick sidewalk on either side of the downtown portion of Genesee Street which was painted yellow as an homage to the

yellow brick road The yellow brick road is a central element in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by American author L. Frank Baum. The road also appears in the several sequel Oz books such as '' The Marvelous Land of Oz'' (1904) and '' T ...

from the novels and film. The sidewalk required regular upkeep as the color would fade over time and the bricks would chip and crack due to the freeze-thaw cycles in the colder months and regular use throughout the year. As part of a downtown Chittenango revitalization project in 2007, the sidewalks were replaced with concrete which was then stamped and colored to replicate the yellow brick road. The old bricks have been made available to purchase at the All Things Oz museum and during the festival to raise money for the town's festival. In 2017, the village also added a yellow brick road sidewalk to Dr. West memorial park where the annual Oz-stravaganza festival is held. Chittenango and its yellow brick road featured in episode 6 of

Michael Portillo Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo ( ; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as ''Great British Railway Jou ...

's ''

Great American Railroad Journeys ''Great American Railroad Journeys '' is a BBC travel documentary series presented by Michael Portillo and broadcast on BBC Two. Using an 1879 copy of Appleton's Guidebook to the railroads of the United States and Canada, Portillo travels across ...

'' shown on the BBC

Chittenango also features a new Wizard of Oz-themed casino that opened on June 2, 2015, called the Yellow Brick Road Casino, operated by the Oneida Indian tribe that also operates the much larger Turning Stone Resort Casino, Turning Stone Casino and Resort located near

Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenos ...

Notable people

John Kirby Allen John Kirby Allen (1810 – August 15, 1838) was a co-founder of the city of Houston and a former member of the Republic of Texas House of Representatives. He was born in Canaseraga Village, New York (the present-day hamlet of Sullivan in the To ...

(1810–1838), co-founder of Houston, Texas; Texas state legislator, and backer of the Texas Revolution. Allen was partner at the store in Chittenango in 1826. *

, author of ''

''.Rogers. p. 1. The village holds an annual festival called Oz-Stravaganza! honoring Baum's life and literary works. * Jerry Lawson, professional distance runner, former American record holder (1993) in the marathon with a time of 2:09:35. He was a graduate of Chittenango High School. *

Dave Mirra David Michael Mirra (April 4, 1974 – February 4, 2016) was an American Freestyle BMX, BMX rider who also competed in rallycross racing. He set the record for most medals in BMX Freestyle at the X Games (later tied by Scotty Cranmer) and earne ...

, professional BMX bike athlete *

Lewis Selye Lewis Selye (July 11, 1803 – January 27, 1883) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Born in Chittenango, New York, Selye attended the common schools, and learned the blacksmith trade. He moved to Rochester, New York, in 1824 and engaged i ...

, former US congressman

Gallery

File:Chittenango Police Department - panoramio.jpg, Chittenango Police Department File:Chittenango, NY 13037, USA - panoramio (1).jpg, Town clock and pizzeria File:Chittenango, NY 13037, USA - panoramio (2).jpg, Lateral Canal historic marker File:Chittenango, NY 13037, USA - panoramio (6).jpg, Town park

References

External links

*
Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum

The Erie Canal, Chittenango, NY
Chittenango Central Schools
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Syracuse metropolitan area Populated places established in 1842 Villages in Madison County, New York