Guilford is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Chenango 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. The town is on the eastern border of the county. The population was 2,922 at the 2010 census.

History

The land was purchased from the

Oneida people The Oneida people ( ; wikt:autonym, autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native Ameri ...

in 1785. The town was first settled ''circa'' 1787. One of the first settlements was in what is now known as East Guilford, by the Mercereau brothers (who were Revolutionary War spies for

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

). They built a mill on Guilford Creek at Indian Orchard Falls, along the Catskill Turnpike. Guilford was formed from the town of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in 1813 as "Eastern". The name became "Guilford" in 1817. The town was called by an older name, "Fayette", for the early part of its history during the time it was in Tioga County.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.39%, is water. The eastern town line is the border of Otsego County. The border is marked by the

Unadilla River The Unadilla River is a river in the Central New York Region of New York State. The river begins northeast of the hamlet of Millers Mills and flows generally south to the village of Sidney, where it converges with the Susquehanna River, which d ...

, a southward-flowing tributary of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

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 (state), New York in the United States. It runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction from the Southern Tier to the northern part of Lake ...

is a north–south highway paralleling the

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 2000, there were 3,046 people, 1,181 households, and 838 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,462 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.64%

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 ...

, 0.66%

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 ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 1.08% 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 0.89% of the population. There were 1,181 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were

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, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,681, and the median income for a family was $40,801. Males had a median income of $31,528 versus $24,742 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 town was $15,536. About 10.7% of families and 12.0% 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 15.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Solomon G. Haven, former US congressman * Adelaide Daughaday, Christian missionary

Communities and locations in Guilford

*East Guilford – A

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

in the southeastern corner of the town on NY-8 by the junction of County Road 35. *Godfrey Corners – A location near the eastern town line, west of Mount Upton. *Guilford – A hamlet settled around 1797. The community is in the western part of the town at the junction of County Roads 35 and 38. The

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

of Guilford includes the hamlets of Guilford and Guilford Center. The Jewell Family Homestead on Furnace Hill Road was 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 ...

in 2017. *Guilford Center – A hamlet east of Guilford hamlet at the junction of County Roads 35 and 37. The Guilford Center Presbyterian Church was listed on the National Register in 2004. The Guilford Center Cemetery was listed in 2005. * Guilford Lake – A lake located northwest of the hamlet of Guilford. *High Bridge – A location near the eastern town line, northwest of Rockdale. *Ives Settlement – A hamlet southeast of Guilford hamlet. *Lathams Corners – A location at the eastern town line north of Rockwell Mills on NY-8. * Mount Upton – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town by the east town line on NY-8. *New Berlin Junction – A location south of East Guilford. *North Guilford Corners – A location near the northern town line. *Parker – A hamlet south of Guilford Center on County Road 35. * Rockdale – A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town at the east town line on NY-8. *Rockwells Mills – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town on NY-8. The Rockwells Mills Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. *Trestle Corners – A location near the eastern town line, west of Rockdale. *Windsor Corners – A location north of Guilford hamlet, located at the junction of County Roads 36 and 37. *Yaleville – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town on County Road 38.

References

External links

Town of Guilford official website

Guilford Fire Department and Emergency Squad
110 Mechanic Street

Guilford History
{{authority control Towns in Chenango County, New York Towns in New York (state)