Oneonta 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 Otsego 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 population was 5,065 at the 2020 census.,U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Oneonta town, Otsego County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/oneontatownotsegocountynewyork The Town of Oneonta surrounds the City of Oneonta, which has a population of 13,791. The meaning of the native word "oneonta" is City of the Hills.

History

The town was first settled before the American Revolution by Palatine Germans and Dutch settlers from the Hudson Valley. In 1779, the army of General Clinton passed through the area to join the

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign) was a United States military campaign under the command of General John Sullivan (general), John Sullivan duri ...

. The Town of Oneonta was established in 1830 from parts of the Towns of Otego and Milford. The community of Oneonta, developed from earlier "McDonaldville" and "Milfordville," in the town became a railroad center for such lines as the Delaware and Hudson. The world's largest locomotive roundhouse stood in Oneonta until a larger one was constructed in Germany. This community set itself off from the town by incorporating as a village in 1848. The normal school, established in 1889, is now the

State University of New York at Oneonta The State University of New York at Oneonta, also known as SUNY Oneonta, is a public university in Oneonta, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History SUNY Oneonta was established in 1889 as the Oneonta N ...

. The Village of Oneonta became a city in 1908. This small city was an important manufacturing center in the early 20th century. The Linn Trailer Corp. was built in West End in 1929. Founded by H.H. Linn of nearby Morris, he was replaced in 1937 by Arthur Perkins of the Unadilla Trailer Co. of New Berlin, NY, who obtained several patents of his own relating to trailers and built front wheel drive vans until Great American Industries took over in 1948. Union problems closed their doors in 1952, delaying vital military contracts that Lyncoach Corp. was formed to complete, who later moved into the original Linn building until the 1970s when relocating to a branch factory in Troy, AL.

Notable people

*Harlow E. Bundy: the

Bundy Manufacturing Company The Bundy Manufacturing Company was a 19th-century American manufacturer of timekeeping devices that went through a series of mergers, eventually becoming part of International Business Machines and Simplex Time Recorder Company. It was the fi ...

was a forerunner of

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

. * George Winthrop Fairchild, Republican congressman and businessman: partner of Harlow Bundy. and chairman of the

Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) was a holding company of manufacturers of record-keeping and measuring systems; it was subsequently known as IBM. In 1911, the financier and noted trust organizer Charles R. Flint, called the ...

, a forerunner of IBM. *

Sherman Fairchild Sherman Mills Fairchild (April 7, 1896 – March 28, 1971) was an American businessman and investor who founded over 70 companies, including Fairchild Aviation, Fairchild Industries, and Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Fairchild made signifi ...

, businessman and investor, founder of

Fairchild Aircraft Fairchild was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale, New York; Hagerstown, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas. History Early aircraft The company was founded by Sherman Fairchild in 19 ...

and other companies and major stockholder in

. * Al Gallodoro, notable American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, lived, performed and taught in Oneonta from 1981 until his death in 2008. *

Paul Reubens Paul Reubens (; ; August 27, 1952 – July 30, 2023) was an American actor and comedian, widely known for creating and portraying the character Pee-wee Herman. Born in Peekskill, New York and raised in both Oneonta, New York and Sarasota, Flo ...

, resided briefly on Chestnut St. as a child. *

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He also wrote t ...

, musician, grew up on East End Ave. * Henry E. Huntington, railroad magnate, was born in Oneonta (1850). *Gus Lampo, four-time PBA champion, has lived in Oneonta since 1982

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 33.6 square miles (87.1 km²), of which 33.5 square miles (86.8 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.4 km²) (0.42%) is water. The town is bordered by the Town of Otego to the west, the Town of Laurens to the northwest, the Town of Milford to the northeast and Delaware County to the south. Otego Creek and Oneonta Creek flow into 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 ...

in the town. Interstate 88 follows the course of the Susquehanna River through the town.

New York State Route 7 New York State Route 7 (NY 7) is a state highway in New York (state), New York in the United States. The highway runs from the New York–Pennsylvania border, Pennsylvania state line south of Binghamton (city), New York, Binghamton ...

and

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 (state), New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with New York State Route 26, NY 26 in the Central Ne ...

, New York State Route 28 and New York State Route 205 all pass through the town.

Climate

There is a weather station for Emmons, a community on the edge of Oneonta. Emmons has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb''), with warm, wet summers and cold, snowy 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 2000, there were 4,994 people, 1,958 households, and 1,298 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,117 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 90.67%

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 ...

, 6.15%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.34% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.92% 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 3.38% of the population. There were 1,958 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.80. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,634, and the median income for a family was $43,125. Males had a median income of $34,679 versus $23,246 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 $18,841. About 6.2% of families and 15.2% 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 10.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and Locations in the Town of Oneonta

*Baker Hill – An elevation west of West Oneonta. *Emmons – Community at the eastern edge of the town. *Franklin Mountain – An elevation on the southern town line. Partially in Delaware County * Gifford Hill – An elevation northeast of the City of Oneonta. * Oneonta – The City of Oneonta. *Oneonta Plains – A lowland north of the Susquehanna River. *Southside – The area south of The Susquehanna River which has a major retail shopping district, hotels, and some private residences. * West End – The area just west of the City of Oneonta. * West Oneonta – 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 ...

northwest of the City of Oneonta. *Wilber Lake – A lake located north of the city of Oneonta. *Winnie Hill – An elevation north of the city of Oneonta.

Parks and recreation

*Fortin Park – At the former site of F&F Airpark at the eastern edge of the town, Fortin Park features large, flat, open, grassy spaces, with pavilions, barbecues, walking trails, playgrounds, ballfields, and former aircraft hangars used for skating in the winter and available for other activities in the warmer months. *Oneonta Greenway Trail – A series of trails located behind the city municipal complex. In the future there are plans of extending this network of trails to Fortin Park more than 6 miles away. *Otego Creek Access Site (former Hemstreet Park) – The town assumed ownership of the former Hemstreet Park located on the Otego Creek in 2004. This small park nestled on the bank of the Otego Creek offers picnicking and fishing from the bank and a place to launch a boat on the creek, which flows into the Susquehanna.

Retail

Southside Mall was built in 1983.

References

External links

Town of Oneonta, NY

{{authority control Towns in Otsego County, New York Towns in New York (state)