Alabama 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 Genesee 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 in the northwestern part of the county. New York State Routes 63 and 77 intersect in the town. The population was 1,869 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the state of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

History

French fur trader William Poudrit set up a trading post in what is now the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. A form of his name, "Poodry," is current among the Native Americans. The town was first settled around 1806 in West Alabama. The Town of Alabama was established in 1826 from a part of the Town of Pembroke and the Town of Shelby (Orleans County). The town was originally called the "Town of Gerrysville" after Vice-president

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry ( ; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death i ...

. In 1828 the town assumed its current name. Some of the water from local sour springs, eight in total, was once bottled for medicinal use. A thirty-seven room hotel was erected on the property and named "Spring House". The building burned in 1914. The land is now part of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

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 (0.49%) is water. The

Tonawanda Creek Tonawanda Creek is a small tributary of the Niagara River in Western New York, United States. After rising in Wyoming County, the stream flows through Genesee County before forming part of the boundary between Erie County and Niagara County ...

flows through the southern part of the town, and

Oak Orchard Creek Oak Orchard Creek (sometimes called Oak Orchard River) is a tributary of Lake Ontario in Orleans County, New York, Orleans County, New York (state), New York in the United States. The creek flows through Oak Orchard Creek Marsh, of which were de ...

flows through the northern part. The northern town line is the border of Orleans County and the western town boundary is the border of

Erie Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

and Niagara counties.

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 1,881 people, 663 households, and 483 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 700 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.16%

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 ...

, 0.85%

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 ...

, 2.23% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.11%

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 ...

, and 1.44% 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 0.85% of the population. There were 663 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% 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, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.36. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,223, and the median income for a family was $45,947. Males had a median income of $32,454 versus $23,456 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 $14,811. About 4.7% of families and 6.3% 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 5.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Charles Dinsmoor, inventor, born in Alabama Center * John Rankin Gamble, former US Congressman from Dakota Territory

Communities and locations in the Town of Alabama

* Alabama (or Alabama Center) – The

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 ...

of Alabama is centered on the crossroad of Routes 63 and 77, where there is a restaurant on one corner and a small market on another. * Basom – This hamlet is on NY-77 where Bloomingdale Road runs off to the west. This community had a railroad station at one time. It was named after an Alabama town supervisor. * Indian Falls (formerly "Tonawanda Falls") – A hamlet at the south town line on NY-77.

flows through the community and has a spectacular waterfall. Above the falls are rapids which were a source of water power in the early days of the community. *

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge The Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge in Genesee and Orleans counties in western New York. The refuge is located between the cities of Buffalo and Rochester and is operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service ...

– A federal refuge is partly in the northern part of the town. * Meadeville – A hamlet inside the Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area, located on Meadeville Road, south of NY-77. *

Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area The Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area is an approximately wildlife management area (WMA) located in western New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most ...

- A conservation area partially in the northern part of the town. * South Alabama – A hamlet on NY-63, near the Oakfield border and south of Wheatville. The community was formerly called "Smithville." *

Tonawanda Reservation The Tonawanda Indian Reservation () is an Indian reservation of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation located in western New York, United States. The band is a federally recognized tribe and, in the 2010 census, had 693 people living on the reservation. Th ...

of the

Seneca tribe The Seneca ( ; ) are a group of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthe ...

- A part of the reservation is inside the west border of the town. Bloomingdale Road passes through the reservation, connecting Basom and

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

. *

Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area The Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area is a wildlife management area (WMA) located in western New York State. It is located primarily within Niagara County and Genesee County, with a small portion within Orleans County. It is managed by the ...

– A New York state conservation area, partially in the northern part of the town. * The Alabama Hotel, located at the intersection of 63 and 77, where Spiro Agnew was quoted as saying, after stopping during a campaign swing in 1968, "Really fine wings they have.... really fine" * West Alabama – A former hamlet, now a location in the northwest corner of the town on NY-77. * Wheatville – A hamlet east of Alabama hamlet by the intersection of Knowlesville and Lockport Roads. * Wheatville Station – A location south of South Alabama. * White Memorial Game Farm – A former game farm located south of Alabama hamlet on NY-77. Used primarily for raising pheasants, it has been given over to other recreational use.

References

External links

Early history of Alabama

Local history page

Town of Alabama official website
{{authority control Towns in Genesee County, New York Towns in New York (state)