Cameron 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 Steuben County,

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

, United States. The population is 898 as of 2020. The town is named after Dugald Cameron, an early settler and land agent of the Pulteney Estate. The Town of Cameron is centrally located in the county, west of the City of Corning.

History

Around 1800, the first settler arrived near the present community of Cameron. The town was formed from the Town of Addison in 1822. Parts of Cameron were lost on the founding of the towns of Thurston (1844) and Rathbone (1856). The

New York and Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...

line through Cameron opened in September 1850. The line, recently owned by the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

, with trains operated by NS and Canadian Pacific (the latter under haulage arrangements), was destroyed by

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

in 1972 and had to be rebuilt afterwards. The population of Cameron in 1905 was 1,217.

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 the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.04%) is water. The

Canisteo River The Canisteo River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Tioga River in western New York in the United States. It drains a dissected pla ...

flows through the town. Route 119 parallels the river.

Demographics

At the 2020

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 incl ...

, there were 899 people and 386 households. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 19.2 per square mile (7.43/km²). There were 434 housing units at an average density of 9.27 per square mile (3.59/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.7%

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 on ...

, 0.44%

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 ...

, 1.56%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 ...

, and 1.45% from other unspecified races. 5.23% of the population belongs to more than one race. There were 365 occupied households, of which 51.5% were married-couple families, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.1% had a male householder with no wife presentand, and 65.5% were non-families. The average household and family size was 2.84. At the time of the census, 57.9% of the population was married, 4.5% widowed, 12.6% divorced, and 2.4% separated. 22.6% were never married. 26.0% of the population were under the age of 18, with 7.6% under the age of 5. 74.0% were over 18, and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.1 years. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $50,833. Among families, the median family income was $61,667 while among nonfamily households, it was $37,500. 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 ...

was $15,455. About 23.6% 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 38.7% of those under age 18, 20.9% of those between the age of 18 and 64, and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Cameron

*Bonny Hill – A location in the northeast part of the town and northeast of North Cameron. *Boyds Corner – A location south of South Cameron on Jackson Hill Road. *Cameron – The

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 ...

of Cameron by the junction of County Roads 10 and 119 by the Canisteo River. *Cameron Mills – A hamlet by the town line in the southeast part of the town. *North Cameron – A hamlet near the north town line on County Road 10A. *South Cameron – A hamlet southwest of Cameron hamlet, located on Jackson Hill Road. *West Cameron – A hamlet northwest of Cameron hamlet on Route 119.

Notable person

* William W. Averell, (1832–1900), born in Cameron,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer and patenter of

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

pavement *[DR. Robert L. Masti, (1993) Born in Cameron, NY, Only person in the town of Cameron to receive a Doctorate in Aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech.

References

External links

Cameron information

{{authority control Populated places established in 1800 Towns in Steuben County, New York 1800 establishments in New York (state)