Caneadea 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 Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,238 at the 2020 census. The name is of Seneca language origin and means "where the heavens rest on earth." The Seneca are the dominant Iroquoian tribe in this western part of their territory and are known as the "gatekeepers"; they are one of the Five Nations of the '' Haudenonsaunee'', or

Iroquois League The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

. The town is in the northwest quadrant of the county.

History

Caneadea was named after the upper, or old

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

village located on a bluff above the east side of the

Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...

opposite the site of present-day

Houghton Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada *Houghton Township, ...

. They are one of the original Five Nations of the

or ''

Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

'', and dominated the western area of the large territory. Sometime in the latter half of the 18th century, the Seneca built a square log council house here with the help of British troops from

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

. Usually their council houses were in the form of

longhouse A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often rep ...

s."History"
/ref> The region was first settled by European Americans around 1800, after most of the Seneca had left for Canada, with a remnant forced to a reservation. Their bands had allied with the British during the American Revolutionary War and, after defeat, it had ceded all its territory east of the Mississippi River to the new United States, without consulting with its allies. The Town of Caneadea was founded in 1808 from part of the town of

Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They gr ...

. However, the town was reduced as the population increased and other towns were formed from this territory in the county:

Friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept o ...

(1815), Rushford (1816), and

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

(1824 and 1831). The Caneadea Reservation of the Seneca tribe was once located in the town, but they sold off their claims in 1825 under pressure from white speculators. The former Genesee Valley Canal once passed through the town. The

Caneadea Bridge Caneadea Bridge, also known as East Hill Road Bridge, is a historic steel truss bridge that carries County Road 46 (locally East Hill Road) over the Genesee River in Caneadea, Allegany County, New York. It is listed on the National Register of His ...

was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1998.

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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.91%, is water. The town developed along the

, an important and historic Western New York river, which had also been valued by the Seneca. Rushford Lake is partly at the town's west line, and Caneadea Creek is an important stream in the town.

New York State Route 19 New York State Route 19 (NY 19) is a north–south state highway in Western New York in the United States. It is the longest state highway in that region, and the only other one besides NY 14 to completely transect the state ...

passes through the town (north-south) and intersects New York State Route 243 north of Canaeadea village.

Demographics

As of the

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 2,694 people, 650 households, and 436 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 75.8 people per square mile (29.3/km²). There were 1,098 housing units at an average density of 30.9 per square mile (11.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.33%

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 o ...

, 1.00%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.56% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.00% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 ...

of any race were 2.26% of the population. There were 650 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 40.9% from 18 to 24, 16.1% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,065, and the median income for a family was $39,667. Males had a median income of $29,643 versus $21,563 for females. 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 ...

for the town was $10,010. About 12.7% of families and 21.3% 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 t ...

, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Lady Baldwin, 19th-century baseball pitcher * William Muldoon, wrestler and first New York State Athletic Commissioner

Communities and locations in Caneadea

*Caneadea – 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 Caneadea is located on Route 19 by the Genesee River in the western part of the town. *

– A river that flows northward through the town. *

– The hamlet of Houghton is the site of

Houghton College Houghton University is a private Christian liberal arts college in Houghton, New York. Houghton was founded in 1883 by Willard J. Houghton and is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church.

. Route 19 passes the hamlet, located near the northern town line, adjacent to the Genesee River. *Oramel – A hamlet on Route 19, south of the hamlet of Canadea and near the Genesee River in the south part of the town. Oramel was incorporated as a village in 1856, but later abandoned this status; its post office (ZIP Code 14765) operated from 1850 to 1968. * Rushford Lake – A small lake partly inside the western part of the town.

References

External links

Town of Caneadea official website

{{authority control New York (state) populated places on the Genesee River Towns in Allegany County, New York 1808 establishments in New York (state)