::''This is about the town in Allegany County, New York. For the hamlet in Ulster County, New York, see

Centerville, Ulster County, New York Centerville is a small community in the Town of Saugerties, Ulster County, New York, United States. Centerville is located along New York State Route 212, approximately west of Interstate 87, and several miles east of Catskill State Park The ...

.'' Centerville 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 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 was 822 at the 2010 census. The town is in the northwest corner of Allegany County and is named after its principal settlement.

History

Centerville was first settled in April 1808 by Joseph Maxson. Minard describes this first settler in his ''History of Centerville'': "He was only 18, and came from Otsego Co. Two cents and a few articles of provisions and clothing constituted his wealth. At Pike he took from his feet a pair of new shoes, bartered them for an axe, and pushed on into the wilderness, and in the center of the township near a small stream erected the rudest kind of a hut. For a bed he peeled basswood bark, used some pieces as a floor and others for covering. Not long after he came snow fell six inches deep. He persevered in his labors and passed eight months alone."² James Ward settled there in the fall of 1808, and a half dozen more families moved there in the following year. Centerville (then spelled "Centreville") was established on January 15, 1819 from part of the town of

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

(a town in Wyoming County).¹ In recent years many

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

farmers have bought land in the town. The Centerville Town Hall 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 v ...

in 2009.

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 , or 0.13%, is water. The west town line is the border of

Cattaraugus County Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...

, and the north town line is the border of Wyoming County. Sixtown Creek is an important stream in the town. New York State Route 243 passes through the community of Fairview.

Adjacent towns and areas

Centerville is west of the town of Hume and north of the town of Rushford. The west town line is shared with the town of

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

in Cattaraugus County, and the north town line is shared with the town of

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

in Wyoming County.

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 762 people, 253 households, and 195 families residing in the town. 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 21.5 people per square mile (8.3/km²). There were 402 housing units at an average density of 11.4 per square mile (4.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.80%

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 ...

, 0.13%

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 ...

, 0.52% Native American, 1.05%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 2.10% 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 0.39% from two or more races.

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 ...

of any race were 2.49% of the population. There were 253 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.38. In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,487, and the median income for a family was $31,058. Males had a median income of $25,208 versus $20,750 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 $11,674. About 22.4% of families and 32.8% 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 46.4% of those under age 18 and 31.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Centerville

*Centerville – 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 Centerville is near the town center at the junction of Buffalo, Pike and Hill Roads. *Fairview – A hamlet on the town line in the southwest corner of the town on Route 243. *Higgins – The hamlet is southeast of Centerville. *Welsh Settlement – A former designation for the southwest part of the town, settled in the 1840s by many natives of

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Notable people

Ellen Palmer Allerton Ellen Palmer Allerton (October 17, 1835 – August 31, 1893) was an American poet whose inspiration probably came from her life on farms in rural New York State, New York, New York State, Wisconsin, and New York State, Kansas. She is best remembe ...

(1835–1893), poet * Ezra Kendall (1861–1910), actor-comedian, humorist, playwright and authorEzra Kendall Dead. New York Times, January 24, 1910, p. 9 *

Clifford Goldsmith Clifford Goldsmith (March 29, 1899 – July 11, 1971) was an American writer, best known for his play ''What a Life'', from which ''The Aldrich Family'' radio and television series and the ''Henry Aldrich'' film series were derived. In 1943, ''T ...

, playwright best known for creating ''

The Aldrich Family ''The Aldrich Family'', a popular radio teenage situation comedy (July 2, 1939 – April 19, 1953), was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-''reeeee ...

'', which was set in a larger, fictionalized version of Centerville

References

1. French, J. H., ''Gazetteer of the State of New York, Embracing a Comprehensive View of the Geography, Geology, and General History of the State...'', Syracuse: R. Pearsall Smith, 1860, view online at: https://books.google.com/books?vid=0pZlamASp7-CUj-AdtbEUK&id=R_zHwh4xByQC&pg=PA168&lpg=PA168&dq=allegany+county+new+york+history#PPA1,M1 2. Minard, John S., ''History of Centerville, New York'', Alfred, NY, J. A. Fergusson, 1896, view online at http://www.rays-place.com/history/ny/centreville-ny.htm

External links

Town of Centerville official website

{{authority control Towns in Allegany County, New York 1808 establishments in New York (state)