Coldspring 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 Cattaraugus 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. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 661. It is located in the southwest part of the county, west of the city of

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

History

The first settler arrived ''circa'' 1818. The Town of Coldspring was established in 1837 from a part of the town of

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. In 1847 and 1848, part of the town was added to the town of South Valley. In 1965, the town of Coldspring voted 45–0 to annex the former town of Elko (also known as Quaker Bridge) after it was flooded in the

Allegheny Reservoir The Allegheny Reservoir (also known as Kinzua Lake and unofficially as Lake Perfidy) is a reservoir along the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and New York, USA. It was created in 1965 by the construction of the Kinzua Dam along the river. Lake Per ...

and dissolved. Elko had been formed in 1890 from part of the town of South Valley and is now the south part of Coldspring. Elko had first been settled by

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

, acting as missionaries to the local natives in 1798 at the invitation of

Cornplanter John Abeel III (born between 1732 and 1746–February 18, 1836), known as Gaiänt'wakê (''Gyantwachia'' – "the planter") or Kaiiontwa'kon (''Kaintwakon'' – "By What One Plants") in the Seneca language and thus generally known as Cornplante ...

, a local

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 ...

diplomat. It currently has no permanent population, as virtually all of Elko's territory is now either under the reservoir or within the bounds of

Allegany State Park Allegany State Park is a state park in western New York State, located in Cattaraugus County just north of the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. The park is divided into two sections: The Red House Area and the Quaker Run Area. It lies ...

. The absorption of Elko and relocation of former residents in the Reservoir's floodplain (including a 160-acre resettlement area for the Seneca) helped boost the town's population.

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 of Coldspring has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.06%, is water. The south town line is the boundary of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

, impounded as the

, divides the town into northern and southern sections.

Mount Tuscarora Mount Tuscarora is a mountain in the Southern Tier of New York (state), New York. It is located within Allegany State Park in Coldspring, New York, Coldspring, Cattaraugus County, New York, Cattaraugus County. In 1928, a steel fire lookout towe ...

rises in the southern part of the town within Allegany State Park.

New York State Route 394 New York State Route 394 (NY 394) is a state highway located within Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties in southwestern New York in the United States. Its western terminus is located on the shore of Lake Erie at an intersection with ...

and Interstate 86 pass through the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

To the north is the town of

. Coldspring shares its western border with the towns of South Valley and Randolph. The east border is formed by the towns of

and Red House. Corydon Township in McKean County, Pennsylvania, is at the south town line.

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 751 people, 278 households, and 205 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 14.6 people per square mile (5.6/km²). There were 371 housing units at an average density of 7.2 per square mile (2.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.20%

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 ...

, 0.27%

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 ...

, 1.60% Native American, and 0.93% 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 0.40% of the population. There were 278 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% 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, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,063, and the median income for a family was $35,938. Males had a median income of $29,479 versus $16,458 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 $14,568. About 10.2% of families and 15.0% 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 16.1% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Coldspring

Allegany Reservation Allegany Reservation (Uhì·yaʼRudes, B. ''Tuscarora English Dictionary'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999 in Tuscarora) is a Seneca Nation of Indians reservation in Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. In the 2000 census, 58 percent of ...

– A reservation of the

Iroquois 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 ...

that cuts across the center of the town, on either side of the Allegheny River. The territory within Coldspring is designated in the

Seneca language Seneca (; in Seneca, or ) is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League; it is an Iroquoian language, spoken at the time of contact in the western portion of New York. While the name ''Seneca'', attested as ...

as jonegano:h or tsyo:nekano:h depending on the transcription system; the name is used along I-86 as the Seneca name for the town of Coldspring, the community of Steamburg, and the Cold Spring Creek. *

– An

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

created by a dam on the Allegheny River. *

– A section of the park is in the southeast part of the town. *Coldspring – A

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 ...

by the Allegheny Reservoir. Mostly abandoned in the construction of Kinzua Dam. *Price Corners – A hamlet at the junction of County Road 9 and Route 394 by the western town line. *Quaker Bridge – A hamlet at the junction of NY 280 and modern Allegany State Park Route 3. Abandoned in the construction of Kinzua Dam and mostly underwater. * Quaker Lake – A lake located south of the hamlet of Coldspring. *Randolph State Fish Hatchery – A location in the northwest part of the town. *Sawmill Run – A hamlet partially in the northeastern corner of the town, with the rest in the neighboring Town of Salamanca. * Steamburg – A hamlet located near the center of the town on NY Route 394 and north of Interstate 86. Steamburg is the major community in the town and the seat of the town government. *Steamburg Resettlement Area – A location south of Steamburg, within the reservation bounds. *Underwood Corners – A point at the intersection of County Routes 10 and 39, north of Steamburg.

References

External links

Town of Coldspring official website
{{authority control Towns in Cattaraugus County, New York 1837 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1837