Eaton 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 Madison 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 5,255 at the 2010 census. The Town of Eaton is in the south-central part of the county.

US Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

passes across the northern part of the town.

History

The town was the principal location of the

Oneida tribe The Oneida people (autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band. They are one of the five founding nat ...

, a sub-group 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 allied itself with the colonial forces during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. Euro-American settlement began around 1792. The Town of Eaton was formed in 1807 from the

Town of Hamilton 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 ...

. Eaton is named for

William Eaton William Eaton or Bill Eaton may refer to: * William Eaton (soldier) (1764–1811), United States Army soldier during the Barbary Wars * William Eaton (athlete) (1909–1938), British long-distance runner * William Eaton (guitarist), American luth ...

, a Revolutionary officer and commander of the United States military forces in Tripoli. Eaton, NY post office

Geography

Eaton is centered at 42.850 degrees north latitude, 75.612 degrees west longitude. The town contains the geographic center of the state (near Pratts Hollow). The

Chenango River The Chenango River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissec ...

flows through the town. 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 (1.82%) is water.

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 4,826 people, 1,358 households, and 935 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 107.9 people per square mile (41.6/km²). There were 1,798 housing units at an average density of 40.2 per square mile (15.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.41%

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 ...

, 6.55%

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 ...

, 0.46% Native American, 1.06%

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 ...

, 0.46% 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 1.08% 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 1.99% of the population. There were 1,358 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% 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, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 30.7% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,229, and the median income for a family was $39,643. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $23,107 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 $14,538. About 6.0% of families and 9.5% 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 12.6% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and other locations in Eaton

*Davis Corners – A location by the northern town line. *Eagleville – 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 ...

south of Morrisville. *Eaton – The hamlet of Eaton in the southern part of the town on Route 26, south of Morrisville. *Eaton Reservoir – A

reservoir 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 ...

partly in the southwest part of the town. *Eaton Station – A location northeast of Eaton village. *Gills Corners – A location in the northeastern corner of the town. * Leland Pond – Two ponds separated by a short channel located south of the hamlet of Pine Woods. * Morrisville – Village of Morrisville is the location of the

Morrisville State College State University of New York at Morrisville (formerly Morrisville State College) or SUNY Morrisville is a public college with two locations in New York, one in Morrisville and one in Norwich. It is part of the State University of New York syst ...

, the Morrisville Equine Center, and the Morrisville Fish Hatchery. Morrisville is in the northwestern part of the town. *Morrisville Station – A hamlet east of Morrisville on Route 20. *Pecksport – A location by the eastern town line. *Pierceville – A hamlet between Eaton village and West Eaton on Route 26. *Pine Woods – A hamlet, associated with the Oneida, located on Route 20. *Pratts – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town. *Pratts Hollow – The Geographic Center of New York is in the northeastern part of the town. *West Eaton – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town. *White Corners – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town. *Williams Corners – A hamlet west of Morrisville.

References

External links

Early Eaton history

{{authority control Syracuse metropolitan area 1807 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1807 Towns in Madison County, New York