Fenton is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 6,441 at the 2020 census. The town was named after Reuben Fenton, a governor of New York. The town is in the northeastern part of the county and is northeast of Binghamton.

History

The area was first settled around 1788. The town of Port Crane was formed from the town of Chenango in 1855. The larger town of Fenton was established in 1867. Port Crane has remained as a hamlet within the town of Fenton. The former Chenango Canal (1834–1876) passed through the west side of the town, following 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 ...

. The town developed and prospered with the advent of the canal. While the canal was supplanted by the railroads, the town was bypassed by the trains. When the canal was gone, the prosperity in Port Crane left with it.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.77%, is water. The north town line is the border of Chenango County, and the west town line is marked by the

. Interstate 88 crosses the southern part of the town, with access from Exits 2 and 3.

New York State Route 7 New York State Route 7 (NY 7) is a state highway in New York (state), New York in the United States. The highway runs from the New York–Pennsylvania border, Pennsylvania state line south of Binghamton (city), New York, Binghamton ...

parallels the interstate. New York State Route 369 is a north-south highway in the town and intersects New York State Route 79 at North Fenton.

Adjacent towns and areas

To the east is the town of Colesville, to the west is the town of Chenango, and to the northwest is the town of Barker. The towns of Kirkwood and Dickinson are on the south side. The town of Greene in Chenango County borders Fenton to the north.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 6,909 people, 2,763 households, and 1,947 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,941 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.52%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.87%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.30% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. There were 2,763 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,622, and the median income for a family was $45,869. Males had a median income of $37,800 versus $25,875 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,780. About 4.6% of families and 6.8% 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 ...

, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and other locations in Fenton

* Chenango Valley State Park – A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

adjacent to the

, known for its wooded golf course and scenic glacial topography. *Chenango Lake – The larger of two scenic wooded lakes in the Chenango Valley State Park, used for swimming and boating. *Fenton – A location on NY-369 near the state park. * Hillcrest – A suburban residential community east of the Chenango River neighboring Chenango Bridge and Port Dickinson. *Lily Lake – The smaller of two lakes, north of Chenango Lake, known for its scenic beauty and good fishing. * North Fenton – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

at the junction of NY-79 and NY-369 by the north town line. It was originally called "Ketchums Corners." *Pleasant Hill – A hamlet in the southern part of the town on County Road 193. *Port Crane – A hamlet near the Chenango River and the southern town line, near the intersection of NY-369, NY-7, and I-88. It was formerly a port on the now-defunct Chenango Canal and was named after Jason Crane, a canal engineer. It remains as a hamlet within the larger town of Fenton. *Quinneville – A hamlet at the northern town line on NY-79. *Wyman Corner – A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town.

Notable person

* Billy Martin, baseball legend, second baseman and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

manager; After retirement he lived on a private lake in a large home near Port Crane N.Y. It had a private suite for Mickey Mantle when he visited. It was on that road, mere feet from his driveway, where his fatal car accident occurred on Christmas Day in 1989.

References

External links

Town of Fenton official website

{{authority control Binghamton metropolitan area Towns in Broome County, New York Towns in New York (state)