Frankfort 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
Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named a ...
, United States. The town is named after one of its earliest settlers, Lawrence (Lewis) Frank. The town of Frankfort includes a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
, also called
Frankfort. Frankfort is located east of
Utica, and the
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...
passes along its northern border. At the time of the 2010 census, the population was 7,636.
Frankfort is home to the Great American Irish Festival, held within the Herkimer County Fairgrounds.
History
The first European settlers in this area were
German Palatines who came to the colony as religious refugees in 1723. During the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, this area suffered fierce attacks by the French with their Indian allies, and the settlers abandoned much of the area. The area of the early town was resettled before 1794, by the granting of land patents.
After the
Revolutionary War, the town of Frankfort was established from part of the town of
German Flatts
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,258 at the 2010 census.
The town is in the southern part of Herkimer County, on the south side of the Mohawk River, across from the village of Herkimer. T ...
. In 1798, the northwest part of Frankfort was taken away to form part of the town of
Deerfield.
The
Balloon Farm in Frankfort 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 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 the ...
, Frankfort has an area of , of which are land and , or 0.29%, are water.
The western border of the town is the
Oneida County line, and the northern border is the
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk f ...
. Moyer Creek and Ferguson Creek flow northward through Frankfort to the Mohawk River.
New York State Route 5S
New York State Route 5S (NY 5S) is a east–west state highway located in the Mohawk Valley of New York in the United States. It extends from a continuation of NY 5A at an interchange with NY 5, NY 8, NY 12, and I ...
runs parallel to the Mohawk River.
New York State Route 171
New York State Route 171 (NY 171) is a state highway running east to west through Herkimer County, New York, in the United States. It connects the hamlet of Gulph in the town of Frankfort to the village of Frankfort by way of the Fr ...
intersects old NY 5S in the village of Frankfort.
Demographics
, there were 7,478 people, 2,997 households, and 2,091 families residing in Frankfort.
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 200.9 people per square mile (77.6/km
2). There were 3,185 housing units at an average density of 85.6 per square mile (33.0/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.93%
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 ...
, 0.49%
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 ...
, 0.13%
Native American, 0.13%
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 ...
, 0.16% from
other races, and 1.15% 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 ...
or
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 1.02% of the population.
There were 2,997 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town, the population was 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,399, and the median income for a family was $43,594. Males had a median income of $30,423 versus $22,813 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 $16,719. About 7.5% of families and 9.2% 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 12.3% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
Frankfort has a large
Italian American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
population. Many Italian American families in the town and village are descendants of immigrants from
Oriolo
Oriolo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is a member of the I Borghi più belli d'Italia
I Borghi più belli d'Italia is an association of small Italian towns of historical int ...
,
Cosenza
Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...
, or
Calabria
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, Italy and from San Giuseppe Iato, Sicily. The first settler from Oriolo may have been Giuseppe Franchino, who appeared in the 1880 census as Joseph Frank, age 33, birthplace Italy.
Communities and locations in the town of Frankfort
*Corrado Corners – 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 ...
immediately southwest of Frankfort village.
*
Dutch Hill Dutch Hill may refer to:
* Dutch Hill, California, a former settlement in Plumas County
* Dutch Hill/Cohocton Wind Farm, a wind farm in Cohocton, New York
* Dutch Hill (Delaware County, New York)
Dutch Hill is a mountain located in the Catskill ...
– An elevation in the northern part of Frankfort.
*
East Frankfort – A hamlet immediately southeast of Frankfort village, located on NY-5S at the eastern town line. It was previously called "McGowansville". East Frankfort borders the village of
Ilion.
*
Frankfort – A village in the northeastern part of the town, located on NY-5S at the Mohawk River.
*Frankfort Center – A hamlet west of Frankfort village, located on County Road 13. It was previously called "Howards Bush."
*Frankfort Gorge – A valley containing Moyer Creek that extends from the southern town line up to Frankfort village.
*Frankfort Hill – A location in the western part of the town, north of Stewart Corners on County Road 104. The
Frankfort Hill District No. 10 School 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 2011.
*Gulph – A hamlet by the southern town line on NY-171.
*Harbor – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town, east of West Frankfort on NY-5S by County Road 240.
*Joslin Hill – An elevation located southwest of Frankfort.
*Kinney Corners – A location on the southern town line on County Road 27. The
Remington House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
*Maggie's Bush – A former community in the western part of Frankfort.
*North Frankfort – A location north of Frankfort village, near the Mohawk River.
*Stewart Corners – A hamlet in the western part of the town at the junction of County Roads 104 and 186.
*West Frankfort – A hamlet on NY-5S near the western town line in the northwestern corner of the town. It was originally called "Four Mile Grocery."
Herkimer County Fair
The Herkimer County Fair is a six-day fair held annually in Frankfort. The fair was started in 1841 as the Herkimer County Agricultural Society, and traveled from village to village. In the 1900s, the fair was located at a site which later became the Hekimer Thruway interchange. At that time, the fair had a racetrack and grandstand which were later destroyed by a fire. After moving to Frankfort in 1950, the fair became an annual event. In 1958, it moved to a permanent site on Cemetery Hill in Frankfort, after buying the Slocum Farm. The fair currently sits on , and has 10 permanent buildings as well a permanent bathroom, shower facilities, a horse corral, and aluminum bleacher seating surrounding the event show ring.
Notable people
*
Charles A. Budlong,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
State Assemblyman, was born in Frankfort.
*
Hiram Cronk, the last surviving veteran of the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
at the time of his death, was born in Frankfort.
*
Carl Edgar Myers
Carl Edgar Myers ( – ) was an American businessman, scientist, inventor, meteorologist, balloonist, and aeronautical engineer. He invented many types of hydrogen balloon airships and related equipment. His business of making passenger airshipb ...
, owned "balloon farm" business with
Carlotta, the Lady Aeronaut.
*
Rich Talarico, a writer, director, producer and actor known mostly for
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
's
Key and Peele
''Key & Peele'' (abbreviated to ''K&P'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele for Comedy Central. Both Key and Peele previously worked on ''Mad TV.''
Each episode of the show consists ...
, was born in Frankfort.
References
Sources
*
External links
Official Town of Frankfort websiteHerkimer County Historical Society website
{{authority control
Utica–Rome metropolitan area
Towns in Herkimer County, New York
Populated places on the Mohawk River