Gilboa 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
Schoharie County
Schoharie County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county ...
,
New York, United States. The population was 1,215 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Gilboa is in the southern part of the county and is southwest of
Albany.
History
The town was first settled around 1760.
The Town of Gilboa was formed in 1848 from regions taken from the Towns of
Blenheim and
Broome. The name "Gilboa" is from
Mount Gilboa
Mount Gilboa ( he, הַר הַגִּלְבֹּעַ, translit=Har hagGīlbōaʿ ; ar, جبل جلبوع ''Jabal Jarbūʿ'' or ''Jabal Fuqqāʿa''), sometimes referred to as the Mountains of Gilboa, is the name for a mountain range in Israel. It ...
,
a biblical site in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, where
King Saul
Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...
's sons were killed by the
Philistines
The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek (LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, whe ...
, and Saul took his own life (1 Samuel 31:4)
A cotton mill in the community of Gilboa was a major contributor to the early economy of the town, but it was destroyed by a flood in 1869.
In 1926, the Schoharie Creek was dammed to form the Schoharie Reservoir. The original settlement of Gilboa was razed and flooded as part of this project. A new settlement was established north of the reservoir.
Fossil Forest
In 1870, workers blasting a site for a stone quarry found fossilized remains of tree stumps. In 2004, the tops and fronds of the trees were discovered and, in 2007, the fern-like trees, named
Wattieza, were pronounced the oldest known trees on earth.
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 t ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and of it (2.63%) is water.
The southern town line forms a border with
Delaware County and
Greene County.
The
Schoharie Creek flows northward through the town.
New York State Route 30 is a north-south highway in Gilboa.
New York State Route 23
New York State Route 23 (NY 23) is an east–west state highway in the eastern portion of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 26 in the Central New York town of Cincinnatus in Cortland Coun ...
cuts through the southwestern corner of the town.
New York State Route 990V
New York State Route 990V (NY 990V) is an east–west reference route in Schoharie County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 30 in the town of Gilboa to a junction with County Route&nbs ...
is a highway running eastward from NY-30 in the southeastern part of Gilboa.
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 in ...
of 2000, there were 1,215 persons, 478 households, and 355 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...
was 21.0 people per square mile (8.1/km
2). There were 992 housing units at an average density of 17.2 per square mile (6.6/km
2). 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 o ...
, 0.91%
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 ...
, 0.25%
Native American, 0.82%
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 ...
, 1.23% 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 0.99% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...
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 1.98% of the population.
There were 478 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were
married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,156, and the median income for a family was $38,214. Males had a median income of $31,635 versus $25,278 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 $18,561. About 9.6% of families and 11.9% 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 11.4% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Gilboa
*Blenheim-Gilboa Reservoir – A reservoir partly in the northwestern part of Gilboa.
*Broome Center – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town located on County Road 17, settled around 1850.
*Five Corners – A location south of Mackey at the junction of County Roads 17 and 18.
*Flat Creek – A hamlet in the eastern part of the town on County Road 17.
*Gilboa – The hamlet of Gilboa is north of the Gilboa Reservoir.
*
Gilboa-Conesville Central School
The Gilboa-Conesville Central School District is a small, rural school located in the Northern Catskill Mountains. There are about 375 students in grades K– 12 housed in one building in Gilboa, Schoharie County New York.
There are no vil ...
– The only school in Gilboa.
*Mackey – A hamlet west of Broome Center.
*Mayham Pond – A small lake north of South Gilboa Station.
*Owlsville – A hamlet in the northeastern section of the town.
*
Schoharie Reservoir
The Schoharie Reservoir is a reservoir in the Catskill Mountains of New York State that was created to be one of 19 reservoirs that supplies New York City with water. It was created by impounding Schoharie Creek. Portions of it lie in the towns of ...
– 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 southeastern corner of the town, south of Gilboa village.
*South Gilboa – A hamlet in the southwestern part of Gilboa on County Road 14. The
Forks in the Road Schoolhouse and
South Gilboa Railroad Station are 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 ...
.
*South Gilboa Station – A location in the southwestern part of the town on NY-23.
*Upper Blenheim-Gilboa Reservoir – A reservoir in the northwestern section of Gilboa, east of the Blenheim-Gilboa Reservoir.
*Welch Corners – A location in the northwestern part of the town.
References
External links
Gilboa, NY website Southern Schoharie County information Gilboa Fossils Museum Official Website Gilboa Historical Society Newsletters, Photos of old village of Gilboa, NY Website
{{authority control
Towns in Schoharie County, New York
Populated places established in 1848
1848 establishments in New York (state)