Herkimer 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, southeast of
Utica. It is named after
Nicholas Herkimer. The population was 10,175 at the 2010 census.
The town contains a village also called
Herkimer.
Herkimer County Community College
Herkimer County Community College is a public community college in Herkimer, New York. It is part of the State University of New York system.
History
The college was approved by the State University of New York in 1965, and the County Board o ...
is located in Herkimer village.
History
![General Herkimer Monument, Myers Park Herkimer NY](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/General_Herkimer_Monument%2C_Myers_Park_Herkimer_NY.jpg)
Herkimer was first settled ''circa'' 1722, in an area originally called "Stone Ridge", now the village of Herkimer. Early settlers were primarily
German Palatines
Palatines (german: Pfälzer), also known as the Palatine Dutch, are the people and princes of Palatinates ( Holy Roman principalities) of the Holy Roman Empire. The Palatine diaspora includes the Pennsylvania Dutch and New York Dutch.
In 170 ...
.
Johan Jost Herchheimer, a farmer who also engaged in trade and transport on 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 ...
, settled in the
German Flatts District of
Albany County in 1725, on the south side of the Mohawk River, within the present-day town of German Flatts, incorporated in 1788. He owned of the land, including a strategic
portage
Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
around
Little Falls on the Mohawk, where his eldest son
Nicholas Herkimer established a farmstead. In 1788, the town of Herkimer, on the north side of the river, was incorporated and named after him.
![Herkimer County Courthouse Sept 09](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Herkimer_County_Courthouse_Sept_09.jpg)
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 ...
, the
Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, th ...
was ravaged by raids of the French and their native allies. By 1770, Nicholas had established great wealth through farming and trade during the wars, and had also gained military experience as a captain of a militia. He would later fight in the
Battle of Oriskany
The Battle of Oriskany ( or ) was a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary War, and one of the bloodiest battles in the conflict between the Americans and Great Britain. On August 6, 1777, a party of Loy ...
.
In 1906, the murder trial of
Chester Gillette
Chester Ellsworth Gillette (August 9, 1883 – March 30, 1908), an American convicted murderer, became the basis for the fictional character Clyde Griffiths in Theodore Dreiser's novel ''An American Tragedy'', which was the basis of the 1931 fi ...
brought many spectators to the county courthouse in Herkimer village.
The
Herkimer County shootings
The Herkimer County shootings were a shooting spree that took place on March 13, 2013, in Herkimer County, New York.
Incident
Kurt Myers, a 64-year-old resident of the village of Mohawk, set fire to his apartment before 9:30am and proceeded ...
took place partially in Herkimer on March 13, 2013.
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 has a total area of . Land comprises of the town, and of the town (1.76%) are water.
West Canada Creek
The West Canada Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in upstate New York, United States. West Canada Creek is an important water way in Hamilt ...
empties into 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 ...
by Herkimer village. On the opposite shore of the Mohawk River are the villages of
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to:
Related to Native Americans
* Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York)
*Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people
* Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...
and
Ilion.
The
New York State Thruway
{{Infobox road
, state = NY
, type = NYST
, alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway
, maint = NYSTA
, map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...
and
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syr ...
run through the southwestern part of the town.
New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28 (NY 28) is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major r ...
is a north–south highway that intersects NY-5 in Herkimer village.
Demographics
![Herkimer Town Hall, New York](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Herkimer_Town_Hall%2C_New_York.jpg)
As of the census
of 2000, there were 9,962 people, 4,114 households, and 2,386 families residing in the town. The population density was 315.6 people per square mile (121.9/km
2). There were 4,513 housing units at an average density of 143.0 per square mile (55.2/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.83%
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 ...
, 0.97%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
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 ...
, 0.18%
Native American, 1.03%
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 ...
, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.41% 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 0.56% 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 1.17% of the population.
There were 4,114 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,763, and the median income for a family was $42,296. Males had a median income of $30,828 versus $20,845 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,211. About 7.9% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the town of Herkimer
*Beacon Light Corners – A location near the western town line.
*
East Herkimer – A hamlet east of Herkimer village on NY-5.
*Eatonville – A hamlet near the northeastern corner of the town.
*
Hasenclever Hill – An elevation located north of Herkimer.
*
Herkimer – The village of Herkimer is by the southern town line, on NY-5 by the Mohawk River.
*Kast Bridge – A hamlet north of Herkimer village on NY-28.
*Mirror Lake – A small lake north of Herkimer village.
*
Oak Hill – An elevation located northwest of Herkimer. Located partially in the Town of Schuyler.
*
Osborne Hill – An elevation located northwest of Herkimer. Located partially in the Town of
Schuyler Schuyler may refer to:
Places United States
* Schuyler County, Illinois
* Schuyler County, Missouri
* Schuyler, Nebraska, a city
* Schuyler County, New York
* Schuyler, New York, a town
* Schuyler Island, Lake Champlain, New York
* Schuyler C ...
.
*
Schrader Hill – An elevation located north of Herkimer; partially in the Town of
Newport.
*
Steuben Hill – An elevation located northwest of Herkimer.
References
* Herkimer Home
State Historical Site– Little Falls, NY
NY (Route 5)
External links
Town of Herkimer official websiteHerkimer County Historical Society website
{{authority control
Utica–Rome metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1922
Towns in Herkimer County, New York
1922 establishments in New York (state)