Interlaken is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 602 at the 2010 census. The name is related to the village's position between two lakes. The Village of Interlaken is in the northern part of the Town of Covert and is northwest of Ithaca, New York.

History

The first European or White settlers settled the area in the late 1790s and early 1800s. The Village of Interlaken was home to many families from the New England and New Jersey areas. Early businesses included hotels, blacksmiths, post office, bank, and in time the railroad station. All designed to support the local families and the farmers from the surrounding area. Four churches were established to serve the community, Union Baptist in 1819, Reformed Church of Farmerville in 1830, a Universalist church in 1850 and St. Francis Solanus Catholic Church in 1874. The First Baptist Church of Interlaken was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2002. Originally called Farmerville, then Farmer, and Farmer Village the hamlet continued to grow. Prosperous homes were built on Main Street, Lodi Street (now West Avenue), and along the side streets. LeRoy, Lake View, Clinton and Knight Streets were the last to be added. In 1904 two events occurred in close proximity. With the increase in summer travelers coming to the area on the Lehigh Valley Railroad there was a movement to rename the railroad depot something more than Farmer. The Railroad sponsored a contest to suggest names for the station and a school teacher, Miss Georgiana Wheeler, suggested the name of Interlaken based on her travels to Switzerland. The residents of the village were also working to establish the community as an incorporated village. Several names were suggested and votes taken. In a spirit of unity the Farmer Review encouraged the members of the village to unite behind the name Interlaken. On March 2, 1904, the Village was incorporated, and the following Saturday the Interlaken Review replaced the Farmer Review. The look of Main Street changed over the years with major fires in December 1880 when much of the south end of business Main Street burned; in February 1891 when the Gambee House burned, it would be replaced with the Goodman House; in April 1926 when the warehouse at the corner of Orchard and Main burned and when the Robinson Hotel burned in February 1939. Many businesses remain in and near the Village, continuing the tradition of serving the needs of the community and surrounding area.

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 village has a total area of , all of it land. Interlaken is at the junction of New York State Route 96, New York State Route 96A, and County Road 141. Interlaken is in the Finger Lakes District and is between, but not adjacent to, Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake.

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 2010, there were 602 people, 243 households, and 147 families residing in the village. The population density was . The racial makeup of the village was 95.2%

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 ...

, 1.7%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.0% from other races, and 1.3% 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 0.7% of the population. There were 243 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.01. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 20, 8.0% from 20 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $44,688, and the median income for a family was $71,875. Males had a median income of $45,208 versus $37,000 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 village was $23,402. About 14.5% of families and 20.1% 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 26.5% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 289 housing units at an average density of . 15.9% of housing units were vacant. There were 243 occupied housing units in the village. 165 were owner-occupied units (67.9%), while 78 were renter-occupied (32.1%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.0% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 11.4%.

Notable people

* Theodore D. Day, farmer and politician who served in the New York Assembly and Senate * Rod Serling, screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator best known as the creator of '' The Twilight Zone''

References

External links

Village of Interlaken (official website)
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Populated places established in 1904 Villages in Seneca County, New York 1904 establishments in New York (state)