Napoli 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 ...

Cattaraugus County Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. It is located in the western half of the county, northwest of

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

. The only permanent community in the town is Napoli village, formerly "Napoli Corners". The population was 1,173 at the 2020 census. The town's name presumably comes from "''Napoli''", the Italian name of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. It is pronounced with a non-Italian pronunciation: , with a long "i" sound at the end (much like communities named Pulaski and Chili in other parts of the state).

History

The first permanent settler arrived ''circa'' 1819. The town of Napoli was formed in 1823 from part of the town of Little Valley. In 1828, a division of Napoli was made, forming the new town of Coldspring to the south. Continental Charters Flight 44-2 crashed in Napoli on December 26, 1951. The now-dismantled Gladden Windmill is 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 ...

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 , of which is land and , or 0.46%, is water. New York State Route 242 is a northeast-southwest major highway in the town. County Route 7 (Pigeon Valley Road) moves from east to west across the northern part of the town; County Route 10 (Hardscrabble Road / Farm to Market Road) runs north to south through the middle of the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

(

Clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

) *

New Albion New Albion, also known as ''Nova Albion'' (in reference to an archaic name for Britain), was the name of the continental area north of Mexico claimed by Sir Francis Drake for England when he landed on the North American west coast in 1579. Thi ...

* Little Valley;

* Coldspring * Conewango

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,159 people, 376 households, and 292 families residing in the town. 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 31.8 people per square mile (12.3/km²). There were 541 housing units at an average density of 14.9 per square mile (5.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.46%

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 ...

, 0.43%

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 ...

, 1.38% Native American, 0.86%

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 ...

, and 0.86% 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 ...

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 0.26% of the population. There were 376 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% 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, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.43. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,839, and the median income for a family was $37,692. Males had a median income of $26,411 versus $23,036 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 $13,077. About 9.3% 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 t ...

, including 32.1% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

Napoli, like much of western Cattaraugus County, has a sizable

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

community, particularly to the north and west of the hamlet of Napoli. The presence of the Amish and their corresponding large families and high birth rates has ensured that Napoli is one of the few communities in the region that has consistently risen in population since the late 20th century. Despite a comparable population to other towns and villages in the area, Napoli has a relatively small number of businesses and attractions, with most town residents going to Little Valley or Randolph for their needs. The only church in Napoli is a

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

in the hamlet.

Notable people

* Cyrus G. Baldwin (1852-1931), Congregationalist minister and educator * Andrew Jackson Merchant (1831-1899), former Methodist minister

Communities and locations

*Cold Spring – A location in the northwest part of the town near the intersection of County Roads 7 and 10. (Not to be confused with the town of the same name, which neighbors to the south of Napoli.) *Cold Springs Creek – A stream flowing southward on the west side of the town. *Enchanted Lake – A defunct subdivision that was started in the early 1970's. It is now a Nature Center - https://www.zaepfelcenter.com/. The history of the subdivision can be found on this website. *Napoli – The

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 ...

of Napoli is near the center of the town at the intersection of NY Route 242 and County Road 10. *The Narrows – A location in the eastern part of the town on Route 242. This marks the route of an early road cut into the town. *Peaslee Hollow – A location in the northwest part of the town. *Seelysburgh/Elm Creek – A former hamlet in the western part of town; formerly the site of a 19th-century post office.

References

External links

Town of Napoli official website

Little Valley Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Towns in Cattaraugus County, New York