Nunda (pronounced "none-day") 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 Livingston County,

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. The population was 3,064 at the 2010 census. Nunda welcomes visitors with signs stating "Welcome to Nunda, a Nice Place to Live." The name is derived from ''Nunda-wa-ono'', the name given to it by a group of the

Seneca people The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their n ...

who once lived in the hills and valleys along the

Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...

and Keshequa Creek within the present-day town. In the

Seneca language Seneca (; in Seneca, or ) is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League; it is an Iroquoian language, spoken at the time of contact in the western portion of New York. While the name ''Seneca'', attested as ...

, "Nunda" relates to hills, and a popular translation is "Where the valley meets the hills". Nunda is at the southwest border of the county and contains a village also called Nunda.

History

In 1790, two small Seneca villages could be found opposite each other on the Chautauqua Hollow Trail which became State Street. Nunda was first settled around 1806 what is now near the village of Nunda. The town was formed in 1808 from the town of

Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...

(in Allegany County) before the creation of Livingston County. In 1827, part of Nunda was used to found the new town of

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 ...

. Originally called "Nunda Valley", the name was shortened to "Nunda" by Charles H. Carroll in 1824. The village of Nunda was incorporated as "Nunda Valley" and later "Nunda" in 1939. On March 11, 2008, the town of Nunda celebrated its bicentennial. In 1808, only three pioneer families lived in what is now Nunda. By 1830 the population had increased to 1,291, and by 1840 there were 2,636 residents. The population peaked at nearly 4,000 in the 1840s when the Genesee River Canal was built, which ran through the town until 1878. The population had fallen to less than 3,000 by the early 1880s.

People of note

Chester B. Bowen Chester Bennett Bowen (April 1, 1842 – March 16, 1905) was a Union soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Battle of Opequon more commonly called the Third Battle of Winchester The Thi ...

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

soldier and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

winner; born in Nunda in 1842 *

Helen Hunt Jackson Helen Hunt Jackson (pen name, H.H.; born Helen Maria Fiske; October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885) was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native Americans by t ...

, author; a brief resident * Gustavus A. Palmer, born in Nunda in 1805 and colonel in the

Patriot War The Patriot War was a conflict along the Canada–United States border in which bands of raiders attacked the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British colony of Upper Canada more than a dozen times between December 1837 and Decembe ...

, named his Illinois post-war residence Nunda Township after his birthplace.

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 , or 0.07%, are water. The south town line is the border of Allegany County.

New York State Route 436 New York State Route 436 (NY 436) is an east–west state highway located in the western portion of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 39 in the Pike hamlet of Lamont to a junction with ...

, east-west, intersects

New York State Route 408 New York State Route 408 (NY 408) is a state highway located entirely within Livingston County, New York, in the United States. It runs north–south from an intersection with NY 70 near the hamlet of Dalton in the town of Nunda t ...

, north-south, at Nunda village.

New York State Route 70 New York State Route 70 (NY 70) is a short state highway in the western portion of New York in the United States. It travels through three different counties in just and is the primary road to and from the village of Canaseraga. The ...

crosses the south part of the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

Nunda is bordered by the town of

to the west, and the towns of West Sparta and

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined under t ...

are to the east. The town of Mount Morris is to the north, and the town of Grove in Allegany County is to the south.

Interstate 390 Interstate 390 (I-390) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86 and New York State Route 17 Y 17 ...

passes northeast of the town and provides transportation north to the city of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

and southeast to the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional ...

Region.

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 3,017 people, 1,131 households, and 842 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 81.4 people per square mile (31.4/km²). There were 1,298 housing units at an average density of 35.0 per square mile (13.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.88%

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 ...

, 0.53%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.23% Native American, 0.17%

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 ...

, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.33% 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 0.83% 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 0.89% of the population. There were 1,131 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% 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, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,665, and the median income for a family was $44,677. Males had a median income of $32,483 versus $22,660 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 $17,604. About 5.3% of families and 9.1% 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 11.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Nunda

*Barkertown – 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 ...

southeast of Nunda village. * Coopersville – A hamlet northeast of Nunda village. *

Dalton Dalton may refer to: Science * Dalton (crater), a lunar crater * Dalton (program), chemistry software * Dalton (unit) (Da), the atomic mass unit * John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist Entertainment * Dalton (Buffyverse), minor cha ...

– A hamlet (and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

) in the southwest corner of the town (part is also in the town of Portage) on Route 408. *East Hill – A former community in the southeast part of the town. * Nunda – The village of Nunda is near the western town line. * Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area – A state conservation area in the southeast part of the town.

Schools

The town is in the Keshequa Central School District which includes Dalton Elementary School and the Nunda Middle School/High School. The schools are currently under leadership by Superintendent Donald Covell. The word Keshequa is of Seneca origin and means "Stick in the Mud."Keshequa Central School District
/ref>

References

External links

*

{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York 1808 establishments in New York (state) Towns in Livingston County, New York