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 ...
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 775 at the 2020 census. The name comes from Jacob S. Otto, an agent of the
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was an unincorporated syndicate of thirteen Dutch investors from Amsterdam who in 1792 and 1793 purchased the western two-thirds of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, an area that afterward was known as the Holland Purchase ...
. The town lies on the northern border of Cattaraugus County.
History
The area of the town was first settled around 1816. The town of Otto was formed in 1823 from part of the town of Perrysburg. Otto returned territory to Perrysburg in 1823 and ceded land to Ashford in 1835. In 1854, the eastern half of the town was spun off and renamed East Otto.
The Medora Ball Historical Museum 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 ...
, Otto has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.36%, is water.
The north town line is formed by
Cattaraugus Creek
Cattaraugus Creek is a stream, approximately long, in western New York in the United States.Erie County, and the west town line is formed by the South Branch of Cattaraugus Creek.
The main highways through Otto are county roads. Cattaraugus County Route 12 is the main road through town, which extends southwestward toward Cattaraugus and northeastward toward East Otto, while Cattaraugus County Route 11 (North Otto Road) spurs northward from the hamlet of Otto through North Otto (then becomes Route 56 as it turns west on Forty Road), and Cattaraugus County Route 13 (Maples Road) splits off east of the hamlet toward Ellicottville. County Route 68 (Swamp Road) connects North Otto with East Otto.
Part of the
Zoar Valley
Zoar Valley is an area of deep gorges along the Main and South branches of Cattaraugus Creek in western New York, United States. The valley is located along the border of Erie County and Cattaraugus County, roughly between the villages of Gowanda ...
is located by the north town line.
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 ...
)
*
Collins
Collins may refer to:
People Surname
Given name
* Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat
* Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration
* Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
;
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 ...
*
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
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 831 people, 310 households, and 243 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 25.8 people per square mile (10.0/km2). There were 412 housing units at an average density of 12.8 per square mile (4.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.92%
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 ...
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 0.36% of the population.
There were 310 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,625, and the median income for a family was $43,942. Males had a median income of $31,063 versus $24,375 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 $16,748. About 6.3% of families and 9.4% 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 11.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Anna Botsford Comstock
Anna Botsford Comstock (September 1, 1854 – August 24, 1930) was an acclaimed author, illustrator, and educator of natural studies. The first female professor at Cornell University, her over 900-page work, ''The Handbook of Nature Study'' (1911 ...
, leader of the nature study movement
* John P. Darling, former New York state senator
* Edwin Willits, former US congressman from Michigan, president of
Michigan Agricultural College
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
Communities and locations in Otto
*Otto (formerly "Waverly") – 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 Otto is near the south town line at the junction of County Roads 11 and 12. It is the only significant settlement in the town. The
Rand McNally
Rand McNally is an American technology and publishing company that provides mapping, software and hardware for consumer electronics, commercial transportation and education markets. The company is headquartered in Chicago, with a distribution c ...
2021 Atlas estimates Otto's population at 550, constituting the majority of the town's population.
*North Otto – The sparsely populated and heavily agricultural area located along County Road 11 between the hamlet of Otto and Zoar Valley.
*(Old) Otto – The original hamlet of Otto is an abandoned settlement on the west town line, along the South Branch of the Cattaraugus Creek. A road, Gibson Hill Road, leads to the original location; the creek crossing that connected it to Skinner Hollow Road in neighboring Persia no longer exist * Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area – A conservation area in the northern part of the town.