Hector 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 the northeastern corner of Schuyler 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 4,916 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Hector Ely, who at the time was the firstborn son of the town founders. Hector is west of

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

History

The area was originally under the dominion of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

. The region became part of the Central New York Military Tract, land used to pay soldiers of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. The area was first settled around 1790, but the first permanent settler arrived in 1791. The town of Hector was formed in Cayuga County in 1802 from part of the town of

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

. However, Hector (including 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 Reynoldsville) was part of the adjacent Seneca County from 1804 to 181

Hector became part of Tompkins County, New York, Tompkins County when the county was created in 1817, and then became part of Schuyler County in 1854 in the part contributed by Tompkins County. The

First Presbyterian Church of Hector First Presbyterian Church of Hector is a historic Presbyterian church located at Hector in Schuyler County, New York. It was built in 1818 and is a large, rectangular Federal era frame building distinguished by a variety of Georgian inspired de ...

was 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 ...

in 2001.

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 (8.88%) is water. The eastern town line is the border of Tompkins County, New York, Tompkins County. The northern town boundary is the border of Seneca County, and the western town line, marked by Seneca Lake is the border of

Yates County Yates County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 24,774, making it the third-least populous county in New York. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Govern ...

. Hector is a town in the Finger Lakes region.

New York State Route 414 New York State Route 414 (NY 414) is a north–south state highway in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 352 in the Steuben County city of Co ...

is a north-south highway the parallels the east shore of Seneca Lake. New York State Route 79 is an east-west highway in the town.

New York State Route 227 New York State Route 227 (NY 227) is a state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The highway extends for in a northeast–southwest direction from an intersection with NY 79 south of the hamlet of ...

and

New York State Route 228 New York State Route 228 (NY 228) is a state highway in Schuyler County, New York, in the United States. It runs for in a northeast to southwest direction from an intersection with NY 224 in the village of Odessa to a junction wit ...

intersect in the northeast part of the town at the hamlet of Perry City.

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 4,854 people, 1,872 households, and 1,349 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 47.4 people per square mile (18.3/km²). There were 2,378 housing units at an average density of 23.2 per square mile (9.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.82%

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 ...

, 0.56%

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 ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.23%

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 ...

, 0.14% from other races, and 0.87% 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 0.87% of the population. There were 1,872 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,380, and the median income for a family was $44,184. Males had a median income of $33,783 versus $21,648 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 $19,601. About 8.7% of families and 11.6% 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 18.9% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Hector

*Bennettsburg – A

on NY Route 79 in the southern part of the town. The community was once called "Hamburgh." * Burdett – A

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

east of Seneca Lake on NY-79. *Cat Elbow Corner – A hamlet at the northern town line. *Cayutaville – A hamlet in the southeastern corner of the town on County Road 6. *East Steamburg – A hamlet near the northern town line on County Road 1. *

Finger Lakes National Forest The Finger Lakes National Forest is a United States National Forest that encompasses of Seneca County, New York, Seneca and Schuyler County, New York, Schuyler counties, nestled between Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake in the ...

– A national forest in the north-central part of the town. *Hector Falls Point – A projection into Seneca Lake, west of Burdett. *Hector Post Office – A hamlet on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake on NY-414. *Logan – A hamlet at the junction of County Roads 2 and 4 in the western part of Hector. The Logan Methodist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. *McIntyre Settlement – A former hamlet along County Road 6 between Strong and Culver roads, approximately one mile south of Mecklenburg. *Mecklenburg – A hamlet at the junction of County Road 6 and NY-79 near the eastern town line. *Perry City – A hamlet near the eastern town line by Routes NY-227 and NY-228. *Reynoldsville – A hamlet on NY-227 near the center of the town. *Searsburg – A hamlet in the northeastern corner of the town on County Road 1. *Smith Valley – A hamlet on NY-228 in the southeastern part of the town. *Valois – A hamlet north of Hector hamlet on NY-41
Valois, NY

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Schuyler County, New York