Smithfield is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Madison County,

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

, United States. Administrative offices are in the hamlet of Peterboro. The town is named after Peter Smith, an original land owner. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,127, down from 1,288 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

History

The region was first settled around 1797. The town was organized in 1807 from land taken from the town of Cazenovia.

2014 tornado

At 7:02 p.m. on July 8, 2014, Smithfield was struck by an EF2 tornado with peak estimated winds of . The tornado killed four people and destroyed several homes. One house was carried and thrown into another home. A three-story house was rolled off its foundation down a hill, and the occupant inside was killed.

Geography

Smithfield is in central Madison County, north of Morrisville, northeast of Cazenovia, and south of Oneida. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.35% are water. Oneida Creek rises in the center of the town and flows east and north toward Oneida Lake. Cowaselon Creek, a separate tributary of Oneida Lake, drains the northeastern part of the town. Morrisville Swamp, on the southern border of the town, drains south into the headwaters of the

Chenango River The Chenango River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissec ...

, part of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

watershed.

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 2000, there were 1,205 people, 415 households, and 315 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 446 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.68%

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 ...

, 1.00%

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 ...

, 0.83% Native American, 0.25% Asian, and 1.24% 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 0.25% of the population. There were 415 households, out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.25. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,109, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $28,618 versus $23,125 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 town was $14,860. About 12.6% of families and 16.2% 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 22.2% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations

*Bliss Corners – A location south of Peterboro. *Eisaman Corners – A location in the northern part of the town. *Embury Corners – A location in the southeastern corner of the town. * Peterboro – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in the center of the town, where the

Gerrit Smith Gerrit Smith (March 6, 1797 – December 28, 1874), also spelled Gerritt Smith, was an American social reformer, abolitionist, businessman, public intellectual, and philanthropist. Married to Ann Carroll Fitzhugh, Smith was a candidate for P ...

Estate and Peter Smith Land Office are located. *Siloam – A hamlet northeast of Peterboro.

References

External links

*
Early history of Smithfield

Gerrit Smith information
{{authority control Syracuse metropolitan area 1807 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1807 Towns in Madison County, New York Towns in New York (state)