Urbana 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 Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 2,125 at the 2020 census. The Town of Urbana is in the northeastern part of the county and is northeast of Bath.

History

The town was first settled around 1793. The town was formed from part of the Town of Bath in 1822. The first grape vines were planted around 1829, beginning the modern prominence of the

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

industry. The town and its village, Hammondsport, is one of the cradles of

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

, due to the inventions of

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

. The Timothy M. Younglove Octagon House 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 ...

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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (6.86%) is water. The town is at the southern end of

Keuka Lake Keuka Lake ( ) is one of the major Finger Lakes in the U.S. state of New York. It is unusual because it is Y-shaped, in contrast to the long and narrow shape of the other Finger Lakes. Because of its shape, it was referred to in the past as Cro ...

, one of 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 ...

. New York State Route 54A rejoins

New York State Route 54 New York State Route 54 (NY 54) is a state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with the Southern Tier Expressway (Interstate 86 and NY ...

near Hammondsport.

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 2,546 people, 1,028 households, and 688 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 61.9 people per square mile (23.9/km²). There were 1,434 housing units at an average density of 34.9 per square mile (13.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.53%

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 o ...

, 0.75%

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 ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.16% 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 0.86% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 0.35% of the population. There were 1,028 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,184, and the median income for a family was $43,309. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $26,528 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 $19,584. About 8.0% of families and 9.8% 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 16.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Urbana

*Cold Springs – A hamlet in the south part of the town, southwest of Hermitage. *Glen Grove – A hamlet on the shore of Keuka Lake, south of Urbana Hamlet on NY-54A. *

Hammondsport Hammondsport is a village at the south end of Keuka Lake, in Steuben County, one of the Finger Lakes of New York, United States. The Village of Hammondsport is in the Town of Urbana and is northeast of Bath. History Lazarus Hammond founded ...

– The Village of Hammondsport is at the south end of Keuka Lake, located on NY-54A north of its junction with NY-54. *Hermitage – A hamlet in the southwest part of the town. *Mitchellsville – A hamlet at the west town line on County Road 13. *North Urbana – A hamlet on the east town line. *Pleasant Valley – A hamlet south of Rheims, located on County Road 88. *Rheims – A hamlet west of Hammondsport. The Pleasant Valley Wine Company was listed on the

in 1980. *Urbana – The hamlet of Urbana is in the northeast part of the town on the shore of Keuka Lake and NY-54A. The Timothy M. Younglove Octagon House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

References

External links

Town of Urbana official website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1793 Towns in Steuben County, New York 1793 establishments in New York (state)