Erin 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 Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 1,820 at the 2020 census. The town was named by early settlers from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The town is east of Elmira and is along the county's northern border. It is part of the Elmira

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

The area that would become the town was first settled before 1816. The town of Erin was formed in 1822 from the town of Chemung. The Scotchtown Cemetery 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 ...

in 2008. The Erin Volunteer Fire Department was founded on May 5, 1955. Land donated by the late Merton Schanbacker was used to build the first fire station. Later in 1998 the current fire station was built adjacent to the original fire station. The current fire department operates with roughly 25 all volunteer members and 6 well equipped apparatus which include an EMS ambulance (882), a rescue truck (881), an Engine (831), a Tanker (861), a brush truck (871) and a UTV (872).

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 , or 0.50%, is water. Newtown Creek, a tributary of the

Chemung River The Chemung River ( ) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 in south central New York and northern ...

, flows westward through the town. The northern town line is the border of Schuyler County. Park Station is a 384 acre county park on the north side of town with a 95 acre non motorized lake for fishing, swimming, non motorized boating, ice fishing, ice skating, camping, hiking, picnicking, snow shoeing and cross country skiing. The county charges entrance to the main entrance of the park by the car during summer months. There are 40 camper friendly campsites, 20 of which are private lakeside sites. MOre information can be found on the county's websit
Park Station Info Page
The town's government is located along New York State Route 223, which passes through Erin.

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 2,054 people, 751 households, and 608 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 46.3 people per square mile (17.9/km²). There were 794 housing units at an average density of 17.9 per square mile (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.59%

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 ...

, 0.15%

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, 0.39% Asian, and 0.49% 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 ...

or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population. There were 751 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.0% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,795, and the median income for a family was $44,032. Males had a median income of $31,635 versus $21,520 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 $16,747. About 4.6% of families and 7.5% 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 9.7% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Erin

Erin Erin is a Hiberno-English word for Ireland originating from the Irish word ''"Éirinn"''. "Éirinn" is the dative case of the Irish word for Ireland, "Éire", genitive "Éireann", the dative being used in prepositional phrases such as ''"go h ...

– The hamlet (and census-designated place) of Erin is in the south-central part of the town, located on NY-223 and Newtown Creek and County Road 4. *Herringtons Corners – A former location in the southern part of the town. *Langdon Hill – An elevation in the southwestern corner of the town. *Park Station – A location near the northern town line. *South Erin – A hamlet in the southern part of the town.

Notable person

Kate Warne Kate Warne (1833 – January 28, 1868) was an American law enforcement officer known as the first female detective, in 1856, in the Pinkerton Detective Agency and the United States. Pre–Civil War Early detective work: 1856–1861 Very li ...

, Pinkerton detective and first, female detective in the United States

References

External links

Town of Erin official website

South Erin Weather, South Erin, NY

{{authority control Towns in Chemung County, New York