Addison 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
Steuben County,
New York. The population was 2,397 at the 2020 census.
The name was selected to honor the author
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...
. An interior town in the southeastern part of the county, the town includes a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
, also called
Addison.
History
The town was first settled in 1791 by Samuel Rice. Originally a part of the old town of Painted Post, Addison was organized as Middletown at the time of
Steuben County's creation in March 1796. The name was changed to Addison to honor of
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...
, the English author, on April 6, 1808. The early settlers called it also Tuscarora. Addison Academy opened in 1840. In 1890, the town's population was 2,884.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.7 square miles (66.5 km
2), of which 25.6 square miles (66.4 km
2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km
2) (0.16%) is water.
Former
NY Route 432, now County Road 119, is an east-west highway through the town.
NY Route 417, formerly
NY Route 17, passes through the town's southeast corner.
Addison is on the Southern Tier Main Line of the Norfolk Southern Railway, the ultimate successor to the Erie/Erie Lackawanna Railroads, which ran it from its opening in 1850 to 1976. From c. 1885 to 1961, Addison was also the northern terminus of the Wellsville, Addison & Galeton Railroad, Baltimore & Ohio, and Buffalo & Susquehanna lines from
Galeton, Pennsylvania.
The
Canisteo River flows through the southern part of the town. Goodhue Creek flows into the river near the eastern town boundary.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census,
of 2000, there were 2,640 people, 1,026 households, and 687 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,177 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.45%
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 ...
, 0.30%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
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 ...
, 0.34%
Native American, 0.04%
Asian, 0.08% from
other races, and 0.80% 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 0.61% of the population.
There were 1,026 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,942, and the median income for a family was $37,813. Males had a median income of $32,159 versus $22,708 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 $15,473. About 13.2% of families and 17.7% 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 23.1% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Addison
*
Addison – The Village of Addison is on Route 417.
*Goodhue Lake – A small lake at the northern town line.
*Jones Corners – A location on the western town line and County Road 2.
*America - A 600 acre plot of land; home to the annual
AmericaFest.
*
Pinnacle State Park – A
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
east of Addison village.
Notable people
*
Charles W. Gillet, former United States Congressman
*
Jim Greengrass, former MLB player
*
Bud Heine, former MLB player
*
John V. McDuffie, (1841–1896), born in Addison,
United States Congressman from
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
.
*
Levi E. Pond, (1833-1895), farmer and Wisconsin state senator, was born in Addison.
['Wisconsin Blue Book 1889,' Biographical Sketch of Levi Elwin Pond, pg. 499]
*
Jennie Phelps Purvis (d. 1924), writer, suffragist, social reformer
Climate
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Addison (Town), New York
1791 establishments in New York (state)
Populated places established in 1791
Towns in Steuben County, New York
Towns in New York (state)