Ashland 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 Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 1,515 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the home of

Henry Clay Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...

. Ashland is on the southern border of the county, south of Elmira. It is part of the Elmira Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In 1779, the Battle of Newtown, a consequence of the Sullivan Expedition, was fought in the north part of the town. The first settlers arrived ''circa'' 1788. The town of Ashland was formed in 1867 from parts of the towns of Chemung, Elmira and

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

. The founders of the town wanted to name it after a prominent citizen, R.C. Lockwood, but he suggested the name "Ashland". Ashland was the last town created in Chemung County. Growing and shipping

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

was a popular endeavor after 1858.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.44%, is water. The Chemung River, a tributary of the Susquehanna River, flows through the town. The southern town line of Ashland is the border of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Interstate 86/ New York State Route 17, New York State Route 14, and New York State Route 427 are highways in the town. New York State Route 367 is a short state highway near Wellsburg.

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 1,951 people, 785 households, and 518 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 839 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.51%

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 ...

, 0.36%

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 ...

, 0.21% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.72% 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 0.62% of the population. There were 785 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,629, and the median income for a family was $40,882. Males had a median income of $32,012 versus $21,553 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 $17,749. About 8.7% of families and 11.2% 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 14.3% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Ashland

*Baldwin Island – An island in the Chemung River north of Wellsburg. *Big Island – An island in the Chemung River northwest of Baldwin Island. *Comfort Hill – A prominent hill on the western side of the town. * Lowman – A hamlet, partly in the town, north of the Chemung River on NY-17 at the intersection of County Road 8. *Newtown Battlefield Reservation – The site of the Battle of Newtown is in the northern part of the town by the Chemung River. * Wellsburg – The village of Wellsburg is near the Pennsylvania border. It is named after early settler, Abner Wells.

References

External links

Town of Ashland official website

{{authority control Populated places established in 1788 Towns in Chemung County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1788 establishments in New York (state)