Barker 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 Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 2,516 at the 2020 census. The town is named after John Barker, an early settler. The town is in the northern part of Broome County and is north of Binghamton.

History

The region was first settled ''circa'' 1782. The town of Barker was formed in 1831 from a portion of the town of Lisle.

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 0.90%, is water. The town is bordered to the north by the town of

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

, to the northwest by Lisle, the west by Nanticoke, the southwest by

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, the south by Chenango, and the southeast by Fenton. The eastern town line is the border of Chenango County (town of Greene).

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

, U.S. Route 11, New York State Route 79, and the Tioughnioga River pass through Barker. It is south to Binghamton and north to Cortland.

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 2,738 people, 993 households, and 754 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,067 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.77%

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 ...

, 0.77%

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 ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.88% 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 0.58% of the population. There were 993 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,056, and the median income for a family was $39,267. Males had a median income of $30,691 versus $21,492 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 $16,192. About 7.6% of families and 10.9% 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 12.2% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations

* Chenango Forks – The northern part of this

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 ...

is at the southern town line. *Hydeville – A hamlet on the western side of the town on County Road 101. *Itaska – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town on NY-79.

Controversies

On July 11, 2011, Town Clerk Laura Fotusky stated she was refusing to sign any

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

licenses and would resign effective July 21, 2011.

References

External links

History of Barker, NY
{{authority control Binghamton metropolitan area Towns in Broome County, New York Towns in New York (state)