Brocton is 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 ...

in Chautauqua County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The name was derived by combining the names "Brockway" and "Minton", two prominent local families. The population was 1,335 at the 2020 census. Brocton is within the town of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. The Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility, a state

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

, is located just north of the village limits.

History

The community was first settled in 1805 by Captain James Dunn. The village of Brocton was incorporated in 1894. Brocton used to be named "Salems Corners (Cross Roads)" after

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

, but was later renamed "Brocton". In 1913, to commemorate the town of Portland's Centennial, a green double-arch was erected over the town's main intersection. It is believed to be the only double-arch east of the Mississippi River. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1996. The St. Stephen's Hotel has been a fixture at the center of Brocton since the mid-1800s.

Brocton Central School

The Brocton Central School District is located in the northwest region of Chautauqua County, which is in the westernmost part of New York State. The school campus houses programs for students pre-k through grade 12, with an entire student population of approximately 750 students. The District is located approximately 60 miles southwest of Buffalo, NY and 45 miles northeast of Erie, PA. Brocton Central School is a component of Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES. In 2013, Brocton and Westfield School Districts merged their football teams together. In September 2013, a 16-year-old Damon W Janes running back and defensive on the Brocton Central football team died after head injuries received during a game against Portville. In 2017, the Brocton/Westfield football team merged with Chautauqua Lake.

Geography

Brocton is located in the northeastern part of the town of Portland, in northern Chautauqua County. 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 ...

, Brocton has a total area of , all land.

US 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Highway, United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major ...

passes through the village. The

New York State Thruway The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...

(

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

) passes just north of the village limits, but the closest access is to the east near Fredonia. Lake Avenue (former NY Route 380) intersects US 20 in the center of the village and leads north to Lake Erie State Park.

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 1,547 people, 623 households, and 414 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 670 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.38%

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 ...

, 0.65%

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 ...

, 1.29% Native American, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.65% from other races, and 0.97% 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 1.94% of the population. There were 623 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% 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, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% 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 3.08. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $36,328. Males had a median income of $27,059 versus $22,214 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 village was $13,901. About 11.4% of families and 13.2% 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 18.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over. As of 2017, the updated population of Brocton is 1,418.United States census bureau

Notable people

* Brad Anderson, cartoonist *

Thomas Lake Harris Thomas Lake Harris (May 15, 1823 – March 23, 1906) was an Anglo- American Universalist minister, spiritualistic prophet, poet, and vintner. Harris is best remembered as the leader of a series of communal religious experiments, culminating wit ...

, spiritualist *

George Pullman George Mortimer Pullman (March 3, 1831 – October 19, 1897) was an American engineer and industrialist. He designed and manufactured the Pullman (car or coach), Pullman sleeping car and founded a Pullman, Chicago, company town in Chicago for t ...

, industrialist *

Don Reinhoudt Donald C. Reinhoudt (March 5, 1945 – July 3, 2023) was an American powerlifter and strongman. He won the IPF World Powerlifting Superheavyweight Championship four consecutive times (1973–1976), and won the World's Strongest Man in 1979. Wi ...

, strongman

References

External links

Village of Brocton official website
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Populated places established in 1805 Villages in Chautauqua County, New York 1805 establishments in New York (state)