Burns 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 Allegany 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 population was 1,045 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Scots

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

. The town lies in the northeast corner of Allegany County, northwest of Hornell.

History

The area of Burns was first settled ''circa'' 1805. From the beginning, Canaseraga was the major settlement in the town. The town was formed in 1826 from part of the town of

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora (poem), Temora'' (1763), and later c ...

in Livingston County. Most people think that the town was named Burns because Canaseraga had a large fire that burned down much of the town. However, it was actually named after the Scottish romantic poet,

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 0.04% is water. The north town line is the border of Livingston County, and the east town line is the border of Steuben County.

New York State Route 70 New York State Route 70 (NY 70) is a short state highway in the western portion of New York in the United States. It travels through three different counties in just and is the primary road to and from the village of Canaseraga. T ...

crosses the north part of the town and passes through Canaseraga.

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 1,248 people, 456 households, and 340 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 541 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.84%

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 ...

, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.72% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.64% 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 0.96% of the population. There were 456 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% 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, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% 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 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,152, and the median income for a family was $37,054. Males had a median income of $32,120 versus $21,181 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 $14,613. About 10.4% of families and 12.3% 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 20.7% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Burns

*Burns – A

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 ...

at the eastern town line on County Route 14 (CR 14). It was formerly called DeWittsville. *Burns Station – A former community in the town. * Canaseraga – A village at the northern town line on NY 70 and Canaseraga Creek. *

Canaseraga Creek Canaseraga Creek is a stream that flows through Livingston, Steuben, and Allegany Counties in western and central New York. It is a tributary of the Genesee River, and its watershed is the largest sub-watershed of that river. The creek's n ...

– A stream in the northern part of the town and tributary of the

Genesee River The Genesee River ( ) is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. The river contains several waterfalls in New York at Letchworth State Park and Roch ...

. *Garwoods – A hamlet in the northwest corner of the town at the intersection of NY 70 and CR 15B. *Gas Spring – A location in the southwest corner of the town. *Mastin Corners – A location near the western town line at the west end of CR 13C.

References

External links

Town of Burns official website

{{authority control Robert Burns Towns in Allegany County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1826 establishments in New York (state)