Chautauqua ( ) 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 ...

and lake resort community 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 * ...

. The population was 4,009 at the 2020 census. The town is named after

Chautauqua Lake Chautauqua Lake is located entirely within Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The lake is approximately long and wide at its greatest width. The surface area is approximately . The maximum depth is about . The shoreline is about of ...

. It is the home of the

Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown, New York, Jamestown in the western southern tier of New York (state), N ...

and the birthplace of the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

movement.

History

19th century

Chautauqua was formed on April 11, 1805, from the town of Batavia, while still part of Genesee County. The first settler arrived the year before, near the current village of Mayville. When Chautauqua County was created on March 11, 1808, the town's territory was increased to include the eastern tier of townships, so that the town and the new county were coextensive. The town is the "mother of towns" in Chautauqua County since all other towns in the county towns were once part of it. The town is still one of the largest in the county. The meaning of the name Chautauqua remains unknown and a source of speculation, with two longstanding folk translations being “bag tied in the middle” and “place where fish are taken out,” the latter having some support based on similar words in other

Iroquoian languages The Iroquoian languages () are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, almost all surviving I ...

. In

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People, fictional characters and language * Seneca (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname : :* Seneca the Elder (c. 54 BC – c. AD 39), a Roman rhetorician, writer and father ...

it is known as Dza’dáhgwëh.

20th century

In the years of the

's heyday, rail transport was the chief mechanism by which long distance travelers accessed the town. To 1926, the Chautauqua Traction

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

operated several interurbans a day from Chautauqua to Mayville, and then to Westfield; to the opposite direction the interurban went to Lakewood and Jamestown. To the latter 1940s, Pennsylvania Railroad offered service at nearby Mayville, on a Pittsburgh-Buffalo route. From prior to the interurbans to the waning years of interurbans, steamboats provided access to different parts of the lake from Mayville and Jamestown. The Lewis Miller Cottage of the Chautauqua Institution was listed in 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 ...

and as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1966. The

Chautauqua Institution Historic District The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown, New York, Jamestown in the western southern tier of New York (state), N ...

was listed in 1974.

Geography

According to the

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

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.14%, is water.

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 4,666 people, 1,881 households, and 1,269 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,174 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.3%

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 ...

, 1.6%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% 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 1.1% of the population. There were 1,881 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% 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, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,379, and the median income for a family was $41,923. Males had a median income of $30,767 versus $23,561 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 $19,003. About 7.5% of families and 12.0% 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 17.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

New York State Route 394 New York State Route 394 (NY 394) is a state highway located within Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties in southwestern New York in the United States. Its western terminus is located on the shore of Lake Erie at an intersection with ...

and

New York State Route 430 New York State Route 430 (NY 430) is a state highway located entirely within Chautauqua County, New York, in the United States. Its western terminus is located at the Pennsylvania state line near the hamlet of Findley Lake in the tow ...

, which intersect in Mayville, are the two primary roads in the town. Route 394 comes from Jamestown on the western side of the lake and continues on to Westfield. Route 430 comes from Jamestown on the eastern side of the lake and goes southwest from Mayville to the state line west of Findley Lake, where it becomes

Pennsylvania Route 430 Pennsylvania Route 430 (PA 430) (also known by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as SR 0430) is a state highway located in Erie County, Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at US 20 in Wesleyville. The eastern terminus ...

Places

– The

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 ...

(and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

) of Chautauqua, located on the west shore of

and location of the

on Route 394 * Chautauqua Creek – A stream forming most of the town's boundary with Westfield *

– a nonprofit education center and summer resort located on Route 394 *Chautauqua post pffice –

USPS The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

facility located on Bestor Plaza inside the gates of

*Cottage Park – A lakeside hamlet south of Mayville on Route 394 *Dart Airfield (D79) – A grass runway

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

east of Mayville *Dean – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town on County Road 37 *Dewittville – A lakeside hamlet on the east side of the lake on County Road 52 *Dewittville Bay – A bay near Point Chautauqua *Hartfield – A hamlet in the northeast part of the town *Hartfield Bay – A

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

at the north end of Chautauqua Lake *Irwins Bay – A small bay between Lighthouse Point and Wahmeda *Lakeside Park – A small lakeside community south of Mayville *Lighthouse Point – A hamlet at a projection into the lake south of Mayville on Route 394 *Magnolia – A lakeside hamlet in the southeast corner of the town on Chautauqua Lake on Route 394. * Mayville – The village of Mayville is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and is located on the northern end of Chautauqua Lake *Orchard Terrace – A lakeside community south of Chautauqua on Route 394 *Pleasantville – A hamlet near the east town line on County Road 54 *Point Chautauqua – A hamlet on a peninsula on the eastern side of the lake *Point Pleasant – A projection into Chautauqua Lake south of Mayville *Prendergast Point – A projection into Lake Chautauqua in the southeast corner of the town *Shorelands – A hamlet on the east side of Chautauqua Lake, east of Mayville on Route 430 *Summerdale – A hamlet in the western part of the town on NY Route 430 *Wahmeda – A lakeside hamlet north of Chautauqua on Route 394. *Wooglin – A lakeside hamlet on the east side of the lake on Route 430

Notable people

* Arthur Bestor, historian, public education critic * John Jachym, businessman, philanthropist, sportsman *

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', '' Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and '' See W ...

, musical theater composer * Hiram Lawton Richmond, former US Congressman from Pennsylvania *

Gar Samuelson Gary Charles "Gar" Samuelson (February 18, 1958 – July 14, 1999) was an American musician best remembered for being the drummer for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1984 to 1987, contributing to their first two albums, '' Killing Is My Busines ...

, original drummer of Megadeth (classic line-up) *

Glenni William Scofield Glenni William Scofield (March 11, 1817 – August 30, 1891) was a United States representative from Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State Representative, Pennsylvania State Senator, Register of the Treasury and a United States federal judge, judge o ...

, U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania *

Garnet Sixsmith Garnet Mosgrove Sixsmith (January 15, 1885 – March 12, 1967) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. One of the first professional ice hockey players, he played professionally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1902 until 1910. His brothe ...

, one of the first professional ice hockey players *

Heidi VanDerveer Heidi Elizabeth VanDerveer (born February 11, 1964) is a women's basketball collegiate and professional coach. She is currently the women's basketball head coach at UC San Diego. A native of Chautauqua, New York, VanDerveer was a four-year let ...

, women's basketball coach,

Sacramento Monarchs The Sacramento Monarchs were a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Aren ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 42, 12, 35, N, 79, 28, 00, W, type:city_region:US-NY, display=title 1803 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1804 Towns in Chautauqua County, New York Towns in New York (state)