Cherry Valley 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 ...

Otsego County, New York Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The county's population center is Oneonta. The name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word m ...

, United States. The population was 520 at the 2010 census. The village is in the town of Cherry Valley, approximately 13 miles northeast of Cooperstown and eight miles east of the northern end of Otsego Lake.

History

The village was established in 1740 by John Lindesay under the name ''Lindesay's Bush''. The name was changed to Cherry Valley by Reverend Dunlop. On November 11, 1778, during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, forty-seven village residents were killed by a British and Iroquois raiding party, an event to become known as the Cherry Valley Massacre. The village was incorporated in 1812, and was thus set apart from the town. The Cherry Valley Village Historic District 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 1988.

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 village has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²), all land. The village is located on New York State Route 166 at the junction of County Highways 50 and 54. It is in the northeastern part of the county. Cherry Valley Creek flows southward through the village.

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 592 people, 237 households, and 159 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 288 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.99%

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 ...

, 0.51% Asian, and 0.51% 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 0.17% of the population. There were 237 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 12.7% 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 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.08. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $35,375, and the median income for a family was $41,375. Males had a median income of $27,083 versus $20,104 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 $15,808. About 9.8% of families and 13.3% 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 18.5% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Additional village facts

The village is somewhat off the beaten path (In spite of US Route 20 passing a few miles north), not much visited by tourists; Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg used to visit to escape city life, especially in the autumn when the maple leaves change color. Many people around Cherry Valley are dairy farmers; tapping maple trees for sap, which is then refined into syrup, is a common spring practice. The area looks much like it did in the 19th century. Historic re-enactments are held to commemorate the importance of Cherry Valley during the

. Area attractions include the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Bates Hop House, Cherry Valley Museum, Judd Falls, Otsego Lake, and Glimmerglass State Park. There is an annual Memorial Day celebration which includes a Craft Fair, Bake sale, Flea Market, Chicken BBQ, and parade.

Historical and cultural significance

Cherry Valley was the birthplace of John H. Funk (1817-1871), State Assemblyman from New York City in 1857, and his younger sister, Jane (1823-1860), better known as the "notorious" courtesan Fanny White. Cherry Valley has a long history as an artist and writer's community. Willa Cather left New York City for the isolated village in 1911, writing '' O Pioneers!'' while there. Poet Allen Ginsberg bought a farm there in the 1960s, and the town became a haven and destination point for many of the major personalities of the Beat scene: William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Peter Orlovsky, Herbert Huncke, Ray Bremser, Anne Waldman, Robert Creeley, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Harry Smith, and many others all spent time either living or visiting there. Poet Charles Plymell still lives in Cherry Valley — he and his wife ran Cherry Valley Editions from their home, publishing small editions of major writers. Jazz pianist

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

is a resident as are Mark Mastroianni and National Book Award nominated novelist Dana Spiotta. Transgender pioneer, actress and Andy Warhol Superstar Candy Darling is buried in the historic Cherry Valley Cemetery. A significant portion of '' Beautiful Darling'' (2010), a documentary film about her life, was shot in Cherry Valley. Photographer Ryan McGinley staged several photo shoots in and around the village, and the artist Dash Snow shot ''Sisyphus, Sissy Fuss, Silly Puss'', one of his later 8mm pieces, there in late May 2009. Actress Jill Flint ('' Royal Pains'' and '' The Night Shift'') was born and raised in Cherry Valley. Singer, musician and composer Vanessa Bley (daughter of

) was raised in Cherry Valley.

References

External links

Greater Cherry Valley Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

Cherry Valley information

Cherry Valley Museum

Cherry Valley History

Official Cherry Valley website
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Otsego County, New York