Coldspring 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 Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 661. It is located in the southwest part of the county, west of the city of

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

History

The first settler arrived ''circa'' 1818. The Town of Coldspring was established in 1837 from a part of the town of

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

. In 1847 and 1848, part of the town was added to the town of South Valley. In 1965, the town of Coldspring voted 45–0 to annex the former town of Elko (also known as Quaker Bridge) after it was flooded in the Allegheny Reservoir and dissolved. Elko had been formed in 1890 from part of the town of South Valley and is now the south part of Coldspring. Elko had first been settled by

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

, acting as missionaries to the local natives in 1798 at the invitation of

Cornplanter John Abeel III (–February 18, 1836) known as Gaiänt'wakê (''Gyantwachia'' – "the planter") or Kaiiontwa'kon (''Kaintwakon'' – "By What One Plants") in the Seneca language and thus generally known as Cornplanter, was a Dutch- Seneca ch ...

, a local Seneca diplomat. It currently has no permanent population, as virtually all of Elko's territory is now either under the reservoir or within the bounds of Allegany State Park. The absorption of Elko and relocation of former residents in the Reservoir's floodplain (including a 160-acre resettlement area for the Seneca) helped boost the town's population.

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 of Coldspring has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.06%, is water. The south town line is the boundary of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

, impounded as the Allegheny Reservoir, divides the town into northern and southern sections. Mount Tuscarora rises in the southern part of the town within Allegany State Park. New York State Route 394 and Interstate 86 pass through the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

To the north is the town of

. Coldspring shares its western border with the towns of South Valley and Randolph. The east border is formed by the towns of

and Red House. Corydon Township in McKean County, Pennsylvania, is at the south town line.

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 751 people, 278 households, and 205 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 371 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.20%

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 ...

, 0.27%

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 ...

, 1.60% Native American, and 0.93% 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 0.40% of the population. There were 278 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% 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, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,063, and the median income for a family was $35,938. Males had a median income of $29,479 versus $16,458 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 $14,568. About 10.2% of families and 15.0% 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 16.1% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Coldspring

* Allegany Reservation – A reservation of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

that cuts across the center of the town, on either side of the Allegheny River. The territory within Coldspring is designated in the Seneca language as or depending on the transcription system; the name is used along I-86 as the Seneca name for the town of Coldspring, the community of Steamburg, and the Cold Spring Creek. * Allegheny Reservoir – An

artificial lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

created by a dam on the Allegheny River. * Allegany State Park – A section of the park is in the southeast part of the town. *Coldspring – 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 ...

by the Allegheny Reservoir. Mostly abandoned in the construction of Kinzua Dam. *Price Corners – A hamlet at the junction of County Road 9 and Route 394 by the western town line. *Quaker Bridge – A hamlet at the junction of NY 280 and modern Allegany State Park Route 3. Abandoned in the construction of Kinzua Dam and mostly underwater. * Quaker Lake – A lake located south of the hamlet of Coldspring. *Randolph State Fish Hatchery – A location in the northwest part of the town. *Sawmill Run – A hamlet partially in the northeastern corner of the town, with the rest in the neighboring Town of Salamanca. * Steamburg – A hamlet located near the center of the town on NY Route 394 and north of Interstate 86. Steamburg is the major community in the town and the seat of the town government. *Steamburg Resettlement Area – A location south of Steamburg, within the reservation bounds. *Underwood Corners – A point at the intersection of County Routes 10 and 39, north of Steamburg.

References

External links

Town of Coldspring official website
{{authority control Towns in Cattaraugus County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1837 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1837