Wilna 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 Jefferson 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 5,732 at the 2020 census.2020 United States census, 2020 Census Report, Wilna town, Jefferson County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Wilna%20town,%20Jefferson%20County,%20New%20York The town is on the eastern side of the county and is east of Watertown.

History

The town was first settled around 1798 at the location of the future village of

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

. The town of Wilna was officially established in 1813 from parts of the town of Le Ray and the Lewis County town of

Leyden Leiden ( ; ; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 127,046 (31 January 2023), but the city forms one densely connecte ...

. The origin of the name of the town is obscure, although it is alleged to be named after the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

spelling ("Wilno") of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, in commemoration of the French occupation of Vilnius in 1812. Wood's Grist Mill 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 1995.

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 are land and , or 1.10%, are water. The Black River flows along the southwest border of the town, and the Indian River is in the north. The northern half of the town's area is within the Fort Drum Military Reservation.

New York State Route 3 New York State Route 3 (NY 3) is a major east–west state highway in New York, in the United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canada–US border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for ...

and

New York State Route 3A New York State Route 3A (NY 3A) is a county-maintained state highway in Jefferson County, New York, in the United States. The route is an alternate route of New York State Route 3, NY 3 between the village of Deferiet, New York, ...

are east-west highways.

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 6,235 people, 2,335 households, and 1,639 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,658 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.83%

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 ...

, 2.92%

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, 0.91% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.85% from other races, and 1.73% 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 2.10% of the population. There were 2,335 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,103, and the median income for a family was $35,022. Males had a median income of $29,119 versus $19,655 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 $13,556. About 15.7% of families and 20.4% 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 29.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Wilna

– A village located at the southern end of the town on NY-3 by the Black River. *Cowan Corners – A location west of Natural Bridge. * Deferiet – A village along the southwestern town line on NY-3A by the Black River. *DeVoice Corners – A location at the intersection of County Routes 40 and 42. *Doolins Crossing – A location by the northwestern town line, within Fort Drum. *Fargo – A location by the Fort Drum reservation boundary on NY-3. *

Fort Drum Fort Drum is a U.S. Army military reservation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, near the western border of northern New York, United States. The population of the CDP portion of the base was 12,955 at the 2010 census. ...

– Part of the military reservation occupies the northern part of the town. *Gates Corners – A location inside Fort Drum on NY-3. * Herrings – 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 ...

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 ...

on the southwestern town line on NY-3 by the Black River. *Hewitt Park – A location north of Carthage on NY-3. *Hubbards Crossing – A location in the western part of the town, within Fort Drum. *Karter Crossing – A location in the eastern part of Wilna, near North Croghan. *Mt. Quillen – A hill north of Carthage. *

Natural Bridge A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion fro ...

– A hamlet and census-designated place by the eastern town line on NY-3. *North Croghan – A location by the eastern town line on County Road 40. *North Wilna – A location in the northern part of the town, within Fort Drum. *Ormistead Corners – A location in the southeastern part of Wilna on NY-3 at the junction of County Road 42. *Reedsville A location by the northwestern town line, within Fort Drum. *Woods Mills ("Woods Settlement") – A location in the southeastern part of Wilna, located inside Fort Drum.

References

External links

Town of Wilna official website

{{authority control Towns in New York (state) Towns in Jefferson County, New York