German 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 Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 370 at the 2010 census. The town is named after U.S. Senator

Obadiah German Obadiah German (April 22, 1766September 24, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from New York (1809-1815) and Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1819. Life He was born on Apr ...

, the original land owner. The town is at the western border of the county and is west of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

History

The first settlers arrived ''circa'' 1796. German was founded as the "Town of Brakel" in 1806 from part of the town of DeRuyter (now in Madison County). Later the town was reduced by the formation of newer towns: Otselic (1817), Lincklaen (1823), and part of

Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

(1827). The 1865 population of German was 778.

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 , or 0.11%, is water. The western town line is the border of Cortland County.

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 378 people, 135 households, and 93 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 227 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.09%

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 ...

, 0.79%

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 ...

, 1.32% Native American, 0.26% from other races, and 0.53% 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 1.32% of the population. There were 135 households, out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% 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, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.32. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.3% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,288, and the median income for a family was $36,563. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $17,361 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 $11,557. About 14.7% of families and 21.2% 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 21.3% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in German

*East German – A former community in the southeastern part of the town. *German ("German Four Corners") – A hamlet by the western town line at the intersection of County Roads 2 and 5. *German Five Corners – A location north of German village on County Road 2.

References

External links

Early history of German, NY

Town of German
{{authority control Towns in Chenango County, New York Towns in New York (state)