Harmony 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 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 * ...

, United States. The population was 2,108 at the 2020 census. The town is on the south border of the county and southwest of Jamestown.

History

First settlement began ''circa'' 1809. Harmony was established in 1816 from a part of the town of

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 ...

. The size of Harmony was reduced when the newer towns of Busti and North Harmony were formed.

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 0.35%, is water. New York State Route 474 is a major east-west highway through the north part of the town.

Adjacent towns and regions

Harmony is bordered to the south by Columbus Township, the borough of Bear Lake, Freehold Township, and Sugar Grove Township, all in Warren County,

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 ...

. The town to the north is North Harmony. On the east is the town of Busti, and on the west is the town of Clymer.

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 2,339 people, 837 households, and 662 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 931 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.95%

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 ...

, 0.38%

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 ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 1.20% 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 0.47% of the population. There were 837 households, out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,578, and the median income for a family was $39,167. Males had a median income of $31,927 versus $19,122 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 $15,292. About 8.6% of families and 10.6% 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 15.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Harmony

*Blockville – 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 ...

near the north town line by the junction of County Road 35 and NY-474. *Brokenstraw Creek – A stream which rises on the west side of the town; a tributary of 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 ...

in Pennsylvania. *Cherry Hill – A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town by the junction of County Roads 12 and 35. *Kings Corners – A location at the west town line, west of Panama village on County Road 10. *Little Brokenstraw Creek – A stream flowing southward through the west side of the town, joining Brokenstraw Creek in Pennsylvania. *Niobe – A location in the southeast part of the town and west of Cherry Hill on County Road 12. This little hamlet was once serviced by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Mailbags were left twice daily by train slowing, while passing through, if not stopping for passengers, leaving mailbag (twice daily) hanging from the extended iron hook on the corner of the depot. The depot, named by the Pennsylvania Railroad, was Grant Station, New York. Around 1907/08, Postmaster J. Ray Barker decided to hold a contest to name the community. He wanted to stop the confusion caused by the PRR mistakenly leaving mailbags meant for Grant Station, Ohio (another depot on the same rail-line), and mailbags meant for Grant Station, NY left in Ohio. When Postmaster J. Ray Barker reported the contest results, it was Niobe to be the community's name. As told to Walter S. Barker, nephew of the postmaster, family members suspected that Uncle Ray was influenced by the Greek mythology he had been studying, as that subject was not likely studied by people in this remote rural area. The Barker family were early settlers of Harmony Township, with Postmaster's father having served in the Union Army of the Civil War rivate in T Company, 9th Regiment NY Cavalry, enlisted on August 10, 1864 *North East Junction – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town *

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

– The village of Panama is in the northwest part of the town on Route 474 and County Roads 10 and 33. *Watts Flats – A hamlet by the eastern town and south of Blockville on County Road 35.

References in popular culture

Harmony is the setting for ''The Twilight Zone'' episode "Once Upon a Time".

Notable people

* J. Samuel Fowler, former New York state senator * James H. McGraw, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, born in Harmony * Loren B. Sessions, former US congressman * Walter L. Sessions, former US congressman

References

External links

Town of Harmony official website
{{authority control Towns in Chautauqua County, New York Towns in New York (state)