Montour 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 Schuyler 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 2,323 at the 2020 census. The town is one of two towns in the county named after

Catherine Montour Catharine Montour, also known as Queen Catharine (died after 1791), was a prominent Iroquois leader living in ''Queanettquaga,'' a Seneca village of ''Sheaquaga'', informally called Catharine's Town, in western New York. She has often been confuse ...

. The Town of Montour is in the southern part of the county and is north of Elmira.

History

The Seneca village of ''Queanettquaga'', also known by colonial settlers as Catherine's Town, was destroyed by the

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign) was a United States military campaign under the command of General John Sullivan (general), John Sullivan duri ...

in 1779. These colonial forces ranged throughout western New York, destroying Iroquois villages as well as their stores of crops. They were destitute when winter arrived. The Town of Montour was first settled by European Americans around 1794 after the American Revolutionary War. They first settled the current village of Montour Falls, named after a

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

along one edge. This was known by the Seneca as ''Che-qua-gah,'' or "roaring water." The Chemung Canal was completed in 1833 and passed through the town, connecting it to other waterways. This declined in use after railroads were built through the state. Montour was the last town organized in the county, created in 1860 from part of the Town of Catharine. The Lee School 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 1998.

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 0.03% is water. The southern town line is the border of Chemung County. The town is south of Seneca Lake, one of the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

New York State Route 14 New York State Route 14 (NY 14) is a state highway located in western New York in the United States. Along with New York State Route 19, NY 19, it is one of two routes to transect the state in a north–south fashion between ...

intersects

New York State Route 224 New York State Route 224 (NY 224) is a state highway in the Southern Tier of New York (state), New York in the United States. The route is signed as north–south; however, in actuality the highway follows more of an east–west routi ...

in Montour Falls. NY-14 runs southward through the Catharine Creek Valley, following the same route as the former Chemung Canal.

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 2,446 people, 1,005 households, and 658 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,078 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.96%

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 ...

, 0.74%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.08%

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 ...

, and 0.74% 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 0.33% of the population. There were 1,005 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.80. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,879, and the median income for a family was $42,303. Males had a median income of $30,774 versus $21,618 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 $16,983. About 8.1% of families and 11.7% 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 15.6% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Montour

* Catharine Creek – a stream flowing northward to Seneca Lake. It was partially rerouted to form the Chemung Canal. *Catharine Creek

Wildlife Management Area A wildlife management area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife. New Zealand There are 11 wildlife management areas in New Zealand: * Horsham Downs Wildlife Ma ...

– A conservation area in the northern part of Montour. *Deckertown – 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 ...

southeast of Montour Falls. * Montour Falls (formerly "Havana") – Most of the Village of Montour Falls is at the western town line. * Watkins Glen – A small eastern part of the Village of Watkins Glen is at the western town line by Seneca Lake.

References

External links

Brief early history of Montour, NY
{{authority control Towns in Schuyler County, New York Towns in New York (state)