Nunda (pronounced "none-day") 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 Livingston 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 3,064 at the 2010 census. Nunda welcomes visitors with signs stating "Welcome to Nunda, a Nice Place to Live." The name is derived from ''Nunda-wa-ono'', the name given to it by a group of the

Seneca people The Seneca ( ; ) are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois Leag ...

who once lived in the hills and valleys along the

Genesee River The Genesee River ( ) is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. The river contains several waterfalls in New York at Letchworth State Park and Roch ...

and Keshequa Creek within the present-day town. In the

Seneca language Seneca (; in Seneca, , or ) is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the (Iroquois League); it is an Iroquoian language, spoken at the time of contact in the western part of New York. While the name ''Seneca'', attested ...

, "Nunda" relates to hills, and a popular translation is "Where the valley meets the hills". Nunda is at the southwest border of the county and contains a village also called Nunda.

History

In 1790, two small Seneca villages could be found opposite each other on the Chautauqua Hollow Trail which became State Street. Nunda was first settled around 1806 what is now near the village of Nunda. The town was formed in 1808 from the town of

Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 90 species of tall Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous, herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as ...

(in Allegany County) before the creation of Livingston County. In 1827, part of Nunda was used to found the new town of

Portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

. Originally called "Nunda Valley", the name was shortened to "Nunda" by Charles H. Carroll in 1824. The village of Nunda was incorporated as "Nunda Valley" and later "Nunda" in 1939. On March 11, 2008, the town of Nunda celebrated its bicentennial. In 1808, only three pioneer families lived in what is now Nunda. By 1830 the population had increased to 1,291, and by 1840 there were 2,636 residents. The population peaked at nearly 4,000 in the 1840s when the Genesee River Canal was built, which ran through the town until 1878. The population had fallen to less than 3,000 by the early 1880s.

People of note

* Chester B. Bowen, Union Army soldier and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

winner; born in Nunda in 1842 *

Helen Hunt Jackson Helen Hunt Jackson (pen name, H.H.; born Helen Maria Fiske; October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885) was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. She de ...

, author; a brief resident * Gustavus A. Palmer, born in Nunda in 1805 and colonel in the

Patriot War The Patriot War was a conflict along the Canada–United States border in which bands of raiders attacked the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British colony of Upper Canada more than a dozen times between December 1837 and Decemb ...

, named his Illinois post-war residence Nunda Township after his birthplace.

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 , or 0.07%, are water. The south town line is the border of Allegany County. New York State Route 436, east-west, intersects New York State Route 408, north-south, at Nunda village.

New York State Route 70 New York State Route 70 (NY 70) is a short state highway in the western portion of New York in the United States. It travels through three different counties in just and is the primary road to and from the village of Canaseraga. T ...

crosses the south part of the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

Nunda is bordered by the town of

to the west, and the towns of West Sparta and

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora (poem), Temora'' (1763), and later c ...

are to the east. The town of Mount Morris is to the north, and the town of Grove in Allegany County is to the south.

Interstate 390 Interstate 390 (I-390) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within New York (state), New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Southern Tier Expressway (Interstate 86 in New Yor ...

passes northeast of the town and provides transportation north to the city of Rochester and southeast to 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 ...

Region.

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 3,017 people, 1,131 households, and 842 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,298 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.88%

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 ...

, 0.53%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.23% Native American, 0.17% 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 ...

, 0.33% from other races, and 0.83% 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 0.89% of the population. There were 1,131 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% 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, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,665, and the median income for a family was $44,677. Males had a median income of $32,483 versus $22,660 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 $17,604. About 5.3% of families and 9.1% 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 11.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Nunda

*Barkertown – 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 Nunda village. * Coopersville – A hamlet northeast of Nunda village. * Dalton – A hamlet (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 ...

) in the southwest corner of the town (part is also in the town of Portage) on Route 408. *East Hill – A former community in the southeast part of the town. * Nunda – The village of Nunda is near the western town line. * Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area – A state conservation area in the southeast part of the town.

Schools

The town is in the Keshequa Central School District which includes Dalton Elementary School and the Nunda Middle School/High School. The schools are currently under leadership by Superintendent Powers. The word Keshequa is of Seneca origin and means "Spear in the Creek"Keshequa Central School District
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References

External links

*

{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York 1808 establishments in New York (state) Towns in Livingston County, New York Towns in New York (state)