Oakfield 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 Genesee 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 3,250 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is derived from a number of trees, including the

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

. The town is on the northern border of Genesee County. Within the town is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

also named Oakfield.

History

Prehistoric earthworks indicate a previous occupation by Native Americans. The local tribe during historic time were 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 ...

. The manner in which they cut down the trees on their land gave rise to the phrase "Oak Orchard," which has current usage in the area. The area was once known as "Plain Brook", after it was first settled around 1801. The town was formed in 1842 from the town of

Elba Elba (, ; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, a ...

and named "Oakfield". In 1858, the community of Caryville set itself off from the town by incorporating as the village of Oakfield.

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 23.9 square miles (62.0 km²), of which 23.5 square miles (60.7 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km², or 1.96%) is water.

Oak Orchard Creek Oak Orchard Creek (sometimes called Oak Orchard River) is a tributary of Lake Ontario in Orleans County, New York, Orleans County, New York (state), New York in the United States. The creek flows through Oak Orchard Creek Marsh, of which were de ...

flows across the north part of the town. The north town line is the border of Orleans County (town of Barre).

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 2010, there were 3,782 people, 1,390 households, and 1007 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,250 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 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 ...

, 1.4%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 1.7% 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 3.2% of the population. There were 1,390 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.14. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 19, 6.1% from 20 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 28% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $49,023. Males had a median income of $32,355 versus $23,403 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 $22,174. About 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 ...

Communities and locations in the Town of Oakfield

* Dunhams Grove – A former location in the town, where Lewiston Road crosses Oakfield-Batavia Townline Road. * East Oakfield – 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 ...

on the Lockport Road east of the village of Oakfield. * Five Corners (previously "Oakfield Corners") – A location northwest of the village of Oakfield. *

Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area The Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area is an approximately wildlife management area (WMA) located in western New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most ...

– A conservation area in the north part of the town. * Oakfield (named at first "Plain Brook," then "Caryville" until 1858) – The village of Oakfield, located on NY-63.

References

External links

Early Oakfield history

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