Oppenheim 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 Fulton 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 town is in the southwestern corner of the county and is east of Utica. The population was 1,924 at the 2010 census.

History

The town was first settled ' by Palatine Germans from

Oppenheim Oppenheim ( or ) is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location The town lies on the Upper Rhine in Rhenish Hesse between Mainz and Worms. It is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde (special ad ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The town of Oppenheim was established in 1808 from the town of

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

in Montgomery County, before the formation of Fulton County. In the 1810 U.S. Federal Census, the name of the town was spelled, "Upenheim." When Fulton County was formed in 1838, the south part of Oppenheim was used to form the town of St. Johnsville, which remained in Montgomery County. The early occupations of townspeople were associated with dairy and cheese-making activities. Beaversprite, a nature refuge, was founded in Oppenheim in the 1930s.

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 0.54%, is water. The northern part of the town is in the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

. The western town line is the border of

Herkimer County Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is name ...

, and the southern town boundary is the border of Montgomery County.

East Canada Creek East Canada Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed October 3, 2011 river in upstate New York, United States. It is a tributary of the Mohawk River and flows southwa ...

is a stream defining the western town line. The creek flows out of the Adirondacks to join the

Mohawk River The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson R ...

, south of Oppenheim.

New York State Route 29 New York State Route 29 (NY 29) is a state highway extending for across the eastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. The western terminus of the route is at NY 28 and NY 169 in Middleville, Herkimer County. The ea ...

is an east-west highway across Oppenheim. New York State Route 331, a north-south highway, intersects NY 29 at Oppenheim village.

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 1,774 people, 685 households, and 493 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 858 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.31%

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 ...

, 0.73%

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 ...

, 0.17% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.45% 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 0.68% of the population. There were 685 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% 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, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 23.1% 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 2.54 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,284, and the median income for a family was $34,306. Males had a median income of $26,289 versus $19,427 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 $13,504. About 9.7% of families and 12.4% 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 14.8% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Oppenheim

*Crum Creek – 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 southern town line on NY 331 and Crum Creek; and a stream that flows through the town southward through the town. The former Crum Creek Evangelical Lutheran Church 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 2010. *Doxtater Corner – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town, northeast of Rasbach Corners. * Dolgeville (formerly "Brocketts Bridge") – Part of the village of Dolgeville is at the western town line at East Canada Creek and NY 29. *Ingham Mills – A hamlet on the western town boundary on County Road 108. *Kringsbush – A hamlet by the south town line in the southwestern part of the town. *Kyser Lake – A wide part of the East Canada Creek, north of Ingham Mills. *Lotville – A hamlet in the northern part of the town, located between Doxtater Corners and Phipps Corners. *Middle Sprite – A hamlet by the northern town boundary, inside the Adirondack Park. *Oppenheim – The hamlet of Oppenheim at the junction of NY 29 and NY 331, west of Crum Creek. *Phipps Corners – A location east of Lotville and north of Oppenheim hamlet. *Rasbach Corners – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town, east of Dolgeville.

References

External links

Town of Oppenheim official website

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