Otego 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 ...

located in the southwest portion of Otsego 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 3,115 at the 2010 census. The name is a native word meaning "where there is fire." The Town of Otego is on the southern border of the county and contains a village by the same name, Otego. The town and village are southwest of Oneonta.

History

The town was first settled ''circa'' 1775, but few more arrived until after the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. Tension between ethnic Germans and New Englanders slowed early development. The Town of Otego was formed in 1822 from the Towns of Unadilla and

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

(in Delaware County) as the "Town of Huntsville." In 1830, the name was changed to Otego, when part of the Town of Milford was added. The Otsdawa Creek Site 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 1980.

Notable person

* Helen E. Burbank,

Secretary of State of Vermont The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth (behind the lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of Repr ...

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 44.9 square miles (116.2 km²), all land. The southern town line is the border of Delaware County. The

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

flows through the southern part of the town.

Otego Creek Otego Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in Otsego County, New York. Otego Creek rises in the Town of Otsego an ...

enters the Susquehanna River east of the eastern town line. Otsdawa Creek flows down the eastern side of Otego. Interstate 88 and

New York State Route 7 New York State Route 7 (NY 7) is a state highway in New York (state), New York in the United States. The highway runs from the New York–Pennsylvania border, Pennsylvania state line south of Binghamton (city), New York, Binghamton ...

follow the course of the Susquehanna River.

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 3,183 people, 1,234 households, and 874 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,383 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.55%

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 ...

, 1.01%

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 ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.63% 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 1.19% of the population. There were 1,234 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% 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 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,563, and the median income for a family was $36,543. Males had a median income of $27,986 versus $25,868 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 $15,479. About 8.7% of families and 11.4% 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 13.8% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Otego

*Calder Hill – a small mountain chain located north of Otego town It is made of two main peaks with the highest being 1841 feet. Calder Hill was named after Godfrey Calder. *Center Brook – A former location in the town. *Cooks Corners – 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 ...

in the northwestern part of the town, located on County Highway 6. *Hell Hollow – Also known as "The Perry District", named by a former schoolteacher in response to the antics of his students. *Lake Misery – small lake in the northwestern part of town. *Mill Creek – small community west of Hell Hollow and north of the Village of Otego, on the creek of same name that once powered many small mills. *

Mount Zion Mount Zion (, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; , ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City to the south. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David ( ...

– An elevation southwest of Otego. Partly in Delaware County * Otego – The Village of Otego on NY-7. *Otsdawa – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town, located on County Highway 8 and the

West Branch Otsdawa Creek West Branch Otsdawa Creek is a river in Otsego County, New York Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The county's population center i ...

. The

Otsdawa Baptist Church Otsdawa Baptist Church is a historic Free Will Baptist church on City Road 8 in Otsdawa, Otsego County, New York. It was built in 1840 and is a one-story rectangular building, three bays wide and three bays deep. The building is of wood-frame c ...

was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

References

External links

Early map and brief history of Otego
{{authority control Towns in Otsego County, New York Towns in New York (state)