Panama 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 ...

in Chautauqua 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 465 at the 2020 census. Panama is in the northwest part of the town of

Harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

, at the junction of State Route 474 (Main Street) and County Route 33. The village is named after Panama Rocks, a large rock formation south of the village.

Paleozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

are visible in the

outcrop An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth and other terrestrial planets. Features Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most p ...

s. This site has become a tourist attraction, and the owners charge admission at the gate.

History

The village of Panama was incorporated in 1861. Among many early settlers was George Hawkins, who purchased Lot 50 in 1825. He was born in 1802 in

Oneida County, New York Oneida County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or '' ...

. About 1827 he married Rhoda Powers (born 1806). Together they cleared land to make a living. George died in 1883 and Rhoda in 1900. Rhoda's father was Simeon Powers, who established a

Baptist church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

in the area. George's parents are unknown. Both are buried in Panama Union cemetery under one headstone. The U.S. Post Office at Panama was established in 1826. That was the first, officially recorded, use of the name "Panama". The traditional story is that Panama got its name from someone who had been across the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama, historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North America, North and South America. The country of Panama is located on the i ...

, and said local rock formations reminded him of Panama's rocks. It is possible that this person was Moses Cushman Marsh, who operated a trading company in Panama, and was Panama's first postmaster. He had previously had a business in Cuba, and he may have been across the Isthmus of Panama. His daughter was the educator and writer, Mary Louise Nash (1826-1896).

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 village has a total area of , of which , or 0.27%, is water.

Notable people

* Albert G. Dow, former New York state senator * Abner Lewis, former US congressman * James H. McGraw, founder of the

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

Publishing Co., born in Panama December 17, 1860The Fredonia Censor - February 28, 1948 - page 7 * Mary Louise Nash (1826-1896), educator and writer; born in Panama

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 491 people, 191 households, and 135 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 208 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.74%

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 ...

, 1.02%

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 1.43% 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 0.61% of the population. There were 191 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% 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, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.07. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $31,944 versus $20,833 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 village was $16,410. About 9.6% 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 18.0% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Village of Panama official website

Panama Rocks
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Chautauqua County, New York 1861 establishments in New York (state)