Pomfret 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 Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 13,236 at the 2020 census. The town lies in the north-central part of the county, south of

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

, and includes the village of Fredonia.

History

The area was first settled around 1806. The town of Pomfret was formed in 1808 from the town of

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

, being the first partition of Chautauqua after the county was formed. Pomfret later lost substantial parts of its territory during the formation of five new towns of the county.

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 ...

, Pomfret has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.76%, is water. The northwestern corner of the town borders

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. The New York State Thruway (

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

) and

US 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Highway, United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major ...

pass through the town. NY 60 is a major north–south highway, and

NY 5 New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Sy ...

runs along the shore of Lake Erie.

Adjacent towns and areas

* Dunkirk town; * Dunkirk city * Stockton * Portland

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 14,703 people, 5,105 households, and 2,971 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,558 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.28%

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 ...

, 2.07%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.64% from other races, and 0.80% 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 2.33% of the population. There were 5,105 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.2% under the age of 18, 30.7% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,444, and the median income for a family was $47,252. Males had a median income of $35,669 versus $25,997 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 $16,506. About 4.6% of families and 15.9% 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 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over. As of the Census of 2010, there were 14,965 people (an increase of 262 people or 1.78%) and 5,296 households (and increase of 191 households or 3.74%) within the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was: 93.52% (13,995 people) white; 2.26% (338 people) African-American; 1.37% (205 people) Asian; 0.36% (54 people) Native American/Alaskan; 0.04% (6 people) Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; 1.08% (161 people) other; and 1.38% (206 people) two or more races. Out of the population of any race, 4.06% (607 people) were Hispanic/Latino. The population of the town was spread out, with 14.75% (2,208 people) under the age of 18, 12.91% (1,932 people) ages 18 and 19, 21.78% (3,259 people) ages 20–24, 7.54% (1,128 people) ages 25–34, 13.75% (2,057 people) ages 35–49, 16.53% (2,473 people) ages 50–64, and 12.75% (1,908 people) over the age of 65. Males made up 47.50% (7,108 people) of the total population, and females made up 52.50% (7,857 people) of the total population.

Communities and locations in the Town of Pomfret

* Bear Lake – A small lake west of Lily Dale, partly in the town. *Canadaway Creek – A stream flowing northward through the town toward Lake Erie. * Cassadaga Lake (or Cassadaga Lakes) – A

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

composed of two large sections joined by a narrow channel. The northern large section is in Pomfret, and the southern is in the town of Stockton. *Cordova – A hamlet west of Fredonia on County Road 78. * Fredonia – The village of Fredonia is on the northern town border and has a population of 11,230, or 75% of the town population. *Fredonia Reservoir – A lake intersected by Canadaway Creek. *Greencrest – A lakeside

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 shore of Lake Erie, partly in Pomfret. *Lamberton – A hamlet located on Route 20 in the northern part of the town. * Laona – A hamlet southeast of Fredonia on NY Route 60. * Lily Dale – Lily Dale is a center of

Spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

and borders the village of Cassadaga and the north end of Cassadaga Lake. *Mud Lake – A

pond A pond is a small, still, land-based body of water formed by pooling inside a depression (geology), depression, either naturally or artificiality, artificially. A pond is smaller than a lake and there are no official criteria distinguishing ...

east of Cassadaga Lake. *Nortons Switch – A location in the western part of the town. *Reed Corners – A hamlet east of Fredonia at the junction of US 20 and NY 60. *Shumla – A hamlet on County Road 72 by the eastern town line. *Van Buren Bay – A lakeside hamlet on the shore of Lake Erie on the shore of Van Buren Bay and on NY 5.

Notable people

* Clarence Clough Buel, editor, author, born in Laona * Tommy Hartung, artist lives and works in Fredonia * Joel Hills Johnson (1802–1883), inventor, Mormon pioneer, published poet and gospel hymn writer, politician and judge * Justus Smith Stearns, businessman, Michigan Secretary of State

References

External links

Town of Pomfret official website
{{authority control Towns in Chautauqua County, New York Towns in New York (state) Populated places established in 1806 1806 establishments in New York (state)