Portville 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 Cattaraugus 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 3,504 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the town's early role in shipping lumber and other items down the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

. It was formed in 1837 from the town of Olean. Portville is in the southeast corner of the county, southeast of the city of Olean. The village of Portville is the largest settlement in the town.

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 1.24%, is water. Portville is located in the southeast corner of the county. Its eastern town line is the border of Allegany County, and its southern town line is the

McKean County, Pennsylvania McKean County is a rural county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,432. Its county seat is Smethport. The county was created in 1804 and organized in 1826. It was named in honor of former Penns ...

, border. The

flows through the south part of the town. Oswayo Creek joins the Allegheny south of Portville village, and Dodge Creek joins the river in the village. New York State Route 305 (running north–south) and

New York State Route 417 New York State Route 417 (NY 417) is an east–west state highway located in the Southern Tier of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at exit 20 of the Southern Tier Expressway (Interstate 86 (east), Inters ...

(running east–west) pass through the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

Eldred and Ceres townships in McKean County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, are south of Portville. The towns of Clarksville and Genesee in Allegany County form the eastern boundary. The town of Olean is on the west, and the town of Hinsdale is to the north.

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 3,952 people, 1,545 households, and 1,121 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,693 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.93%

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 ...

, 0.76%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.20% from other races, and 0.71% 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 1,545 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% 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, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,284, and the median income for a family was $41,270. Males had a median income of $34,279 versus $23,494 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 $18,043. About 8.7% of families and 10.4% 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 17.0% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town of Portville

*Bedford 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 ...

near the east town line on NY Route 305. The Bedford Corners Historic District 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 2003. *Carroll – A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town, east of the Allegheny River. *Haydenville – A hamlet on the western town line on County Road 92. *Lake View Terrace – A hamlet in the northeast part of the town on County Road 27. *Main Settlement – A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town on NY Route 417. *Mill Grove – a hamlet on the Allegheny River on Route 305 in the southeast corner of the town. It once marked the south extent of the Genesee Valley Canal. * Portville – The village of Portville is a municipal corporation of ~430 properties and 1,000 persons located on 2+ square miles in the southeast part of the town on Dodge Creek by the Allegheny River. NY-305 and NY-417 conjoin through the village. *Stephens Lake – A small lake north of Weston Mills. *Toll Gate Corner – A location in the southeast corner of the town at the junction of Routes 305 and 417. * Weston Mills – A hamlet on the north bank of the Allegheny River on Route 417. It was named after the Weston brothers, owners of several businesses.

Government

The Town of Portville is a municipal corporation governed by a five-member elected town board. The town board is composed of one supervisor (two-year term beginning every even numbered year) and four councilpersons (four-year terms, of which two begin concurrently with each new supervisor term). The highway superintendent is an elected two-year term position and is run independently from the town board, except for receiving annual funding of the highway department budget. The town justice is an elected two-year position and is run independently of the town board, except for receiving funding on a monthly basis. All other positions are appointed and report to the town board.

References

External links

*
Early history of Portville, NY

Virtual View of Town of Portville NY from Lillibridge

Large site that contains photos, videos, history, sports, current events, and other information on Portville

Historic Portville preserved in pictures and links, Bedford Corners Project, Cemetery information
{{authority control Towns in Cattaraugus County, New York Towns in New York (state)