Richfield 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 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. As of the 2020 census, the

had a population of 2,065. The Town of Richfield is located at the northern border of the county.

History

Richfield Springs was called "Big Medicine Waters" by the local natives. From the '' Gazetteer of the State of New York'' by J. H. French, Published by R. Pearsall Smith, Syracuse, N. Y. 1860: :Richfield was formed from the Town of Otsego,

on April 10, 1792. The towns of

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

and Plainfield were taken off in 1799. It is the extreme northern town of the county. Its surface is rolling and moderately hilly, with a mean elevation of 150 to 200 ft. above Schuyler Lake (now Canadarago Lake), which lies in the southeast corner of the town and occupies a deep valley, into which flow several small streams from the north and west. The soil is of a diversified character, consisting of gravel, slate, clay, and sandy loam, well cultivated and productive. About 500,000 pounds of cheese are made in the town annually, — being more than double that made in any other town in the county. Richfield Springs ( p.v.), near the head of Schuyler Lake, in the northeast corner of the town, contains 3 churches, a flouring mill, and 368 inhabitants.¹ Monticello, (Richfield p.o.,) near the center, contains a church and 139 inhabitants. Mayflower is a post office. Brighton contains about 15 houses. Settlements were made prior to the Revolution; but they were broken up during the war. The first settlers after the war were John Kimball, Richard and Wm. Pray, John Beardsley, Joseph Coats, and Seth Allen, in 1787.² The first church (Prot. E.) was formed at Monticello, May 20, 1799; Rev. Daniel Nash was the first preacher.³ :¹ Richfield Springs — from which the village derives its name — are celebrated for their medicinal properties in the cure of cutaneous disorders and large numbers of invalids are annually attracted here. Professor Reid has given the following as the result of an analysis of a

wine gallon A wine gallon is a unit of capacity that was used routinely in England as far back as the 14th century, and by statute under Queen Anne since 1706. While Britain abolished the wine gallon in 1826 when it adopted imperial units for measurement, t ...

of the water of these springs: :*Grains. Bicarbonate of magnesia 20 :*Bicarbonate of lime 10 :*Chloride of sodium and magnesia 1.05 :*Sulphate of magnesia 30 :*Hydrosulfate of magnesia and lime 2 :*Sulphate of lime 20 :*Solid matter 153.05 :*Total Grains 236.10 :*Sulphurated hydrogen gas, 26.9 inches. :² Willam Tunnicliff, Dan'l Hawks, John Hatch, Ebenezor Eaton, and Jos. Rockwell settled at or near Richfield Springs in 1789; Obadiah Beardsley and his son Obadiah, jr., the father and grandfather of the late Levi Beardsley, and Hon. Samuel Beardsley, of Utica settled near Schuylers Lake in 1790. The first birth was that of Jos. Beardsley; and the first marriage, that of Ebenezer Russell and Mrs. Moore. James S. Palmer taught the first school at Richfield Springs; Israel Rawson kept the first inn, and Cyrus Robinson the first store, at the Springs; William Tunnicliff erected the first mill, at the same place. :³ The census reports 7 churches; 3 M. E., 2 Prot. E., Presb., and Univ.

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 (4.92%) is water. The northern 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 ...

. The northern end of Canadarago Lake is in the eastern part of the town. Hyder Creek enters the lake from the west. Ocquionis Creek and Mink Creek flow into the lake from the north, passing through Richfield Springs.

New York State Route 28 New York State Route 28 (NY 28) is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major ...

(NY 28) is a north-south highway passing the western shore of Canadarago Lake. NY 28 intersects

US Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west 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 coast-to-coast route. ...

at Richfield Springs. NY 167 has its southern terminus at US Route 20 in the center of Richfield Springs.

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 2,423 people, 968 households, and 641 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,296 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.48%

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 ...

, 0.37%

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 ...

, 0.41% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.33%

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 ...

, 0.04% from other races, and 0.91% 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 0.37% of the population. There were 968 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,784, and the median income for a family was $41,050. Males had a median income of $29,479 versus $21,518 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 $16,723. About 9.3% of families and 13.4% 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 22.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Richfield

*Brighton (or "Brighton 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 northern part of the town, located on US-20, west of Richfield Springs. *Canadarago Hill – An elevation located in the Village of Richfield. Also referred to as The Round Top. *Dogtown – A hamlet near the southern town line of Richfield on County Route 24, located on Hyder Creek. * Federal Corners – A location east of Richfield Springs at the corner of Butternut Road and Cemetery Road. * Gunset Hill – An elevation located west of Richfield Springs. *Hawk Hill – An elevation near Dogtown. *Nine Hill – An elevation southwest of Richfield Springs. *Pray Hill – An elevation west of Brighton. *

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

– A hamlet southwest of Richfield Springs on Country Route 25 at the intersection of County Road 24. *Richfield Hill – An elevation located by the northwestern part of the town. Part of Richfield Hill is in the town of Columbia. * Richfield Springs – The Village of Richfield Springs is in the northeastern section of the town at the junction of US-20 and NY-28, north of Canadarago Lake. *Round Top – An elevation on the western town line. Partly in

. * Sunset Hill – An elevation north of the village of Richfield

References

External links

Official Town of Richfield website

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