Richfield Springs is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located in the Town of Richfield, on the north-central border of

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 name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning "place of the rock." History In 178 ...

, United States. The population was 1,264 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from local

sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

springs.

Geography

The village is at the northern end of

Canadarago Lake Canadarago Lake is a lake located in Otsego County, New York and is the source of Oaks Creek. The Village of Richfield Springs is located at the lake's northern end. It is the second largest lake in Otsego County, lying to the west of and parall ...

and is at 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 named af ...

. Richfield Springs is located at (42.853065, -74.987623). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the village has a total area of , all land. U.S. Highway 20,

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 r ...

, and

New York State Route 167 New York State Route 167 (NY 167) is a north–south state highway in the Mohawk Valley region of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in the Otsego County village ...

converge in Richfield Springs. US 20 and NY 28 intersect outside the western end of the village limits and

overlap Overlap may refer to: * In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram. * In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases * O ...

for a brief time inside the village, while NY 167 has its southern terminus at US 20 in the center of the village.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,255 people, 536 households, and 324 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 1,259.2 people per square mile (484.6/km²). There were 619 housing units at an average density of 621.1 per square mile (239.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.02%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.56%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.56% Native American, 0.88%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.64%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, and 1.35% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.56% of the population. There were 536 households, out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.93. In the village, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $30,170, and the median income for a family was $40,956. Males had a median income of $29,097 versus $20,455 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $16,865. About 7.1% of families and 12.2% 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 t ...

, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

The area of Richfield Springs was called Ga-no-wan-ges by the Oneida Indians which translated to "stinking water". The village was once served by the

Southern New York Railroad The Southern New York Railway (SNY) was an electric rail line that provided passenger and freight service, but also provided electricity for customers along the line until 1924. The railway was previously called Oneonta Street Railway (1888-1897 ...

, an electric trolley line that ran from Oneonta to

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...

. It began service through Richfield Springs in the summer of 1902.

Noted architecture

The village is home to three national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

s: Individual Properties:

Notable people

Gaylord Graves Gaylord Graves (May 22, 1804 – August 29, 1889) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Graves was born on May 22, 1804 in Richfield Springs, New York. On June 18, 1824, he married Nancy Tuckerman. They would have five childre ...

, former Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Martha D. Lincoln, author and journalist * Benjamin Pringle, former US Congressman

References

External links

Official Village of Richfield Springs web site
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Otsego County, New York