Scott 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 Cortland 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 1,176 at the 2010 census. The town was named after General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

. It is in the northwestern corner of Cortland County and is northwest of the City of Cortland.

History

Scott is within the former

Central New York Military Tract The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly of bounty land set aside in Central New York to compensate New York's soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War. Establishment ...

. The first white settler arrived around 1799. The town was formed in 1815 from the town of Preble. The population in 1865 was 1,149. The town is the birthplace of James Henry Salisbury, who later went on to create the Salisbury Steak.

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 0.65%, is water. The western town line is the border of Cayuga County, and the northern town boundary is the border of

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state. Onondaga County is the core of the ...

. New York State Route 41 is a north-south highway in Scott. The southern end of Skaneateles Lake, one of the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

, is in the northwestern part of the town. Grout Brook, a noted trout-fishing stream, flows into the lake from the town. The hamlet of Fair Haven in the town of Scott, together with adjoining Glen Haven in the town of Niles and Spafford Landing in the town of Spafford, constitute a scenic destination for visitors as well as an attractive community for residents. Lodging and dining facilities are available, together with docking and a marina (below). The eastern two-thirds of the town drains southward via Cold Brook and Factory Brook to the West Branch of the

Tioughnioga River The Tioughnioga River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Chenango River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissecte ...

, part of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

watershed. Hewitt State Forest, also known as Cortland Reforestation Area #1, is New York State’s first State Forest, comprising 937 acres, and is located in the Town of Scott, just off of State Route 41 on Hewitt Road.

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 1,193 people, 417 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 478 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.32%

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 ...

, 0.08%

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 ...

, 0.42% Native American, 0.34% Asian, and 0.84% 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 0.17% of the population. There were 417 households, out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.18. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,000, and the median income for a family was $43,438. Males had a median income of $32,313 versus $20,817 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 $15,588. About 7.7% of families and 9.9% 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 9.8% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Scott

*East Scott – 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 ...

by the eastern town line on County Road 102. *Fair Haven – A hamlet on the eastern shore of Skaneateles Lake by the northern town line. Distinct from Glen Haven on the western side of the lake in the town of Sempronius. The Glen Haven District No. 4 School and Public Library 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 1997. *Grout Mill – A hamlet approximately one mile west of Scott village and close to the western town line. *Scott – The hamlet of Scott on Route 41 at the intersection of County Road 101. It was formerly called "Scott Center".

References

External links

Town of Scott official website
{{authority control Towns in Cortland County, New York Towns in New York (state)