Taylor 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, United States. The town is in the eastern part of the county and is east of Cortland. The population was 523 at the 2010 census. The town is named after General Zachary Taylor, later the 12th president of the United States.

History

Taylor was within the Central New York Military Tract. The first settlers arrived around 1793. The town was formed from the town of

Solon Solon (; ; BC) was an Archaic Greece#Athens, archaic History of Athens, Athenian statesman, lawmaker, political philosopher, and poet. He is one of the Seven Sages of Greece and credited with laying the foundations for Athenian democracy. ...

in 1849. By 1865, the population was 1,167. The Town Line Bridge and Union Valley Congregational Church are 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 ...

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 (0.41%) is water. The eastern town line is the border of Chenango County. New York State Route 26 passes across the southeastern part of the town.

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 500 people, 177 households, and 138 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was 16.6 inhabitants per square mile (6.4/km²). There were 216 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.20%

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 ...

, 0.20%

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.20% Asian, and 1.20% 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 2.00% of the population. There were 177 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% 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, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.5% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.12. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,031, and the median income for a family was $39,500. Males had a median income of $29,444 versus $22,727 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 $16,677. About 8.2% of families and 11.4% 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 12.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Taylor

*Potter Hill – A community in the northeastern part of the town that once included a school, cemetery and several houses, which is now part of Cuyler Hill State Forest. *Solon Pond – A small lake near the town's center. *Taylor – 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 southeastern corner of the town by the town line on NY Route 26. It was once called "East Solon", "Taylorville", and "Bangall". *Taylor Center – A hamlet adjacent to Solon Pond near the town center. It was once called "Solon Pond" after the nearby lake. The Taylor Center Methodist Episcopal Church and Taylor District No. 3 School was added to the

in 2010. *Taylor Valley – A hamlet northwest of Taylor hamlet and southwest of Taylor Center. It takes its name from a valley in the western part of the town. *Union Valley (formerly "Dorantown") – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town.

Notable person

* Gary Wood (1942–1994), NFL quarterback for the New York Giants and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

References

External links

Town of Taylor official website

at Cortland County website

Area photos, maps
{{authority control Towns in Cortland County, New York Towns in New York (state)