Unadilla is a town in

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 county's population center is Oneonta. The name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word m ...

, United States. As of the 2023 census, the town had a population of 1,087. The name is derived from an

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

word for "meeting place". Unadilla is located in the southwestern corner of the county, southwest of Oneonta. The village of Unadilla is located in the southern part of the town. The mayor of Unadilla is Jason Cotten.

History

The first settlement took place ''circa'' 1770 in the area of Sidney (in adjacent Delaware County), followed by Unadilla. Both Sidney and Unadilla were destroyed during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and were re-established after the war. The town was formed from part of the Town of Otsego in 1792. Later the size of the town was reduced by the formation of new towns: Butternuts, Milford, and Oneonta in 1796, Otego (town),

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 * ...

in 1822, and an addition to Butternuts in 1857. In 1827, the community of Unadilla set itself off from the town by incorporating as a village. The Unadilla Waterworks, Russ-Johnsen Site, and Andrew Mann Inn 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 46.6 square miles (120.8 km²), of which 46.4 square miles (120.2 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 km²) (0.51%) is water. This includes the artificially created Buck Horn Lake.

New York State Route 7 New York State Route 7 (NY 7) is a state highway in New York (state), New York in the United States. The highway runs from the New York–Pennsylvania border, Pennsylvania state line south of Binghamton (city), New York, Binghamton ...

intersects

New York State Route 8 New York State Route 8 (NY 8) is a north-south state highway in the central part of New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction from the Southern Tier to the northern part of Lake ...

by Riverside. Interstate 88 passes briefly through the town at Unadilla village. The Unadilla River flows into the Susquehanna River at the southwestern corner of the town, west of Riverside.

The Unadilla town lines

*The northern line borders the Town of Butternuts in Otsego County. *The eastern line borders the Town of Otego in Otsego County. *The southern line lies along

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 ...

, bordering the Town of Sidney in Delaware County. *The western line lies along the

Unadilla River The Unadilla River is a river in the Central New York Region of New York State. The river begins northeast of the hamlet of Millers Mills and flows generally south to the village of Sidney, where it converges with the Susquehanna River, which d ...

, bordering the towns of Bainbridge and Guilford in Chenango County.

Communities and locations in the Town of Unadilla

*Buckhorn Lake – A lake in the southeastern part of Unadilla. *Buckley Corners – A location near the northern town line, west of Unadilla Center. *Hughston Corner – A hamlet on the northern town line. *Hutchinson Hill – An elevation east and southeast from Rockdale. * Kilkenny Hill – An elevation located northwest of Unadilla. *Mount Moses – An elevation in the southwestern tip of the town. *Riverside – A hamlet on NY-7 at the Susquehanna River, opposite the Sidney,

. *Rockdale – A location near the Unadilla River on NY-8, mostly in Chenango County. *Rogers Hollow – A valley in the western part of the town. *Sand Hill – A location near the eastern town line, located on Sand Creek and County Route 3A. *Sisson Hill – An elevation northwest of Unadilla. *South Unadilla – A hamlet southwest of Unadilla village. * Unadilla – The Village of Unadilla is located at the southern town line on NY-7 at the Susquehanna River. *Unadilla Center – A hamlet on County Route 3A in the northern part of the town. * Wells Bridge – A hamlet in the southeastern corner of Unadilla on NY-7. *Youmans Corners – A location near the eastern town line, on County Route 4.

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 4,548 people, 1,810 households, and 1,272 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,101 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.14%

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 ...

, 0.86%

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 ...

, 0.24% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.57% from other races, and 0.97% 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 1.21% of the population. There were 1,810 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% 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, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,619, and the median income for a family was $40,556. Males had a median income of $29,817 versus $21,732 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 $16,908. About 9.6% of families and 12.8% 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 18.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people and horse

Spectacular Bid Spectacular Bid (foaled February 17, 1976 – June 9, 2003) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He holds the world record for the fastest 10 furlongs on dirt, and also broke sev ...

, Milfer Farms, retired champion racehorse in the Thoroughbred Hall of Fame * Edward S. Bragg, U.S. Representative from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and U.S. diplomat * Thomas Carmichael, Wisconsin businessman and legislator *

Billy Decker William "Billy" Decker (born November 21, 1964) is an American dirt modified and late model racing driver. He has captured 18 track titles at six different tracks, and won at 35 different tracks in nine US states and two Canadian provinces. R ...

, racing driver * Edward Howell, former US congressman *

Sybil Ludington Sybil (or Sibbell) Ludington (April 5, 1761 – February 26, 1839) was an American woman who allegedly made a ride during the American Revolutionary War, though modern accounts dispute this. On April 26, 1777, at age 16, Ludington, the daughter ...

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

figure * Sherman Page, member of Congress and county judge

References

External links

*
Unadilla Historical Association

{{authority control Towns in Otsego County, New York Towns in New York (state) Populated places established in 1792 1792 establishments in New York (state)