Van Etten 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 Chemung 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. It is part of the Elmira Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the town was 1,541 at the 2020 census. The town is named for the two brothers who founded the village of Van Etten in it. The town is at the northeastern corner of the county, northeast of Elmira.

History

The area that became Van Etten was first settled around 1794, but more permanent settlement came in 1797. The town of Van Etten was formed in 1854 from the towns of

Erin Erin is a personal name taken from the Hiberno-English word for Ireland, originating from the Irish word ''"Éirinn"''. "Éirinn" is the dative case of the Irish word for Ireland, "Éire", genitive "Éireann", the dative being used in preposi ...

and Cayuta. (Cayuta later became part of Schuyler County.) In 1876, the village of Van Etten was incorporated within the town. In 2017, the village of Van Etten voted to dissolve and rejoin the Town of Van Etten. The dissolution took effect on December 31, 2018.

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 0.30%, is water. The northern town line is the border of

Tompkins County Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,740. The county seat is Ithaca. The name is in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice Preside ...

, the eastern town boundary is the border of Tioga County and part of the western town line is the border of Schuyler County.

New York State Route 34 New York State Route 34 (NY 34) is a north–south List of State Routes in New York, New York state route located in Central New York. Its southern terminus is at the New York–Pennsylvania border, Pennsylvania state line in th ...

intersects

New York State Route 224 New York State Route 224 (NY 224) is a state highway in the Southern Tier of New York (state), New York in the United States. The route is signed as north–south; however, in actuality the highway follows more of an east–west routi ...

at Van Etten village. A short part of

New York State Route 223 New York State Route 223 (NY 223) is an east–west state highway in Chemung County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 13 northeast of the city of Elmira in the town of Horseheads to a ...

is at its junction with NY-224 by the west town line.

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 1,518 people, 596 households, and 420 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 679 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.55%

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 ...

, 0.26%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.46% 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 0.46% of the population. There were 596 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% 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, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.99. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,011, and the median income for a family was $38,462. Males had a median income of $26,318 versus $24,762 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 $14,426. About 7.7% of families and 12.5% 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 16.7% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Van Etten

*Swartwood – 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 western town line on NY-223. It is named after an early settler of the town, Jacob Swartwood. * Van Etten – The hamlet of Van Etten is near the eastern town line at the junction of NY-34 and NY-224. *Van Etten Junction – A hamlet south of Van Etten village on NY-34.

References

External links

Tri-Counties Genealogy & History: Town of Van Etten, Chemung County NY

Town of Van Etten
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Etten (Town), New York Towns in Chemung County, New York Towns in New York (state)