Vernon 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 ...

Oneida County, New York Oneida County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or '' ...

, United States. The population was 5,408 at the 2010 census. The Town of Vernon is on the western border of the county. The town contains a village, also named Vernon.

History

The first European settler was Josiah Bushnell, from

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County (pronounced ) is the Western Massachusetts, westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state, U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its la ...

, who came in 1794. The town was formed in 1802 from parts of the Towns of Augusta and Westmoreland. Vernon was part of the original Oneida Reservation. In 1859, a remnant group of Oneida people lived in the southwestern part of the town. In 1920, the population of the Town of Vernon was 4,522.

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 38.1 square miles (98.7 km²), all land. Skanandoa Creek ("''hemlock''", or "''stream of hemlocks''"), was named after the famous Skenandoa. It flows through the eastern section of town. The western town line is the border of Madison County and is formed by the

Oneida Creek Oneida Creek is a small river in New York in the United States. The creek enters the southeastern corner of Oneida Lake at a location known as South Bay, a bay of the lake. The name is derived from the Oneida tribe of the Iroquois. Stockbridge ...

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 5,335 people, 2,112 households, and 1,484 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,266 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.94%

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 ...

, 0.43%

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 ...

, 0.41% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.75% 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 0.69% of the population. There were 2,112 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% 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 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,339, and the median income for a family was $44,951. Males had a median income of $32,848 versus $24,076 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 $19,523. About 7.6% of families and 9.8% 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 15.6% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Vernon

*Brewers Corners – 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 ...

on the northern town line and north of Vernon village. *Eaton Hill – An elevation located south of the Village of Vernon. Partially in Madison County. *Gibson Hill – An elevation located south of Vernon Center. * Oneida Castle – The Village of Oneida Castle, northwest of Sherrill. *Sconondoa – A location on the north town line, near Oneida Castle, on NY 365. * Sherrill – The City of Sherrill, the smallest city in the state, is in the western part of the town. Unlike other cities in New York, for some purposes it falls under Vernon's jurisdiction. * Vernon – The Village of Vernon, centrally located in the town, east of Sherrill on NY5. * Vernon Center – A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town, located on NY 26 and is the eastern terminus of NY 31. *

Vernon Downs Vernon Downs is a horse racing track, racino and entertainment facility located in the town of Vernon in central New York, United States. The track was established in 1953 and in 1955 was the location that Adios Harry ran his "Miracle Mile". A ...

Education

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School District Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School District, also known as the Sherrill City School District, is a school district in Verona, New York. Its service area totals to . Service area Most of the district is in Oneida County. There it includes m ...

operates area schools. W.A. Wettel Elementary School is in Vernon.Home
W.A. Wettel Elementary School. Retrieved on December 11, 2018. and the E.A. Mcallister Elementary School is in Sherrill. The area secondary schools are Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Middle School and

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School, commonly referred to as VVS, is a public high school in Verona, New York. Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School offers a comprehensive curriculum for grades 9-12 and is part of the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central ...

References

External links

Town of VernonVernon Downs
racetrack {{authority control Utica–Rome metropolitan area Towns in Oneida County, New York Towns in New York (state)