Alma, New York
Encyclopedia
Alma is a town
in Allegany County
, New York, USA
. The population was 847 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is uncertain. It may come from the Latin word for "nourishing", or it may be named for a city in Germany.
The Town of Alma is on the southern edge of Allegany County and is southwest of the Village of Wellsville
.
.
From 1881 to January 1893 several of the settlements in the Township (most notably Allentown) were on the Wellsville NY-Eldred PA Main Line of the Bradford, Eldred & Cuba Railroad (BE&C). The BE&C was a 36" narrow-gauge railroad built to serve the Allegany County oil boom. With the end of the boom and loss of the passenger and freight traffic therefrom the railroad entered receivership (bankruptcy) and was abandoned. Today the railheads for Alma Township are Wellsville and Friendship.
, the town has a total area of 36.5 square miles (94.5 km²), of which, 36.5 square miles (94.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.25%) is water.
Alma Hill, the wide rise which dominates the southern half of town, is at 2,548 feet (777 m) not only the highest point in Allegany County but the entire western half of the state. The section of Alma Hill Road that runs near the summit is, at approximately 2500 feet (762 m), the highest free paved public road in the state outside of the Catskills
.
The south town line is the Pennsylvania border
.
New York State Route 417
crosses the north part of the town.
of 2000, there were 847 people, 322 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The population density
was 23.2 people per square mile (9.0/km²). There were 533 housing units at an average density of 14.6 per square mile (5.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.99% White, 0.12% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.24% from other races
, and 1.06% from two or more races.
There were 322 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 106.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,063, and the median income for a family was $35,833. Males had a median income of $31,023 versus $17,778 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,061. About 8.0% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Allegany County
Allegany County, New York
Allegany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,946. Its name derives from a Delaware Indian word, applied by settlers of Western New York State to a trail that followed the Allegheny River. Its county seat is...
, New York, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 847 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is uncertain. It may come from the Latin word for "nourishing", or it may be named for a city in Germany.
The Town of Alma is on the southern edge of Allegany County and is southwest of the Village of Wellsville
Wellsville (village), New York
Wellsville is a Village in Allegany County of New York State. At the top of the Eastern Triple Continental Divide, in south-central wooded and rural Allegany County, it is the largest population and business center in a 30-mile radius. The population was 5,171 at the 2000 census...
.
History
The area was first settled around 1833. The Town of Alma was established in 1854 from part of the Town of WillingWilling, New York
Willing is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,371 at the 2000 census.The Town of Willing is on the southern border of the county, south of the Village of Wellsville.- History :...
.
From 1881 to January 1893 several of the settlements in the Township (most notably Allentown) were on the Wellsville NY-Eldred PA Main Line of the Bradford, Eldred & Cuba Railroad (BE&C). The BE&C was a 36" narrow-gauge railroad built to serve the Allegany County oil boom. With the end of the boom and loss of the passenger and freight traffic therefrom the railroad entered receivership (bankruptcy) and was abandoned. Today the railheads for Alma Township are Wellsville and Friendship.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 36.5 square miles (94.5 km²), of which, 36.5 square miles (94.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.25%) is water.
Alma Hill, the wide rise which dominates the southern half of town, is at 2,548 feet (777 m) not only the highest point in Allegany County but the entire western half of the state. The section of Alma Hill Road that runs near the summit is, at approximately 2500 feet (762 m), the highest free paved public road in the state outside of the Catskills
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
.
The south town line is the Pennsylvania border
New York - Pennsylvania Border
The New York–Pennsylvania border is the state line between the U.S. states of New York and Pennsylvania. It has three sections:* along the center line of the Delaware River from the tri-point with New Jersey at the confluence of the Delaware with the Neversink River in Port Jervis, New York to the...
.
New York State Route 417
New York State Route 417
New York State Route 417 is an east–west state highway located in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It begins at exit 20 of the Southern Tier Expressway in the city of Salamanca and ends at a junction with NY 415 in Painted Post, west of the city of Corning...
crosses the north part of the town.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 847 people, 322 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 23.2 people per square mile (9.0/km²). There were 533 housing units at an average density of 14.6 per square mile (5.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.99% White, 0.12% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.24% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.06% from two or more races.
There were 322 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 106.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,063, and the median income for a family was $35,833. Males had a median income of $31,023 versus $17,778 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $13,061. About 8.0% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Alma
- Alma – The hamlet of Alma at the junction of County Routes 18 and 38 in the southwest corner of the town.
- Allentown – A hamlet by Route 417 in the northwest corner of the town. The community was once an oil boom town.
- Honeoye Creek – A stream flowing through the south part of the town past Alma village.
- Knight Creek – A stream in the northern part of the town by Route 417
- Pikeville – A hamlet in the west part of the town on County Route 18.
- Vosburg – A location on the west town line on Route 417.