Dryden (town), New York
Encyclopedia
Dryden is a town in Tompkins County
, New York
, USA
. The population was 13,532 at the 2000 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Dryden
and one named Freeville
. The town is on the county's eastern border, east of Ithaca
.
, the town has a total area of 94.2 square miles (243.9 km²), of which, 93.9 square miles (243.1 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (0.31%) is water.
The east town line is the border of Cortland County
.
New York State Route 13
intersects New York State Route 38
at Dryden village. New York State Route 79
crosses the southwest part of the town, and New York State Route 366
crosses the northwest part and intersects NY-38 in Freeville. A small part of New York State Route 34B
crosses the northwest corner of Dryden.
Cascadilla Creek flows out the west side of Dryden.
used to pay soldiers of the American Revolution
. It is named for John Dryden
(1631–1700), the English poet and translator of Virgil
(note this is the name of the town adjoining Dryden to the east). Dryden was also the translator of Plutarch's Lives which was probably used as a source for many of the names in the Military Tract by Robert Harpur
in 1790.
The first settler arrived around 1797. The town of Dryden was established in 1803 from part of the town of Ulysses
. In 1856, part of the town of Danby
was added to Dryden.
In 2009, Dryden's Southworth Library sold an original manuscript of an Abraham Lincoln speech that had been delivered at the White House after his re-election. The document had been in the library's possession since 1926. It sold for $3.44 million dollars, a record-high selling price for an American historical document at an auction. http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/auction_begins_for_lincoln_spe.html
of 2000, there were 13,532 people, 5,455 households, and 3,403 families residing in the town. The population density
was 144.2 people per square mile (55.7/km²). There were 5,781 housing units at an average density of 61.6 per square mile (23.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.71% White, 1.49% Black or African American
, 0.33% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races
, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 5,455 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,559, and the median income for a family was $54,886. Males had a median income of $37,579 versus $26,722 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,415. About 7.3% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Tompkins County, New York
Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and comprises the whole of the Ithaca metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,564. The county seat is Ithaca, and the county is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 13,532 at the 2000 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Dryden
Dryden (village), New York
Dryden is a village in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 1,832 at the 2000 census. The name was assigned by a clerk interested in the classics to honor John Dryden, poet and playwright....
and one named Freeville
Freeville, New York
Freeville is a village in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 505 at the 2000 census.The Village of Freeville is in the Town of Dryden and is east of Ithaca.-History:Dryden was in the former Central New York Military Tract....
. The town is on the county's eastern border, east of Ithaca
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
.
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 94.2 square miles (243.9 km²), of which, 93.9 square miles (243.1 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (0.31%) is water.
The east town line is the border of Cortland County
Cortland County, New York
Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, named after Federico Van Cortlandt, president of the convention at Kingston that wrote the first New York State Constitution in 1777, and first lieutenant governor of the state. The county seat is Cortland...
.
New York State Route 13
New York State Route 13
New York State Route 13 is a state highway that runs mainly north–south for between NY 14 in Horseheads and NY 3 west of Pulaski in Central New York in the United States. In between, NY 13 intersects with Interstate 81 in Cortland and Pulaski and meets the New York...
intersects New York State Route 38
New York State Route 38
New York State Route 38 is a north–south state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with NY 96 in the town of Owego in Tioga County. The northern terminus is at a junction with NY 104A in the town of...
at Dryden village. New York State Route 79
New York State Route 79
New York State Route 79 is an east–west state highway in the Southern Tier of New York, United States. The western terminus of the route is at the intersection with NY 414 near the southern end of Seneca Lake east of Watkins Glen...
crosses the southwest part of the town, and New York State Route 366
New York State Route 366
New York State Route 366 is an east–west state highway located entirely within Tompkins County in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. It runs for from State Street just east of downtown Ithaca to NY 38 in Freeville...
crosses the northwest part and intersects NY-38 in Freeville. A small part of New York State Route 34B
New York State Route 34B
New York State Route 34B is a north–south state highway located within Tompkins and Cayuga Counties in Central New York. Its northern terminus is located at a junction with NY 34 by the hamlet of Fleming within the town of the same name in Cayuga County...
crosses the northwest corner of Dryden.
Cascadilla Creek flows out the west side of Dryden.
History
The region was part of the Central New York Military TractCentral New York Military Tract
The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly two million acres of bounty land set aside to compensate New York’s soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War....
used to pay soldiers of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. It is named for John Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
(1631–1700), the English poet and translator of Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
(note this is the name of the town adjoining Dryden to the east). Dryden was also the translator of Plutarch's Lives which was probably used as a source for many of the names in the Military Tract by Robert Harpur
Robert Harpur
Robert Harpur was an American teacher, politician, pioneer, and landowner who settled in the Binghamton, New York area.-Life:...
in 1790.
The first settler arrived around 1797. The town of Dryden was established in 1803 from part of the town of Ulysses
Ulysses, New York
Ulysses is a town located in northwest Tompkins County, New York, U.S.. The population was 4,900 at the 2010 census. The town was named after the hero of the Odyssey....
. In 1856, part of the town of Danby
Danby, New York
Danby is a town in Tompkins County, New York, USA. The population was 3,007 at the 2000 census.The Town of Danby is located in the south part of the county and is south of the City of Ithaca.- History :Danby was first settled around 1797....
was added to Dryden.
In 2009, Dryden's Southworth Library sold an original manuscript of an Abraham Lincoln speech that had been delivered at the White House after his re-election. The document had been in the library's possession since 1926. It sold for $3.44 million dollars, a record-high selling price for an American historical document at an auction. http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/auction_begins_for_lincoln_spe.html
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 13,532 people, 5,455 households, and 3,403 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 144.2 people per square mile (55.7/km²). There were 5,781 housing units at an average density of 61.6 per square mile (23.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.71% White, 1.49% Black or African American
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...
, 0.33% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.58% 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 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 5,455 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% 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, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,559, and the median income for a family was $54,886. Males had a median income of $37,579 versus $26,722 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 $22,415. About 7.3% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Dryden
- Bethel Grove – A hamlet on NY-79 in the southwest part of the town.
- DrydenDryden (village), New YorkDryden is a village in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 1,832 at the 2000 census. The name was assigned by a clerk interested in the classics to honor John Dryden, poet and playwright....
– A village located on NY-13. - Dryden Lake – A small lakeLakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
near the east town line. - Dryden Lake Wildlife Management AreaNew York State Wildlife Management AreasNew York State owns and maintains more than 85 Wildlife Management Areas , with a total area of more than .The Wildlife Management Areas Program is administered by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources of the Department of Environmental Conservation...
– A conservation area by the east town line. - Ellis (or "Ellis Hollow") – A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
- Etna – A hamlet located near Ithaca.
- FreevilleFreeville, New YorkFreeville is a village in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 505 at the 2000 census.The Village of Freeville is in the Town of Dryden and is east of Ithaca.-History:Dryden was in the former Central New York Military Tract....
– A village located on NY-38. - Hibbards Corners – A location in the western part of the town.
- Howland Corners – A location at the west town line on NY-34B.
- Lacy Corners – A hamlet north of Dryden village.
- Malloryville – A location in the northeast part of Dryden.
- Peruton – A location by the north town line.
- Red Mills – A hamlet northeast of Freeville.
- Smith Corners – A location at the west town line south of Howland Corners.
- VarnaVarna, New YorkVarna is a hamlet located in Tompkins County, New York, USA. It is within the Town of Dryden.Varna is located near the west town line on New York State Route 366 . Fall Creek flows past the town to Cayuga Lake.-External links:* *...
– A hamlet located near the west town line on NY-366. - West Dryden – A hamlet in the northwest part of Dryden.
- Willow Glen – A location west of Dryden village on NY-13.