Olean is a
townA 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
Cattaraugus CountyCattaraugus County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 80,317. The county seat is Little Valley.-History:...
,
New YorkNew 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...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,029 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the Latin word "oleum" due to the discovery of crude oil in nearby Ischua.
The
Town of Olean is in the southeast corner of the county. The City of Olean, originally the Village of Olean, is adjacent to the town.
History
Olean was first settled around 1805.
The Town of Olean was established in 1808 as the only town in the county. The "Town of Ischua," (now
FranklinvilleFranklinville is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 3,128 at the 2000 census.The Town of Franklinville is an interior town, located in the northeast quadrant of the county. Franklinville is also the name of a village in the town.- History :The town was first...
) was established in 1812, part of
PerrysburgPerrysburg is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 1,771 at the 2000 census. The Town is named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.The Town of Perrysburg is in the northeast corner of the county...
was removed in 1814,
Great ValleyGreat Valley is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 2,145 at the 2000 census. The town is named after its local geographical setting, a relative comparison of two tributaries of the Allegheny River.The Town of Great Valley is centrally located in the...
was formed in 1818,
HinsdaleHinsdale is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 2,270 at the 2000 census. The town was named after another location: Hinsdale, New Hampshire....
in 1820, and
PortvillePortville is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 3,952 at the 2000 census. The name is derived by the town's early role in shipping lumber and other items down river....
, in 1837.
The Village of Olean, was originally named "Hamilton," after
Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, but was called Olean Point until simplified to Olean in 1823.
The name "Olean" was suggested for the area due to the oil found in the vicinity. The famed Seneca Oil Spring, discovered by the Franciscan Missionary Joseph De La Roche D'Allion in 1627 was located about 14 miles upstream of Olean Point. The original town hall burned in 1884, prompting a law that forbade wooden structures in parts of the town.
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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 29.7 square miles (77.0 km²), of which, 29.6 square miles (76.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.27%) is water.
The
Allegheny RiverThe Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
flows through the town. The south town line is the border of
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The Southern Tier Expressway (
Interstate 86Interstate 86 is an Interstate Highway that extends for through northwestern Pennsylvania and southern New York in the United States...
and
New York State Route 17New York State Route 17 is a state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States...
,
New York State Route 16New York State Route 16 is a state highway in western New York, United States. It runs from the Pennsylvania state line, where it is one of the highest highways in the state in elevation, to downtown Buffalo. NY 16 is a major route through Erie County, despite the construction of the...
, and
New York State Route 417New 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...
pass through the town.
Adjacent towns and areas
(
ClockwiseCircular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
)
- Hinsdale
Hinsdale is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 2,270 at the 2000 census. The town was named after another location: Hinsdale, New Hampshire....
- Portville
Portville is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 3,952 at the 2000 census. The name is derived by the town's early role in shipping lumber and other items down river....
- Eldred Township
Eldred Township is a township in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,696 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, McKean CountyAs of the census of 2000, there were 45,936 people, 18,024 households, and 12,094 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 21,644 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
, PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
- Allegany
Allegany is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 8,230 at the 2000 census.The Town of Allegany is on the south border of the county, west of the City of Olean. There is a village called Allegany inside this town....
Demographics
As of the
censusA 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 2,029 people, 827 households, and 564 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 68.5 people per square mile (26.4/km²). There were 891 housing units at an average density of 30.1 per square mile (11.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.88% White, 0.34% Black or
African AmericanRace 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...
, 0.15% Native American, 0.79% Asian, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population.
There were 827 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were
married couplesMarriage 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,288, and the median income for a family was $47,232. Males had a median income of $35,947 versus $23,641 for females. The
per capita incomePer 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 $19,265. About 7.1% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Olean
- Baldwin Heights – A district in northern Olean.
- Barnum – A hamlet
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
by the south town line on County Road 29.
- Boardmanville – A district of the City of Olean on the northeast side of Olean Creek.
- Camel Back – A steep hill southwest of the City of Olean, south of the river.
- East Olean – A district of the City of Olean on the east and southeast of the Olean Creek.
- Four Mile – A community at the west town line, located on NY-16.
- Giermek Executive Airport (8G3) – A general aviation grass strip airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
on the south side of the Allegheny River and southeast of the City of Olean.
- Haydenville – A hamlet on the eastern town line on County Road 92.
- Homer Hill – An area in the northwest of the City of Olean mostly removed by the construction of NY 17/I-86.
- North Olean – A district in northern Olean, west of Olean Creek.
- Mount Herman – A steep hill on the south side of the river.
- Olean Creek – A stream, flowing south through the town. It separates North Olean from Boardmanville. It flows into the Allegheny River and forms the western boundary of East Olean
- Seneca Heights – A section of the City of Olean, south and east of the Allegheny River.
- South Olean – The section of Olean south of State Street and east of Fourth street.
- Cherry Hill-- A neighborhood in the City of Olean.
External links