Stark, New York
Encyclopedia
Stark is a town
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 Herkimer County
Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...

, 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...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 767 at the 2000 census. The town was named after a Revolutionary War
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...

 General named John Stark
John Stark
John Stark was a New Hampshire native who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.-Early life:John Stark was born in Londonderry, New...

.

The Town of Stark is in the eastern part of Herkimer County.

History

Settlement occurred before 1775, but many residents departed during the Revolutionary War.
The town was established from part of the Town of Danube
Danube, New York
Danube is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2000 census. Early Palatine German immigrants in the eighteenth century named the town after the Danube River in Europe....

 in 1828.

Notable former residents

  • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
    Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
    Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was an American author who lived in rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings. Her best known work, The Yearling, about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn, won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939 and was later made into a movie, also known as The...

     bought property in Van Hornesville to obtain background for her novel, The Sojourner and spent time there every year up to her death.

  • Owen D. Young, founder of the Radio Corporation of America, was a lifelong resident of Van Hornesville.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 31.5 square miles (81.6 km²), of which, 31.5 square miles (81.6 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.

The east town line is the border of Montgomery County
Montgomery County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...

, 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...

, and the south town line is the border of Otsego County
Otsego County, New York
Otsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...

, 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...

.

Otsquago Creek flows through the town.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 767 people, 286 households, and 215 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 24.3 people per square mile (9.4/km²). There were 334 housing units at an average density of 10.6 per square mile (4.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.09% White, 0.39% African American, 0.39% Pacific Islander, and 0.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.26% of the population.

There were 286 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 110.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,518, and the median income for a family was $34,545. Males had a median income of $27,813 versus $21,042 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 $14,128. About 14.1% of families and 19.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Stark, NY

  • Cramer Corners – A location near the north town line.
  • Deck – A hamlet west of Smith Corners.
  • Smith Corners – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town.
  • Starkville – A hamlet in the eastern part of the town on Route 80
    New York State Route 80
    New York State Route 80 is a west–east New York State Route located within Onondaga, Madison, Chenango, Otsego, Herkimer, and Montgomery Counties in New York. Its western terminus is located at a junction with NY 175 in the city of Syracuse in Onondaga County, from which it...

    .
  • Van Hornesville – A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
  • Willse Four Corners – A location near the south town line.

External links

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