Caneadea, New York

Caneadea, New York
Town
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Allegany
Government
• Type	Town Council
• Town Supervisor	Philip G. Stockin (R)
• Town Council	Members' List • Mary Jo Cronk (R) • Donald Hillman (R) • Troy Martin (R) • Gary Nevinger (R)
Area
• Total	36.3 sq mi (94.1 km2)
• Land	35.6 sq mi (92.3 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2)
Elevation	1,467 ft (447 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	2,542
• Density	71/sq mi (27.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	14717
Area code	585
FIPS code	36-12243
GNIS feature ID	0978787
Website	townofcaneadea.org

Caneadea is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,542 at the 2010 census. The name is from the natives and means "where the heavens rest on earth."

The town is in the northwest quadrant of the county.

History

Caneadea obtained its name from the upper or old Indian village located on a bluff above the east side of the Genesee River opposite the present-day hamlet of Houghton. A square log council house was built with the help of British troops from Fort Niagara sometime in the latter half of the 1700s.

The region was first settled around 1800. The Town of Caneadea was founded in 1808 from part of the town of Angelica. However, the town was reduced to form other towns of the county: Friendship (1815), Rushford (1816), and Belfast (1824 and 1831). The Caneadea Reservation of the Seneca tribe was once located in the town, but they sold off their claims in 1825.

The former Genesee Valley Canal once passed through the town.

The Caneadea Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.3 square miles (94.1 km²), of which 35.6 square miles (92.3 km²) is land and 0.69 square miles (1.8 km²), or 1.91%, is water.

The Genesee River, an important and historic Western New York river, flows through the town. Rushford Lake is partly at the town's west line, and Caneadea Creek is an important stream in the town.

New York State Route 19 passes through the town (north-south) and intersects New York State Route 243 north of Canaeadea village.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	696		—
1830	782		12.4%
1840	1,633		108.8%
1850	1,477		−9.6%
1860	2,125		43.9%
1870	1,869		−12.0%
1880	1,764		−5.6%
1890	1,639		−7.1%
1900	1,310		−20.1%
1910	1,354		3.4%
1920	1,183		−12.6%
1930	1,066		−9.9%
1940	1,089		2.2%
1950	1,845		69.4%
1960	1,911		3.6%
1970	2,364		23.7%
1980	2,421		2.4%
1990	2,551		5.4%
2000	2,694		5.6%
2010	2,542		−5.6%
2014 (est.)	2,351		−7.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,694 people, 650 households, and 436 families residing in the town. The population density was 75.8 people per square mile (29.3/km²). There were 1,098 housing units at an average density of 30.9 per square mile (11.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.33% White, 1.00% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.56% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.26% of the population.

There were 650 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 25.2% 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 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.4% under the age of 18, 40.9% from 18 to 24, 16.1% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,065, and the median income for a family was $39,667. Males had a median income of $29,643 versus $21,563 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,010. About 12.7% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Lady Baldwin, 19th Century baseball pitcher
• William Muldoon, wrestler and first New York State Athletic Commissioner

Communities and locations in Caneadea

• Caneadea – The hamlet of Caneadea is located on Route 19 by the Genesee River in the western part of the town.
• Genesee River – A river that flows northward through the town.
• Houghton – The hamlet of Houghton is the location of Houghton College. The Hamlet is on Route 19 near the northern town line, adjacent to the Genesee River.
• Oramel – A hamlet on Route 19, south of the hamlet of Canadea and near the Genesee River in the south part of the town. Oramel was incorporated as a village in 1856, but later abandoned this status.
• Rushford Lake – A small lake partly inside the western part of the town.

External links

• Town of Caneadea official website
• Brief history note