Alma, New York
| Alma | |
| Town | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | New York |
| County | Allegany County |
| Elevation | 2,546 ft (776.0 m) |
| Coordinates | 42°00′45″N 78°03′28″W / 42.01250°N 78.05778°WCoordinates: 42°00′45″N 78°03′28″W / 42.01250°N 78.05778°W |
| Area | 36.5 sq mi (94.5 km2) |
| - land | 36.5 sq mi (95 km2) |
| - water | 0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 0.27% |
| Population | 842 (2010) |
| Incorporated | 1854 |
| Town Supervisor | Karen Linza (R)
|
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 14708 |
| Area code | 585 |
  Location of Alma in New York
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 Location of New York in the United States
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Alma is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 842 at the 2010 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.
The area was first settled around 1833. The Town of Alma was established in 1854 from part of the Town of Willing. From 1881 to January 1893 several of the settlements in the Township (most notably Allentown) were on the Wellsville-Eldred 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.
Remnants of the railroad bed for the BE&C can be seen in the village of West Clarksville between the village and Dodge Creek behind the Clarksville store.James E. Lewis, a resident in West Clarksville from 1936-1950. This railroad bed was one of my playgrounds with my bicycle. The Clarksville store was in my family for three generations: Frank Windsor, James E. Windsor, and my dad Malcolm W. Lewis.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.5 square miles (95 km2), of which 36.5 square miles (95 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (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 2,500 feet (760 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 (NY 417) crosses the north part of the town.
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Wikipedia