Decatur, New York
| Decatur, New York | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Decatur, Otsego County, NY |
|
| Coordinates: 42°40′13″N 74°42′4″W / 42.67028°N 74.70111°WCoordinates: 42°40′13″N 74°42′4″W / 42.67028°N 74.70111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Otsego |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20.8 sq mi (53.8 km2) |
| • Land | 20.6 sq mi (53.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,100 ft (640 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 353 |
| • Density | 17/sq mi (6.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 12197 |
| Area code(s) | 607 |
| FIPS code | 36-19895 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0978890 |
The Town of Decatur is a town located on the eastern border of Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. census, it had a population of 353. It is named for naval hero Stephen Decatur.
Early settlers began arriving in the 1790, settling at the present Decatur village. Decatur was formed from part of the Town of Worcester in 1808. Its surface is hilly, broken by narrow valleys. The principal streams are Oak and Parker creeks tributary to the Schenevus. The first settlement was made in 1790 by Jacob Kinney near the present village of Decatur. The first merchant in the village was Nahum Thompson, who was member of the assembly in 1844. The first supervisor was David Tripp, and the first town clerk was Lemuel Fletcher. The first school was taught by Samuel Turber about the year 1798. The first grist mill was erected by John Champion, the grandfather of S.B. Champion, editor of the Stamford Mirror. James Stewart built the first carding mill.
Jacob Brown and his son Jacob came from Columbia county in 1787. Nathan and Gardner Boorn were early settlers. Amos, a son of Gardner, was supervisor for six years. The brothers Elisha, John and Samuel Waterman, came from Norwich, Connecticut, soon after the Revolution. From Elisha was descended Lewis Edson Waterman, inventor of the "Waterman Ideal Fountain Pen", who was born in Decatur in 1837, and died in Brooklyn, New York in 1900.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.8 square miles (54 km2), of which, 20.6 square miles (53 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of it (0.87%) is water.
The east town line is the border of Schoharie County.
As of the census of 2000, there were 410 people, 158 households, and 117 families residing in the town. The population density was 19.9 people per square mile (7.7/km²). There were 281 housing units at an average density of 13.6 per square mile (5.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.78% White, 0.24% African American, 0.24% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.
...
Wikipedia