Canajoharie, New York

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Canajoharie (Template:IPAc-en) is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 3,660 as of the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020"/> Canajoharie is located south of the Mohawk River on the southern border of the county. The Erie Canal passes along the northern town line. The village of Canajoharie is in the northern part of the town. Both are east of Utica and west of Amsterdam.

History

The town is near the former site of Canajoharie, an important village of the Mohawk nation that also became known as the Upper Castle. The Mohawk had as their territory most of the central area of present-day New York, from the Hudson River west to where Oneida territory started.<ref>Burke, T. E. Jr., & Starna, W. A. (1991). Mohawk Frontier: The Dutch Community of Schenectady, New York, 1661-1710. SUNY Press. p. 26</ref> They dominated the fur trade with the French based in central Quebec, and with Dutch and later English in eastern New York. French, Dutch and later English trappers and traders came to this Mohawk village to trade. Both the French and Dutch married or had unions with Mohawk women, increasing their ties with the people. Their mixed-race children married into the Dutch and later English communities.<ref>Burke (1991), Mohawk Frontier, p. 93</ref> Many of their sons also became interpreters or traders.

Anglo-Europeans began settling in the area c.1737, and the Mohawk gradually adopted certain English customs in their village. Because the Mohawk and three other Iroquois nations were allied with the British during the Revolutionary War, they were forced to cede most of their lands in New York after the United States' victory. The state sold millions of acres of land to speculators and private owners.

After the Revolutionary War, George Washington visited Canajoharie after surveying the damage to nearby Cherry Valley. He stayed the night at the Van Alstyne home, a common meeting place long referred to by some as Fort Rensselaer - though the actual fort (destroyed sometime before the French and Indian War) was in nearby Fort Plain.

The modern town was formed in 1788, but was reduced in size to create the towns of Minden (1797) and Root (in part, 1822). While the Mohawk Valley developed with the completion of the Erie Canal, the project also enabled considerable migration from New York to the Midwest. The population of the town in 1865 was 4,248.

The town of Canajoharie was consumed by fire twice, causing an ordinance to be passed prohibiting homes to be constructed of wood. Therefore, many of the older homes in the town are made of brick or locally quarried stone.

Beech-Nut, the baby food producer, was founded in Canajoharie in 1890 during the period of early industrialization in the river valley. It served as the largest employer in the town for more than a century. In March 2011, the Beech-Nut factory moved out of Canajoharie, relocating to a new factory in the nearby town of Florida, still in Montgomery County.<ref>"Beech-Nut ends production in Canajoharie," The Leader-Herald, March 27, 2011</ref>

Geography

Canajoharie is in western Montgomery County and is bordered to the south by Otsego and Schoharie counties. The northern town boundary follows the Mohawk River. The Erie Canal is part of the river in this area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert, or 1.16%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024"/> Canajoharie Creek drains most of the town, flowing north and dropping over several waterfalls, including Canajoharie Falls, to join the Mohawk River at Canajoharie village.

The New York State Thruway crosses the northern part of the town, following the river, and with access to the village from Exit 29. The Thruway leads east Template:Convert to Albany, the state capital, and west Template:Convert to Utica. New York State Route 5S parallels the Thruway, leading east Template:Convert to Fultonville and west Template:Convert to Fort Plain. New York State Route 10 is a north–south highway, intersecting the Thruway and NY-5S at Canajoharie village. NY-10 leads north Template:Convert to Ephratah, continuing on into the Adirondacks, and south Template:Convert to Sharon Springs.

Demographics

Template:US Census population

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 3,797 people, 1,492 households, and 1,026 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,637 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 97.02% White, 0.63% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.

There were 1,492 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,701, and the median income for a family was $39,646. Males had a median income of $29,107 versus $22,617 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,702. About 11.0% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

The town’s current population of 3,660 (according to the 2020 US Census) is the lowest in its recorded history (dating back to 1820).

Communities and locations in the town

  • Ames – A village in the southern section of the town on NY-10.
  • Bowmans Creek – A stream in the southern part of the town.
  • Budd Hill – A location at the southern town line, south of Ames.
  • Buel – A hamlet in the southwestern section of the town, on Canajoharie Creek. The community and much of the southern part of Canajoharie were once called Bowmans Creek, after early settler Jacob Bowman.
  • Canajoharie – A village in the northern part of the town, on the Mohawk River and NY-10.
  • Canajoharie Creek – A stream in the south central part of the town.
  • Canajoharie Falls – A waterfall located south of the village of Canajoharie.
  • Fort Plain – A village that is partly in the town at the western town line.
  • Maple Hill – A landform east of Marshville.
  • Mapletown – A location near the eastern town line, named after local trees.
  • Marshville – A hamlet south of Canajoharie village on NY-10.
  • Sprout Brook – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town, on Bowmans Creek.
  • Van Deusenville – A hamlet near the town line in the southwestern section of the town.
  • Waterville – A hamlet northeast of Ames.

Notable people

References

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