Webb, New York | |
|---|---|
 Location within Herkimer County | |
  Webb  Webb | |
| Coordinates: 43°46′4″N 74°56′41″W / 43.76778°N 74.94472°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Herkimer |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Town Supervisor | Bonnie Baker |
| • Town Council | Michael Ross, Barbara Green, Kurt Gardner, and Tom Greco |
| Area | |
| • Total | 484.36 sq mi (1,254.45 km2) |
| • Land | 452.34 sq mi (1,171.56 km2) |
| • Water | 32.00 sq mi (82.89 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,732 ft (528 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,797 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| FIPS code | 36-043-78927 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979613[2] |
| Website | https://townwebb.digitaltowpath.org/ |
Webb is the northernmost town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,807.[4]
It is named after William Seward Webb, president of the Raquette Lake Transportation Company, the Fulton Chain Railway Company, Fulton Navigation Company, and the Mohawk and Malone Railway. The railroads in Webb were instrumental in opening the Adirondacks to the tourism rush of the mid-to-late 19th century. The Adirondack Railroad will resume tourist passenger service through the town in 2022: 41 years since the last train ran beyond Big Moose, NY.
Attempts were made to settle Webb circa 1800 and 1811, but both efforts failed. The first permanent settlers arrived in approximately 1837.
In 1836, the town of Wilmurt was formed from parts of the towns of Ohio and Russia. Only the south part of Wilmurt was heavily settled. Webb was formed from the northern part of the now-defunct town of Wilmurt in 1896. Part of Wilmurt was returned to the town of Ohio.
When Dr. Webb's Mohawk and Malone Railway reached the town in 1892, it precipitated twenty years of prosperity from lumbering and tourism.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 484.3 square miles (1,254.3 km2), of which 452.3 square miles (1,171.4 km2) are land and 32.0 square miles (82.9 km2), or 6.61%, are water. Webb has the most land area of any town in New York State, although Brookhaven covers a larger area when including water.
Webb is in the Adirondack Park. One end of the Fulton Chain Lakes is located in the town. New York State Route 28 crosses the southern part of the town from west to east, passing through the communities of Old Forge and Thendara.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 920 | — | |
| 1910 | 1,250 | 35.9% | |
| 1920 | 1,357 | 8.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,785 | 31.5% | |
| 1940 | 1,373 | −23.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,308 | −4.7% | |
| 1960 | 1,562 | 19.4% | |
| 1970 | 1,616 | 3.5% | |
| 1980 | 1,701 | 5.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,637 | −3.8% | |
| 2000 | 1,912 | 16.8% | |
| 2010 | 1,807 | −5.5% | |
| 2020 | 1,797 | −0.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,912 people, 845 households, and 534 families residing in the town. The population density was 4.2 people per square mile (1.6/km2). There were 3,833 housing units at an average density of 8.5 per square mile (3.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.96% White, 0.68% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.
There were 845 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,541, and the median income for a family was $43,516. Males had a median income of $30,906 versus $20,398 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,910. About 4.5% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
