Town in New York, United States
Williamstown is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,277 at the 2010 census.
The Town of Williamstown is on the county's eastern boundary.
History
After the Revolutionary War, Williamstown did not exist until plans were made to settle west of the Hudson River. In 1791 Nicholas and John Roosevelt purchased 525,000 that covered most of Oswego, Oneida, and a small chunk of Herkimer counties known as the Roosevelt purchase. In 1794 it was then purchased by George Scriba, which then became the Scriba Patent. Scriba then broke up most of the land that he purchased into townships and given what is now Williamstown the name Franklin, Township No.5. Ichabod Comstock was the first to settle in Franklin in 1801. Judge Henry Williams relocated to Franklin from Camden, New York in 1802 and shortly after Williams came to Franklin the people renamed the town Williamstown in Williams’s honor. Williamstown became an official town after separating from Mexico, part of Oneida County at the time on March 24, 1804. Oswego County wasn’t formed until 1816.[5]
Geography
Williamstown is bordered to the northeast by Redfield, to the northwest by Orwell, to the west by Albion, to the south by Amboy, and to the east by the Oneida County town of Florence.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.2 square miles (102 km2), of which 38.7 square miles (100 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (1.20%) is water.
Demographics
Historical population
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|
| 1820 | 652 | | — |
|---|
| 1830 | 606 | | −7.1% |
|---|
| 1840 | 842 | | 38.9% |
|---|
| 1850 | 1,121 | | 33.1% |
|---|
| 1860 | 1,144 | | 2.1% |
|---|
| 1870 | 1,833 | | 60.2% |
|---|
| 1880 | 1,820 | | −0.7% |
|---|
| 1890 | 1,215 | | −33.2% |
|---|
| 1900 | 1,023 | | −15.8% |
|---|
| 1910 | 896 | | −12.4% |
|---|
| 1920 | 767 | | −14.4% |
|---|
| 1930 | 706 | | −8.0% |
|---|
| 1940 | 710 | | 0.6% |
|---|
| 1950 | 707 | | −0.4% |
|---|
| 1960 | 739 | | 4.5% |
|---|
| 1970 | 883 | | 19.5% |
|---|
| 1980 | 1,008 | | 14.2% |
|---|
| 1990 | 1,279 | | 26.9% |
|---|
| 2000 | 1,350 | | 5.6% |
|---|
| 2010 | 1,277 | | −5.4% |
|---|
| 2016 (est.) | 1,265 | [2] | −0.9% |
|---|
|
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,350 people, 449 households, and 338 families residing in the town. The population density was 34.9 inhabitants per square mile (13.5/km2). There were 634 housing units at an average density of 16.4 per square mile (6.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.07% White, 0.37% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.
There were 449 households, out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.41.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,509, and the median income for a family was $34,688. Males had a median income of $32,566 versus $21,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,599. About 13.5% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
