:
For the City of Johnstown, see Johnstown (city), New York.Johnstown is a
town located in
Fulton County,
New York,
United States. As of the 2000
U.S. Census, the town had a population of 7,166. The name of the town is from landowner
William Johnson.
The
Town of Johnstown is located on the southern border of the county.
History
Johnstown was founded by
William Johnson, a British military officer and colonial government official, in a region once known as Kingsborough. Johnson named the settlement after his son, John Johnson, and by 1762 constructed a baronial hall.
In 1781, during the
American Revolution, colonial forces, consisting of militia and Oneida allies, were victorious over a mixed force of Tories and native allies. All of the holdings of the Johnson family were forfeit due to their allegiance to Britain.
The Town of Johnstown was formed in 1793 and served as the seat of sprawling Montgomery County, which encompassed a major portion of
Upstate New York. The town was divided afterwards to form new towns in the county:
Mohawk (1837 and now in
Montgomery County),
Bleecker (1831), and
Caroga (1842). In 1772, Johnson constructed a courthouse and jail, partly at his own expense, leading to further development.
The core of the town was incorporated as a village in 1808. Later, in 1895, the village was chartered as the
City of Johnstown.
The town was early involved in the
tanning of
leather and manufacture of leather goods, primarily gloves.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 71.4
square miles (184.9
km²), of which, 70.2 square miles (181.8 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²) of it (1.63%) is water.
The southern town line is the border of
Montgomery County.
New York State Route 29,
New York State Route 29A, and
New York State Route 67 are east-west highways.
New York State Route 30A, a north-south highway, intersects NY-29A in the City of Gloversville and NY-29 in the City of Johnstown.
New York State Route 309 is northwest of Gloversville.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 7,166 people, 2,471 households, and 1,840 families residing in the town. The
population density was 102.1 people per square mile (39.4/km²). There were 2,728 housing units at an average density of 38.9/sq mi (15.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.44%
White, 4.63%
Black or
African American, 0.04%
Native American, 0.71%
Asian, 1.56% from
other races, and 0.61% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 3.28% of the population.
There were 2,471 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were
married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 114.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,591, and the median income for a family was $44,167. Males had a median income of $27,940 versus $24,688 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $17,910. About 6.9% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Johnstown
- Albany Bush – A former location in the town near Johnstown city.
- Berkshire – A location east of Gloversville on NY-29A.
- Cork – A location near the west town line on NY-29.
- Dennies Crossing – A hamlet northeast of Gloversville on ny-30A.
- Eppie Corners – A location near the west town line on NY-67.
- Fulton County Airport (NY0) – A general aviation airport southeast of Johnstown city.
- Hale Mills – A hamlet east of Johnstown on NY-29.
- Kecks Center – A hamlet west of Johnstown on NY-67.
- Kingsboro – A location northwest of Gloversville.
- Meco – A hamlet north of Johnstown and west of Gloversville at the junction of County Roads 101 and 122.
- Pleasant Square – A hamlet directly north of Gloversville, mostly around Phelps Street.
- Progress – A hamlet east of Gloversville on the east town line.
- Sammonsville – A hamlet by the south town line on NY-334.
- Smiths Corners – A location northwest of Gloversville near West Bush.
- Tryon Girls Secure Facility – A NY correctional facility for girls.
- West Bush – A hamlet northwest of Gloversville.
