Horseheads_(town),_New_York

Horseheads (town), New York

Horseheads is a town in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 19,561 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is derived from the number of bleached horses' skulls found there.

The Town of Horseheads is north of the City of Elmira, upon which it borders. There is also a village named Horseheads in the town. It is part of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area'.

Horseheads is the home of the Horseheads High School and the Blue Raiders athletic teams.

History

The Sullivan Expedition of 1779 killed weak pack animals here on the return southward, leaving the bleached bones, including skulls, for other visitors to find.

Around 1787, the first settlers arrived, making the town one of the first in the county to be populated.

The Town of Horseheads was formed from the Towns of Elmira and Chemung in 1835. Fairport, the current Village of Horseheads, set itself off from the town by becoming an incorporated village in 1837.

The former Chemung Canal passed through the town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.9 square miles (93.0 km²), of which, 35.9 square miles (92.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.14%) is water.

Newtown Creek, a tributary of the Chemung River flows southward along the eastern boundary of the town.

The Southern Tier Expressway (combined Interstate 86 and New York State Route 17) is a major east-west highway. New York State Route 13 and New York State Route 14 are north-south highways through the town. The western end of New York State Route 223 is east of Horseheads village.

The town is in western part of New York and the Southern Tier Region of New York.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,561 people, 7,960 households, and 5,253 families residing in the town. The population density was 545.5 people per square mile (210.6/km²). There were 8,350 housing units at an average density of 232.8/sq mi (89.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.89% White, 1.29% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.

There were 7,960 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,444, and the median income for a family was $46,827. Males had a median income of $36,546 versus $24,197 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,795. About 5.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Horseheads

Breesport -- A hamlet by the east town line on NY-223, named after settler Azariah Breese.
Horseheads -- The Village of Horseheads is a northern suburb of Elmira, located on NY-17.
Elmira Heights -- The Village of Elmira Heights is a northern suburb of Elmira. Most of the village is inside the Town of Horseheads.
Elmira Heights North -- A suburb of Elmira.
Orchard Knoll -- A hamlet southeast of Horseheads village on County Road 51.
Ormiston -- A location south of Breesport.
Slabtown -- A location by the north town line between NY-13 and NY-14. Home of Bryan Malone, Jeff Maximiek, and Mark Romanski and many other losers.