Nunda, New York

Nunda (pronounced "none-day") is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 3,064 at the 2010 census. Nunda welcomes each visitor with signs stating, "Welcome to Nunda, A Nice Place To Live." The name is derived from Nunda-wa-ono, the name given to it by a group of the Seneca Indian tribe that once lived in the hills and valleys along the Genesee river and Keshequa stream within the present-day Town of Nunda. In the Seneca language, "Nunda" relates to hills and a popular translation is "Where the valley meets the hills".

The Town of Nunda is at the southwest border of the county and contains a village also called Nunda.

History
In 1790, two small Seneca Indian villages could be found opposite each other on the Chautauqua Hollow Trail which became State Street.

Nunda was first settled around 1806 near the village of Nunda. The town was formed in 1808 from the Town of Angelica (in Allegany County) before the creation of Livingston County. In 1827, part of Nunda was used to found the new Town of Portage. Originally called the Village of the Nunda Valley, the name was shortened to Nunda by Charles H Carroll in 1824. The Village of Nunda, also part of the Keshequa Region of Western New York State, was incorporated as "Nunda Valley" and later Nunda in 1939. On March 11, 2008, Nunda celebrated its Bicentennial.

In 1808, only three pioneer families lived in what is now the Town of Nunda. By 1830 the population had increased to 1,291 and by 1840 there were 2,636 residents. The population peaked at nearly 4,000 in the 1840s when the Genesee River Canal was built, which ran through the town until 1878. The population had fallen to less than 3,000 by the early 1880s.

People of note

 * Chester B. Bowen, Union Army soldier and Medal of Honor winner was born here in 1842
 * Helen Hunt Jackson, American author, was a brief resident.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.1 square miles (96.1 km²), of which, 37.1 square miles (96.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.08%) is water.

The south town line is the border of Allegany County.

New York State Route 436, east-west, intersects New York State Route 408, north-south, at Nunda village. New York State Route 70 crosses the south part of the town.

Adjacent towns and areas
Nunda is a small village surrounded mostly by agricultural and rural land, but there are also many different areas surrounding the town. The Town of Portage is on the west side, and the Towns of West Sparta and Ossian are to the east. The Town of Mount Morris is across the northern boundary. The Town of Grove in Allegany County is on the south. Within a fifteen-minute drive from Nunda you can arrive at Interstate 390, which provides transportation up to the city of Rochester and the Finger Lakes Region. You are also in close proximity to Letchworth State Park which is known as the "Grand Canyon of the East", the Swain Ski Slopes and the Genesee Valley Greenway. Among those attractions, you can also take Route 408 to the town of Geneseo, home of one of the top ranked SUNY schools in New York State, SUNY Geneseo. To explore even further you can take Route 436 out of town and arrive in Dansville.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,017 people, 1,131 households, and 842 families residing in the town. The population density was 81.4 people per square mile (31.4/km²). There were 1,298 housing units at an average density of 35.0 per square mile (13.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.88% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 1,131 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town, the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,665, and the median income for a family was $44,677. Males had a median income of $32,483 versus $22,660 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,604. About 5.3% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Nunda

 * Barkertown – A hamlet southeast of Nunda village.
 * Coopersville – A hamlet northeast of Nunda village.
 * Dalton – A hamlet (and census-designated place) in the southwest corner of the town (part is also in the town of Portage) on Route 408.
 * East Hill – A former community in the southeast part of the town.
 * Nunda – The Village of Nunda is near the western town line.
 * Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area – A state conservation area in the southeast part of the town.

Schools
The town is in the Keshequa Central School District which includes Dalton Elementary School and the Nunda Middle School/High School. The schools are currently under leadership by Superintendent Donald Covell. The word Keshequa is of Seneca origin and means "Stick in the Mud."