Hartwick, New York

Hartwick is a town located in Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 2,110. The Town of Hartwick is located in the middle of the county, southwest of Village of Cooperstown. The town was named for Lutheran minister John Christopher Hartwick (1714–1796), an early landowner of the town. He bought the area (the Hartwick Patent, granted 1761) that now constitutes the township from the Mohawk Indians in 1763. Discontent with the sparsely settled communities of Palatine Germans in the Mohawk Valley to the north, which Hartwick believed made people immoral, he bought the original Hartwick Patent with the intent to build a "New Jerusalem". This did not occur as Hartwick stipulated, according to conditions in his lease that residents look to him as their religious superior, and by the 1790s the shrewd land speculator William Cooper had sold most of Hartwick's land against his wishes.

Instead of a New Jerusalem, Hartwick requested in his will that a Lutheran seminary be opened with his estate. Upon Hartwick's death in 1797, efforts to do this started but were complicated by the fact that Hartwick left his estate to Jesus Christ. The Lutheran seminary established at Hartwick in 1797 was incorporated in 1816, moved to Oneonta after 1931 and in 1947 merged with the 1927 Hartwick College. The town was established in 1802 from the Town of Otsego. In 1803, the north town line was altered. The largest commercial enterprise to occur in Hartwick was probably the Oneonta-Mohawk trolley line which arrived in 1901 and had extensive shops, car barn and yards on the southeast side of the village, many of the hamlets and crossings still show architectural signs of its passage nearly a century after the last passenger service.

People of note in Hartwick

 * William H. Bissell, born in Hartwick in 1811, later congressman and governor in Illinois.
 * Martin Grover, former US Congressman
 * George Lough, Scottish immigrant who was one of the earliest importers of cheviot sheep to America, and with son in law William Curry established the American Cheviot Sheep Breeders Association.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.3 sqmi, of which, 40.2 sqmi of it is land and 0.2 sqmi of it (0.45%) is water. New York State Route 205 is a north-south highway in the western side of Hartwick. Otsego Creek flows through the western part of Hartwick. The Susquehanna River defines the east town line.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,203 people, 850 households, and 601 families residing in the town. The population density was 54.9 people per square mile (21.2/km²). There were 1,098 housing units at an average density of 27.3 per square mile (10.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.96% White, 0.41% African American, 0.73% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 850 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,764, and the median income for a family was $38,889. Males had a median income of $28,529 versus $21,111 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,473. About 9.9% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Hartwick

 * Arnold Lake – A lake near the south town line.
 * Chase – A location on County Road 11 in the northeast part of Hartwick, that once had a trolley line siding.
 * Cooks – site of another former trolley siding halfway between Chase and Summit, one of the more scenic sections of the trolley route.
 * Clintonville – A hamlet in the southeast part of Hartwick.
 * Field Crossing – A location on County Road 11 near the north town line.
 * Goey Lake – A lake in the southeast part of the town.
 * Hartwick – The hamlet of Hartwick is located on NY-205 at County Road 11.
 * Hartwick Reservoir – A small lake east of Hartwick village.
 * Hemlock Hill – An elevation near the west town line noted for treacherous winter driving conditions.
 * Jones Crossing – A hamlet south of Hartwick village on NY-205, once a siding on the Oneonta Mohawk trolley line.
 * Perkins Crossing – A location on County Road 11 near the north town line.
 * Scotch Hill – A location in the northwest part of Hartwick
 * South Hartwick – A hamlet on County Road 11, south of Hartwick village.
 * Summit Crossing – A location on County Road 11 near the north town line.
 * Toddsville – A hamlet at the east town line on County Road 26, once home of a large textile mill.