German Flatts, New York

German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,629 at the 2000 census.

The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer on the south side of the Mohawk River, and southeast of Utica.

Herkimer
This was one of the original areas of the Burnetsfield Patent, when Palatine German immigrants were granted leases to purchase land from the Mohawk Iroquois in 1722-1723. The village was attacked during the French and Indian War, as well as during the American Revolutionary War. Residents retreated to Fort Herkimer, which they built on the south bank of the Mohawk River.

The town was set apart in the now defunct Tryon County, which was broken up into Montgomery and other counties after the Revolutionary War. It was established as a town in 1788 before the formation of Herkimer County. Previous to the establishment, the area that was to become the town had also been called German Flatts.

Towns
In 1791, when Herkimer County was established, German Flatts was one of the three original towns. Three new towns were created from German Flatts in 1792: Frankfort, Litchfield, and Warren. Another part of German Flatts was used in 1829 to form part of the Town of Little Falls.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 34.3 square miles (88.7 km²), of which, 33.7 square miles (87.4 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.52%) is water.

The north town line is marked by the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal.

The New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) crosses the northeast part of the town. New York State Route 5S passes through the northern part of German Flatts and intersects New York State Route 28 in Mohawk village. New York State Route 168 runs southeasterly through the town from Mohawk village.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,629 people, 5,483 households, and 3,591 families residing in the town. The population density was 403.9 people per square mile (156.0/km²). There were 5,832 housing units at an average density of 172.8/sq mi (66.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.59% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.

There were 5,483 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,772, and the median income for a family was $39,380. Males had a median income of $29,973 versus $21,425 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,870. About 11.1% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in German Flatts

 * Days Rock – A hamlet near the center of the town on NY-168.
 * East Frankfort – A hamlet partly in the northeast corner of German Flatts.
 * Edicks – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town on County Road 68.
 * Fort Herkimer – A hamlet near the north town line and the Mohawk River.
 * Ilion – The Village of Ilion is at the northwest border of German Flatts near the Mohawk River on NY-5S.
 * Kinne Corners – A location on the west town line.
 * Mohawk – The Village of Mohawk is at the north border of the town on NY-5S.
 * North Ilion – A community located north of Ilion village, next to the Mohawk River.
 * Rock Hill – An elevation in the southeast part of German Flatts.
 * Russell Park – A location southwest of Mohawk village.
 * Shoemaker Hill – An elevation in the eastern part of the town.
 * South Ilion – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town on NY-5S.