Country United States County Herkimer Population 7,636 (2010) | State New York Local time Thursday 5:50 AM | |
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Website www.townoffrankfort.com Weather -9°C, Wind W at 21 km/h, 66% Humidity | ||
Frankfort is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The town is named after one of its earliest settlers, Lawrence (Lewis) Frank. The town of Frankfort includes a village, also called Frankfort. Frankfort is located east of Utica and the Erie Canal passes along its north border. At the time of the 2010 census, the population was 7,636. The current mayor of the town is Frank M. Morocco.
Contents
- History
- Geography
- Demographics
- Communities and locations in the Town of Frankfort
- The Herkimer County Fair
- Notable people
- References
Frankfort is also home to the Great American Irish Festival, one of the fastest growing Irish Festivals in America, which is held within the Herkimer County Fairgrounds.
History
The first European settlers in this area were German Palatines who came to the colony as religious refugees in 1723. During the French and Indian War, this area suffered fierce attacks by the French with their Indian allies, and the settlers abandoned much of the area. The area of the early town was resettled before 1794, by the granting of land patents.
After the American Revolutionary War, the town of Frankfort was established from part of German Flatts. In 1798, the northwest part of Frankfort was taken away to form part of the town of Deerfield.
The Balloon Farm in Frankfort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Frankfort has an area of 37.3 square miles (96.7 km²), of which 37.2 square miles (96.4 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) is water.
The western border of the town is the Oneida County line and the northern border is the Mohawk River. Moyer Creek and Ferguson Creek flow northward through Frankfort to the Mohawk River.
New York State Route 5S runs parallel to the Mohawk River. New York State Route 171 intersects NY 5S in the village of Frankfort.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 7,478 people, 2,997 households, and 2,091 families residing in Frankfort. The population density was 200.9 people per square mile (77.6/km²). There were 3,185 housing units at an average density of 85.6 per square mile (33.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.93% White, 0.49% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.
There were 2,997 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town, the population was 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,399, and the median income for a family was $43,594. Males had a median income of $30,423 versus $22,813 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,719. About 7.5% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
Frankfort has a large Italian American population. Many Italian American families in the town and village are descendants of immigrants from Oriolo, Cosenza, or Calabria, Italy. The first settler from Oriolo may have been Giuseppe Franchino who appeared in the 1880 census as Joseph Frank, age 33, birthplace Italy.
Communities and locations in the Town of Frankfort
The Herkimer County Fair
The Herkimer County Fair is a six-day fair held annually in Frankfort. The fair was started in 1841 as the Herkimer County Agricultural Society, and traveled from village to village. In the 1900s, the fair was located at a site which later became the Hekimer Thruway interchange. At that time, the fair had a racetrack and grandstand which were later destroyed by a fire. After moving to Frankfort in 1950, the fair became an annual event. In 1958, it moved to a permanent site on Cemetery Hill in Frankfort, after buying the Slocum Farm. The fair currently sits on 26 acres (11 ha), and has 10 permanent buildings as well a permanent bathroom, shower facilities, a horse corral, and aluminum bleacher seating surrounding the event show ring.