Editing Hector, New York

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Hector
|settlement_type          = [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

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|imagesize                = 
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|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|pushpin_map            = New York
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption    = Location within the state of New York
|pushpin_mapsize        = 
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<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[New York (state)|New York]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Schuyler County, New York|Schuyler]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">{{cite web|title=2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_36.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 5, 2017}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 291.59
|area_land_km2            = 265.13
|area_water_km2           = 26.46
|area_total_sq_mi         = 112.58
|area_land_sq_mi          = 102.37
|area_water_sq_mi         = 10.21

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021">{{cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=October 6, 2022}}</ref>
|population_total         = 4916 {{decrease}}
|population_density_km2   = 18.76
|population_density_sq_mi = 48.58

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 546
|elevation_ft             = 1791
|coordinates              = {{coord|42|28|23|N|76|47|37|W|region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 14841
|area_code                = [[Area code 607|607]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 36-33073
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0979060
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 2021
|pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|population_est = 4884
}}
'''Hector''' is a [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|town]] in the northeastern corner of [[Schuyler County, New York|Schuyler County]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States. The population was 4,916 at the 2020 census.<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/> The town is named after Hector, as in Greek mythology. Hector is west of [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]].

== History ==
[[File:Hector Falls.jpg|thumb|left|View of the eponymous Hector Falls during the dry season.]]
The area was originally under the dominion of the [[Iroquois]]. 
The region became part of the [[Central New York Military Tract]], land used to pay soldiers of the [[American Revolution]]. 
The area was first settled around 1790, but the first permanent settler arrived in 1791.

The town of Hector was formed in [[Cayuga County, New York|Cayuga County]] in 1802 from part of the town of [[Ovid (town), New York|Ovid]]. However, Hector (including the [[Administrative divisions of New York#Hamlet|hamlet]] of Reynoldsville) was part of the adjacent Seneca County from 1804 to 1817.[http://www.rootsweb.com/~nytompki/] Hector became part of [[Tompkins County, New York|Tompkins County]] when the county was created in 1817, and then became part of Schuyler County in 1854 in the part contributed by Tompkins County.

The [[First Presbyterian Church of Hector]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2001.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|112.5|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|102.5|sqmi|km2}}  is land and {{convert|10.0|sqmi|km2}}  (8.88%) is water.

The eastern town line is the border of [[Tompkins County, New York|Tompkins County]].  The northern town boundary is the border of [[Seneca County, New York|Seneca County]], and the western town line, marked by [[Seneca Lake (New York)|Seneca Lake]] is the border of [[Yates County, New York|Yates County]].

Hector is a town in the [[Finger Lakes]] region.

[[New York State Route 414]] is a north-south highway the parallels the east shore of Seneca Lake.  [[New York State Route 79]] is an east-west highway in the town.  [[New York State Route 227]] and [[New York State Route 228]] intersect in the northeast part of the town at the hamlet of Perry City.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 4012
|1830= 5212
|1840= 5652
|1850= 6052
|1860= 5623
|1870= 4905
|1880= 5025
|1890= 4443
|1900= 4137
|1910= 3514
|1920= 3030
|1930= 2904
|1940= 2949
|1950= 3129
|1960= 3209
|1970= 3671
|1980= 3793
|1990= 4423
|2000= 4854
|2010= 4940
|2020= 4916
|estyear=2021
|estimate=4884
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 4,854 people, 1,872 households, and 1,349 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|47.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 2,378 housing units at an average density of {{convert|23.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 97.82% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.56% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.39% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.23% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.14% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.87% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 1,872 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% 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 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,380, and the median income for a family was $44,184. Males had a median income of $33,783 versus $21,648 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $19,601.  About 8.7% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

== Communities and locations in the Town of Hector ==
*Bennettsburg &ndash; A [[Administrative divisions of New York#Hamlet|hamlet]] on [[New York State Route 79|NY Route 79]] in the southern part of the town. The community was once  called "Hamburgh."
*[[Burdett, New York|Burdett]] &ndash; A [[Administrative divisions of New York#Village|village]] east of Seneca Lake on NY-79.
*Cat Elbow Corner &ndash; A hamlet at the northern town line.
*Cayutaville &ndash; A hamlet in the southeastern corner of the town on County Road 6.
*East Steamburg &ndash; A hamlet near the northern town line on County Road 1.
*[[Finger Lakes National Forest]] &ndash; A [[United States National Forest|national forest]] in the north-central part of the town.
*Hector Falls Point &ndash; A projection into Seneca Lake, west of Burdett.
*Logan &ndash; A hamlet at the junction of County Roads 2 and 4 in the western part of Hector. The [[Logan Methodist Church]] was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.<ref name="nris"/>
*McIntyre Settlement &ndash; A former hamlet along County Road 6 between Strong and Culver roads, approximately one mile south of Mecklenburg.
*Mecklenburg &ndash; A hamlet at the junction of County Road 6 and NY-79 near the eastern town line.
*Perry City &ndash; A hamlet near the eastern town line by Routes NY-227 and NY-228.
*Reynoldsville &ndash; A hamlet on NY-227 near the center of the town.
*Searsburg &ndash; A hamlet in the northeastern corner of the town on County Road 1.
*Smith Valley &ndash; A hamlet on NY-228 in the southeastern part of the town.
*Valois &ndash; A hamlet north of Hector hamlet on NY-414 where Breakneck Creek flows into Seneca Lake ([https://valoisny.us Valois, NY]).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://home.htva.net/~townofhector/HTHall.html  Town of Hector, NY]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyschuyl/hecthist.htm  Brief early history of Hector]

{{Schuyler County, New York}}

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[[Category:Towns in Schuyler County, New York]]
[[Category:Towns in New York (state)]]