Cooperstown, New York

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Template:Redirect Also, "Cooperstown" is frequently used as a metonym for the Baseball Hall of Fame located in the community featured in this article. Cooperstown is a village located in Otsego County, New York and is the County Seat. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 2,032. It is the county seat of Otsego County Template:GR. Cooperstown was named after and founded by Judge William Cooper, the father of author James Fenimore Cooper.

The Village of Cooperstown was incorporated in 1812 and most of the village lies inside the Town of Otsego, but part is in the Town of Middlefield.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Cooperstown facts
4 External links

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Geography

Cooperstown is located at 42°41'50" North, 74°55'37" West (42.697335, -74.926913)Template:GR. The source of the Susquehanna River is Cooperstown, which is on Otsego Lake.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²). 4.0 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.53% water.

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Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 2,032 people, 906 households, and 479 families residing in the village. The population density was 509.5/km² (1,317.5/mi²). There were 1,070 housing units at an average density of 268.3/km² (693.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.21% White, 0.94% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 906 households out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 41.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the village the population was spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,992, and the median income for a family was $50,250. Males had a median income of $39,625 versus $20,595 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,799. 10.2% of the population and 5.0% of families were below the poverty line. 7.5% of those under the age of 18 and 5.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

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Cooperstown facts

Cooperstown is perhaps best known as the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Folklore tells that Abner Doubleday invented baseball on a cow pasture within the Village in 1839. (The actual origins of baseball are much less clear.) Part of the film A League of Their Own was filmed in Cooperstown.

Also present in or around Cooperstown are a number of other attractions. These include the Farmers' Museum, the Fenimore Art Museum, The New York State Historical Association's (NYSHA) library, Brewery Ommegang, and the Clark Sports Center (a large fitness facility). All construction in the village is closely monitored by a village board, so the buildings have maintained a historical feel to a certain extent.

Cooperstown gets a large amount of monetary support from Jane Clark. The Clark family, who became wealthy off of the patent for the Singer Sewing Machine, has donated money for a variety of causes including decorating the village, scholarships, and village construction projects. Jane Clark buys most available real estate as it becomes available around the town, and also "regulates" businesses that may come into the village (ie. no chains inside the city limits).

Also associated with Cooperstown is the Glimmerglass Opera, although the Alice Busch Opera House is actually located 8 miles north of the village.

Cooperstown was home to Henry Nicols, the Eagle Scout who in 1991 revealed that he had contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, about whom the HBO documentary "Eagle Scout: The Story of Henry Nicols" was made.

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