| Adams, New York | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | New York#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Adams |
| Coordinates: | 43.81°N -76.0239°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Jefferson |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1802 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Thomas Ross(R) |
| Leader Title1: | Town Supervisor |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 109.77 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 42.38 |
| Area Land Km2: | 109.38 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 42.23 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.40 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.15 |
| Elevation Ft: | 619 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 4973 |
| Population Density Km2: | 46.57 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 120.62 |
| Timezone1: | EST |
| Utc Offset1: | -5 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 13605, 13606 |
| Area Code: | 315 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-045-00210 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
Adams is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. Named after President John Adams, the town had a population of 5,143 at the 2010 census.[2] The town contains a village also named Adams. The village and town are south of Watertown.
Settlement began around 1800 at Adams village. David Smith built a sawmill at the present site of Adams in 1801. Renamed for John Adams in 1802 (the year after his presidency ended), the town of Adams was created from the survey townships of Aleppo and Orpheus. The eastern part of Adams was taken in 1804 to form the town of Rodman. During the War of 1812, the town of Adams formed a local militia for home defense.
The Talcott Falls Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 109.9sqkm, of which 109.5sqkm are land and 0.4sqkm, or 0.36%, are water.[2]
Interstate 81 is a major north-south highway through the middle of Adams. It has three interchanges within the town limit. New York State Route 177 runs eastward from U.S. Route 11, another north-south highway, at Adams Center. New York State Route 178 runs westward from Adams village.
The town is to the west of the Tug Hill Plateau. Sandy Creek flows westward through the southern part of the town, and Stony Creek flows through the northern section. Both creeks are direct tributaries of Lake Ontario.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 4,782 people, 1,864 households, and 1,293 families residing in the town. The population density was 112.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 2,019 housing units at an average density of 47.6sp=usNaNsp=us. The town's racial makeup of the town was 97.97% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.
There were 1,864 households, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.05.
27.5% of the town's population was under age 18, 6.9% from age 18 to 24, 30.0% from age 25 to 44, 23.2% from age 45 to 64, and 12.3% were age 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The town's median household income was $38,012, and the median family income was $48,354. Males had a median income of $34,000 versus $25,610 for females. The town's per capita income was $17,707. About 6.6% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.