| Official Name: | Gerry, New York |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | New York |
| Pushpin Label: | Gerry |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of New York |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Chautauqua |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Town Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | John R. Crossley (R) |
| Leader Title1: | Town Council |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 93.61 |
| Area Land Km2: | 93.56 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.05 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 36.14 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 36.13 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.02 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 1789 |
| Population Density Km2: | 19.83 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 51.35 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 513 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1683 |
| Coordinates: | 42.2242°N -79.2383°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 14740 |
| Area Code: | 716 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-013-28838 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0978999 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Est: | 1775 |
Gerry is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 1,789 at the 2020 census.[2] The town is named after Elbridge Gerry, the fifth Vice President of the United States.[3] The town is centrally located in the county and is north of Jamestown.
Settlement began circa 1810 with Amos Atkins, a surveyor, who built the first building, a log cabin. The town of Gerry was formed on June 1, 1812, from a part of the town of Pomfret. The first town meeting was held at the home of Major Samuel Sinclair, who was elected the first Supervisor that year. Sinclair is also the namesake of Sinclairville, located within the town.[4]
The size of the town was reduced by the formation of the newer towns of Ellington and Charlotte. By 1900, the population of Gerry was 1,198.
Gerry is best known for hosting an annual rodeo (which has been an annual event in the town since 1945) and a Scandinavian folk festival, both of which are held in the summer.[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 93.6km2, of which 0.05sqkm, or 0.05%, is water.[6]
New York State Route 60 is a major north-south highway, and Chautauqua County Route 380 cuts through the southwest corner of the town.
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 2,054 people, 661 households, and 499 families residing in the town. The population density was 56.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 739 housing units at an average density of 20.4sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 98.44% White, 0.39% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.
There were 661 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,000, and the median income for a family was $36,853. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $18,667 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,272. About 9.8% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,905 people, a decrease of 7.25%, and 722 households, an increase of 9.23%, in the town. The population density was 52.6sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 97.9% (1,805 people) white, 0.16% (3 people) African-American, 0.47% (9 people) Asian, 0.21% (4 people) Native American/Alaskan, 0.05% (1 person) other, and 1.21% (23 people) two or more races. The Hispanic/Latino makeup of the town of any race was 1.05% (20 people).
There were 722 households in the town, out of which 29.5% (213 households) had people under the age of 18 living in them.
Males made up 47.87% (912 people) of the population while females made up 52.13% (993 people) of the population. 19.74% (376 people) of the population was under the age of 18, 2.73% (52 people) were ages 18 and 19, 4.72% (90 people) ages 20–24, 9.08% (173 people) ages 25–34, 20.21% (385 people) ages 35–49, 20.47% (390 people) ages 50–64, and 23.05% (439 people) were over the age of 65.