Mohawk is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 3,572 at the 2020 census,

History

Jesuit missionaries entered the region from Quebec around 1642 to work among the Mohawk people. The principal village of the Mohawk was Caughnawaga, which was later developed as the site of Fonda.

Geography

The town of Mohawk is in north-central Montgomery County. It is bordered to the north by Fulton County, to the east by the town of Amsterdam, to the west by the town of Palatine, and to the south by the Mohawk River. The village of Fonda, the Montgomery County seat, is in the south-central part of the town, on the north bank of the Mohawk.

New York State Route 5 parallels the Mohawk River, leading east (downriver) to Amsterdam and west (upriver) to Palatine Bridge. New York State Route 30A and New York State Route 334 intersect NY-5 at Fonda. NY 30A leads north to Johnstown and south to Sloansville. NY 334 leads northwest to Sammonsville.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Mohawk has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.01%, are water.

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,844 people, 1,528 households, and 1,043 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,607 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7% White, 0.4% African-American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 1,528 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,714, and the median income for a family was $62,174. Males had a median income of $37,465 versus $36,891 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,725. About 2.8% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Locations in the town

  • Berryville – A hamlet northwest of Fonda.
  • Big Nose – A location in the southwestern part of Mohawk. With "Little Nose" on the opposite bank of the Mohawk River, it marks a place called "The Noses".
  • East Stone Arabia – A hamlet in the western part of the town.
  • Fonda – A village on the north bank of the Mohawk River and NY Route 5. It is the Montgomery county seat and is near the Caughnawaga Indian Village Site.
  • Tribes Hill – A hamlet in the eastern part of the town on NY-5.
  • Yosts – A hamlet on NY-5 and the north bank of the Mohawk River, west of Fonda.

References

  • Early history of Mohawk