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 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.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of, of which are land and, or 0.36%, are water. 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 part. Both creeks are direct tributaries of Lake Ontario.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,782 people, 1,864 households, and 1,293 families residing in the town. The population density was 112.8 people per square mile. There were 2,019 housing units at an average density of 47.6 per square mile. 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.
Communities and locations
Adams - The village of Adams is near the south town line on US-11 at NY-178.
