Chittenango, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chittenango Chu-de-nääng′  (Oneida)
Village
Village of Chittenango
Chittenango Location in New York Show map of New York Chittenango Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Madison
Town	Sullivan
Area
• Total	2.48 sq mi (6.43 km2)
• Land	2.48 sq mi (6.43 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	453 ft (138 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,896
• Density	1,971.01/sq mi (760.92/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	13037
Area code(s)	315
FIPS code	36-15561
GNIS feature ID	0969996
Website	http://www.chittenango.org/

Chittenango is a small village in Madison County, New York, United States. It's located in the southern part of the Town of Sullivan. In 2020, about 4,896 people lived there. Chittenango is famous as the birthplace of L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Chittenango's History

How Chittenango Got Its Name

The name "Chittenango" comes from the Oneida language. They called Chittenango Creek Chu-de-nääng′, which means "where waters run north." Some local people think it means "river flowing north" or "where the waters divide and run north." This refers to how the creek flows from its start all the way to Oneida Lake.

An old map from 1825 shows the village as Chittening. This name was used by early settlers and probably came directly from the Oneida name. An expert named Lewis H. Morgan studied the Iroquois language. He suggested that "Chittenango" might come from Chu-de-nääng′ Ga-hun′-da. This combines the Oneida words for "Chittenango Creek" and "creek."

Growth Thanks to the Erie Canal

Chittenango grew a lot because of the Erie Canal. This important canal opened in 1825. It connected Buffalo on Lake Erie to Albany, New York's capital, and the Hudson River. The Erie Canal runs just north of Chittenango.

In 1818, the Chittenango Canal Company built a smaller canal. It was about 1.5 miles long and connected Chittenango to the Erie Canal. This made Chittenango a "canal town." It had a special boat landing with a dry dock where canal boats were built and fixed. The canal brought good times and growth to the village. It created a need for inns, hotels, and restaurants. Farms and factories found it easy and cheap to ship their goods using the canal. Since the canal connected to the Hudson River, boats could even send goods south to Manhattan.

Early Village Development

A man named John B. Yates helped the village grow even more. He opened mills for grinding grain (grist mills) and cutting wood (saw mills). He also had a woolen mill and several stores. In 1828, he started the village's first church, which is now the First Presbyterian Church of Chittenango.

The village officially became a village on March 15, 1842. At that time, it had about 900 to 1,000 people. There were around 180 homes, three churches, and a school called the Yates Polytechnic Institute. It also had factories, a flour mill, taverns, and stores.

The first bank in Chittenango opened in 1853. It was called the Chittenango Bank. Later, in 1863, another bank, the First National Bank of Chittenango, opened in the same building. Both banks eventually closed down.

Soon after the village was officially formed, the first fire company and fire station were built in 1843.

Newspapers and Pottery

The first newspaper in the village was the Chittenango Herald, started in 1831. It changed names a few times before it stopped publishing in 1853. In 1869, the Madison County Times began. It published papers until 1975. Then, it became the Chittenango-Bridgeport Times until 2009. Today, it's part of the Eagle Newspapers, which covers the greater Syracuse area.

The Chittenango Pottery Company started in 1897. It did well because it was close to the Chittenango Landing on the canal. The original building burned down twice. The last brick building was built after that. It was torn down in 2015.

Two important places in Chittenango are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are the Chittenango Pottery and St. Paul's Church.

Chittenango's Geography

Chittenango is located at 43°2′45″N 75°52′26″W / 43.04583°N 75.87389°W / 43.04583; -75.87389.

The United States Census Bureau says the village covers about 2.4 square miles (6.4 square kilometers) of land. There is no water area within the village limits.

Chittenango's Climate

The climate in Chittenango can be very different throughout the year. Summers are often hot and humid. Winters are usually very cold.

Chittenango's Population

In 2010, Chittenango had 5,081 people living in 1,993 households. About 1,380 of these were families. The village had about 2,117 people per square mile.

Most people in the village (96.2%) were White. There were also people who identified as African American (1.1%), Native American (0.7%), and Asian (0.5%). Some people (1.6%) were of two or more races. About 1.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 25% of the population was under 18 years old. The average age in the village was 39.8 years.

Education in Chittenango

The Chittenango School District serves about 2,350 students from kindergarten to 12th grade. It has two elementary schools (K-4), one middle school (5-8), and one high school (9-12). The district is part of the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES. It employs about 210 teachers and 160 other staff members.

Transportation in Chittenango

Chittenango travel plaza westbound on I-90

Luther Airport is a small, private airport about 1.15 miles east of Chittenango's main area. It has a grass runway and is home to small propeller planes, including a biplane.

Chittenango is also easy to reach from Interstate 90. There's an exit (34A) and a travel plaza (a rest area) right off the highway.

Chittenango's Culture

Oz-Stravaganza! Festival

Chittenango hosts a special three-day festival every year called Oz-Stravaganza!. It used to be called OzFest. This festival celebrates the books of author L. Frank Baum, who was born in Chittenango on May 15, 1856. His famous children's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was published on May 17, 1900.

The festival usually happens during the first weekend of June. It includes amusement rides and a big parade with many community groups. Famous actors and actresses who played Munchkins in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz have even been in the parade. These include Jerry Maren, Karl Slover, Meinhardt Raabe, and Margaret Williams Pellegrini.

Oz-Stravaganza! was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It came back in 2022, but it was a bit smaller with fewer vendors.

All Things Oz Museum

The Wizard of Oz theme is a big part of Chittenango all year round. The village is home to the International L. Frank Baum & All Things Oz Historical Foundation. This group is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. They help organize the annual Oz-Stravaganza festival.

They also run the All Things Oz Museum in the historic downtown area. The museum has a collection of original costumes and props from the Oz movies and books. It also features collectibles and items that belonged to the Baum family. The foundation has nearly 15,000 items, and about 1,200 to 1,400 are on display at any time.

The Yellow Brick Road

In 1982, the village put in a brick sidewalk along Genesee St. in downtown. They painted it yellow to look like the yellow brick road from the Oz stories and film. The yellow color would fade, and the bricks would chip because of the cold weather and regular use.

As part of a project to improve downtown Chittenango in 2007, the sidewalks were replaced. The new concrete sidewalks were stamped and colored to look like the yellow brick road. The old bricks were sold at the All Things Oz museum and during the festival to raise money for the town. In 2017, another yellow brick road sidewalk was added to Dr. West memorial park, where the Oz-Stravaganza festival is held.

Chittenango and its yellow brick road were even featured in an episode of Michael Portillo's TV show, "Great American Railroad Journeys", on the BBC.

Chittenango also has a Wizard of Oz themed casino. It's called the Yellow Brick Road Casino and opened on June 2, 2015. The Oneida Indian tribe operates it, just like the larger Turning Stone Casino and Resort near Verona, New York.

Notable People from Chittenango

• John Kirby Allen (1810–1838): He helped start Houston, Texas.
• L. Frank Baum: The famous author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chittenango holds a festival every year to honor him.
• Jerry Lawson: A professional long-distance runner. He once held the American record for the marathon in 1993. He went to Chittenango High School.
• Dave Mirra: A professional BMX bike athlete.
• Lewis Selye: A former US Congressman.

Gallery

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  Chittenango Police Department

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  Town clock and pizzeria

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  Lateral Canal historic marker

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  Town park

See also

In Spanish: Chittenango para niños