Rushford is a small town in the hills of western New York, tucked into the northwestern corner of Allegany County, northeast of Olean. The 2020 census counted 1,085 residents. Much of what makes the place worth knowing comes down to two things: the lake that carries its name, built in the twentieth century, and a few residents whose reputations carried well past the county line.
From first settlers to a town of its own
The first settlers were Enos Gary and his two children, who arrived in 1808. Rushford was carved out of the town of Caneadea in 1816. In 1825, part of its territory was split off to form the new town of New Hudson. Everything shifted in 1927, when a dam on Caneadea Creek created Rushford Lake and the rising water flooded the settlements of East Rushford and Kelloggville.
Notable residents
A number of people with Rushford ties left a mark elsewhere:
- Nelson F. Beckwith went on to the Wisconsin State Assembly.
- Hiram Bond, a corporate lawyer and investment banker, owned a ranch in Santa Clara, California, and that ranch gave Jack London the opening scene of “The Call of the Wild.”
- Frank W. Higgins became Governor of New York.
- James McCall sat in the New York State Senate.
- Richard Henry Pratt founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
- Philip Gordon Wylie, the writer, had ties here through his wife, Frederica Ballard, who was born and raised in Rushford; both are buried in the town.
- Almanzo W. Litchard (November 12, 1841 – 1906) was a soldier, farmer, and state legislator. After fighting for the Union in the Civil War, he bought a farm in Rushford and later served in the New York State Assembly.
The lay of the land
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town covers a total area of 36.1 square miles (93.5 km²): 35.3 square miles (91.4 km²) of land and 0.77 square miles (2.0 km²), or 2.19 percent, of water. The community at the town’s center, also called Rushford, is a census-designated place. The western boundary follows the Cattaraugus County line, at the town of Farmersville. New York State Route 243 runs through Rushford from east to west.
Villages and vanished hamlets
Rushford holds several villages and localities, and the lake changed the course of a few of them. Balcom Beach stands on the north side of Rushford Lake, on Route 243. Fairview occupies the northwest corner of the town, and Hardy Corners the southwest. Hillcrest sits on the south side of the lake, on County Road 49. The village of Rushford lies on Route 243, west of the lake. Rushford Lake itself runs along the eastern boundary, and part of it belongs to the neighboring town of Caneadea. Two settlements, East Rushford and Kelloggville, now lie beneath the surface of the lake.
Two centuries of population change
The town’s population has risen and fallen over time. Early growth carried it to a peak in 1860, followed by decades of steady decline through the mid-twentieth century. A recovery took hold later on, though recent decades have seen the numbers ease back down.
| Year | Population | Change |
| 1820 | 609 | – |
| 1830 | 1,115 | +83.1% |
| 1840 | 1,512 | +35.6% |
| 1850 | 1,816 | +20.1% |
| 1860 | 1,839 | +1.3% |
| 1870 | 1,636 | −11.0% |
| 1880 | 1,453 | −11.2% |
| 1890 | 1,355 | −6.7% |
| 1900 | 1,300 | −4.1% |
| 1910 | 1,260 | −3.1% |
| 1920 | 1,118 | −11.3% |
| 1930 | 936 | −16.3% |
| 1940 | 967 | +3.3% |
| 1950 | 935 | −3.3% |
| 1960 | 995 | +6.4% |
| 1970 | 1,021 | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 1,125 | +10.2% |
| 1990 | 1,176 | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 1,259 | +7.1% |
| 2010 | 1,150 | −8.7% |
| 2020 | 1,085 | −5.7% |
| 2021 (est.) | 1,077 | −0.7% |
A closer look at the 2000 census
At the 2000 census, Rushford counted 1,259 people in 479 households and 346 families. The population density was 35.6 people per square mile (13.7 per km²), across 1,394 housing units at an average density of 39.4 per square mile (15.2 per km²). The racial makeup was 98.97 percent white, 0.08 percent Native American, 0.08 percent Asian, 0.16 percent from other races, and 0.71 percent from two or more races, with Hispanic or Latino residents of any race making up 0.87 percent.
Of the 479 households, 32.8 percent included children under 18, 59.9 percent were married couples, 7.9 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6 percent were non-families. Single-person households accounted for 21.9 percent, and 11.1 percent included someone aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.63, and the average family size 3.09.
By age, 27.3 percent of residents were under 18, 7.0 percent were 18 to 24, 24.3 percent were 25 to 44, 24.0 percent were 45 to 64, and 17.4 percent were 65 or older. The median age was 40. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over there were 97.2 males.
Median household income stood at $27,557, and median family income at $30,938. Men earned a median of $26,800 against $20,855 for women. Per capita income was $13,156. About 13.4 percent of families and 16.1 percent of the population lived below the poverty line, including 26.9 percent of those under 18 and 6.8 percent of those 65 and older.
Fast facts
| Detail | Value |
| Coordinates | 42°23′ N, 78°14′ W |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Allegany |
| Government | Town Council |
| Town supervisor | Peter Wade (Republican Party) |
| Area (total) | 36.09 sq mi (93.46 km²) |
| Land | 35.29 sq mi (91.41 km²) |
| Water | 0.79 sq mi (2.05 km²) |
| Elevation | 1,496 ft (456 m) |
| Population (2020) | 1,085 |
| Estimate (2021) | 1,077 |
| Density | 31.9 per sq mi (12.32 per km²) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST); summer UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 14777 (Rushford), 14060 (Farmersville Station), 14717 (Caneadea), 14727 (Cuba), 14737 (Franklinville), 14744 (Houghton) |
| Area code | 585 |
| FIPS code | 36-003-64166 |
| GNIS ID | 0979441 |
| Website | www.townofrushford.gov |