It is named after William Seward Webb, president of the Raquette Lake Transportation Company, the Fulton Chain Railway Company, Fulton Navigation Company, and the Mohawk and Malone Railway. The railroads in Webb were instrumental in opening the Adirondacks to the tourism rush of the mid-to-late 19th century. The Adirondack Railroad resumed tourist passenger service through the town in 2022.[6]
History
Attempts were made to settle Webb circa 1800 and 1811, but both efforts failed due to extreme climate, harsh weather and poor land for farming. The first permanent settlers, Otis Arnold and family, arrived in approximately 1837 and began their try at the land. The Arnolds ultimately succeeded in cultivating and selling hay feed, vegetables, milk and fruit. Eventually, map makers and guidebooks made note of the settlement. The Arnolds opened their house as a hotel of sorts, and the area became known for its beautiful rivers, lakes and mountains.[7]
In 1836, the town of Wilmurt was formed from parts of the towns of Ohio and Russia. Only the south part of Wilmurt was heavily settled. Webb was formed from the northern part of the now-defunct town of Wilmurt in 1896. Part of Wilmurt was returned to the town of Ohio.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 484.3 square miles (1,254.3 km2), of which 452.3 square miles (1,171.4 km2) are land and 32.0 square miles (82.9 km2), or 6.61%, are water. Webb has the most land area of any town in New York State, although Brookhaven covers a larger area when including water.
All data in this section is from the 2020 United States Census. As of 2020, there were 1,797 people, 685 households, and 659 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 94.37% White, 0.38% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 3.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.
There were 685 households, out of which 12% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.3% were married couples living together, and 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present. The average family size was 2.27.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 10.01% under the age of 18, 1.5% from 18 to 24, 22.59% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 33.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.5 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $102,873, and the median income for a family was $105,227. About 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line.
Mountain Lodge – A location on Route 118 southeast of Old Forge.
Old Forge – A hamlet on Route 28. Old Forge often records the lowest winter temperatures in New York. Old Forge is the principal community in the region, and, along with the adjacent community Thendara, forms an extensive business district.
Fourth Lake – A large lake shared with Hamilton County. Fourth Lake is actually the last part of a larger lake with each section having an ordinal designation. This system is the Fulton Chain Lakes.
Gull Lake – A lake located south of McKeever on the southern town line. The lake is partially in the town of Ohio.
Gull Lake – A lake located north-northeast of Little Rapids.
Gull Lake – A lake located southwest of Minnehaha.
Witchhopple Lake – A lake located north of Stillwater Reservoir.
Wolf Pond – A lake located northeast of Stillwater.
Woodhull Mountain – An elevation located east-southeast of Minnehaha.
Departments
Webb has many public service departments including the Webb Police Department, the Department of Public Works, and the Highway Department.[9]
Webb Police Department
The Webb Police Department provides law enforcement services for Town of Webb and is headed by Chief Ron Johnston.[10] Upon a look into the public perception of the department in February of 2021, the Town of Webb government concluded that residents, overall, were "very pleased" and "highly complimentary of the members of the police departments and their performance and professionalism".[11]
