Herreshoff House, 1897
Old Forge’s story
228 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1897 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
- 1798Old Forge is settled
Old ForgeNY
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Anne LaBastille · Public domain
Population
574
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$323K
Census ACS
Household income
$75K
median
Median age
42.5
years
Jobs based here
543
A job hub
Is Old Forge a good place to live?
Old Forge’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile, above both the New York town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Old Forge has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Old Forge stand out
Where Old Forge beats most towns.
Small town
574 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
ThendaraOld Forge
Getting set up
Moving to Old Forge: who provides what
Old Forge is unincorporated, so Herkimer County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOld Forge-Thendara Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHerkimer CountyHerkimer County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHerkimer County Board of ElectionsHerkimer County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code1342013420 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Old Forge.
Work & commute
With 2.0 jobs for every working resident, Old Forge draws in 470 commuters
Among residents in Old Forge, 3.7% live below the poverty line. Roughly one working resident in four has a job in Old Forge itself. Employers in Old Forge added 217 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 543. The town’s mean commuting time is 40 minutes, above both New York’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
26%work in town
| Old Forge | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 40 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Old Forge26%
Webb37%
Inlet6%
Syracuse4%
New York4%
32 mi
median commute distance
543
jobs based in Old Forge
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Old Forge stands out in New York and nationally, with a typical July afternoon cooler than most
Old Forge has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 76°, January nights drop to 6° and about 158 inches of snow falls in a winter.
158″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter9–29°
Spring28–51°
Summer52–74°
Fall35–55°
Sep 30
typical first frost
May 18
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Old Forge is
In Old Forge, 14% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 32% sleep under 7 hours. This New York town beats the New York average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. For adults here, the share who feel lonely is 28%.
| Old Forge | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
32 measures vs. New York
9 better17 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Old Forge | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.6% | 7.7% |
Lewis County General Hospital
27.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Old Forge has set aside 4.8% of its land for conservation
Trails run 4.7 miles in 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Old Forge: 2, covering 4 acres.
4.8%conserved
4.8%
conserved · 60 of 1,248 acres
4.7 mi
of trails · 2.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fulton Chain Wild Forest | — | 3 |
| 2. Black River Wild Forest | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Old Forge has a moderate natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
FEMA puts 92% of Old Forge’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. On expected storm and flood damage, Old Forge sits below 53% of U.S. communities.
47risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Housing
The median home in Old Forge sells for about $230K
The share of households in Old Forge who own their home: 65%.
$230Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Old Forge
17pages on Old Forge
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Old Forge; the nearest are
SUNY Polytechnic InstituteUniversity or college · Public · Utica41.4 mi$8,625 in-state tuitionMohawk Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Utica45.3 mi$6,218 in-state tuition
About 12 of every 100 Old Forge residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
A job hub
Every workday, about 470 people come to Old Forge for work
Where Old Forge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
543jobs based in Old Forge
26%of working residents work in town
32 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Old Forge
Hamlet and CDP in New York, United States
Old Forge is a hamlet (and census-designated place) on New York State Route 28 in the town of Webb in Herkimer County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Old Forge had a population of 727. Old Forge was formerly a village but dissolved its incorporation in 1936; it remains the principal community in the region. As one of the western gateway communities of the Adirondack Park, Old Forge has an extensive business district primarily directed at tourism, especially during the summer months. The local school is the Town of Webb UFSD, a K–12 institution with the Timberwolves as its mascot (changed from Eskimos in 2023). Old Forge often records the lowest winter temperatures in New Yo…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1798
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,857 ft
- ZIP code
- 13420
Questions about Old Forge
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Old Forge, NY a good place to live?
Old Forge has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Old Forge, NY known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Hank Kashiwa and Alexandra Waterbury.