The area was first settled around 1788. The Town of Conklin was established in 1824 from the town of Chenango by Nicholas Conklin. The town exchanged territories with adjacent towns before establishing its modern boundaries. In 1831, part of Conklin was used to form the town of Windsor, but Conklin received territory from Windsor in 1851. Another part of Conklin was used in 1859 to form the town of Kirkwood. Alpheus Corby, a Conklin resident, built a castle-like structure as his home in 1900. The building is the current community center of the town. In June 2006, the town was devastated by a massive flood that isolated the center of the town and required hundreds of people to be airlifted to safety. The flood destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage. The Conklin Town Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. The town suffered another flood in September 2011.
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,940 people, 2,249 households, and 1,671 families residing in the town. The population density was 242.3 people per square mile. There were 2,435 housing units at an average density of 99.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 97.71% White, 0.84% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population. There were 2,249 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couplesliving together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,445, and the median income for a family was $43,309. Males had a median income of $35,456 versus $23,856 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,720. About 9.7% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Conklin
Corbettsville - A hamlet on NY-7 in the south part of the town.
Conklin - The hamlet of Conklin by the Susquehanna River on NY-7. Access to Interstate 81's Exit 1 is across the Susquehanna via the Conklin-Kirkwood Bridge.
Conklin Forks - A hamlet in the western part of the town at the junction of County Roads 8 and 141.
Conklin Station - A hamlet north of Corbettsville on NY-7. It was previously called "Milburn."
Conklin Center - A hamlet north of Conklin village on NY-7.
