Альфред тарихы: алғашқы қоныс салушылар мен даму жолы

"The earliest settlers followed Indian trails, the chief one leading from Fort Niagara to and down the Canisteo, Chemung and Susquehanna rivers. This passed near the northeastern corner of Alfred and had become well worn by war parties during the Revolution. Settlers from the far east might come by Albany, and the Schoharie and Susquehanna valleys or by Schenectady, Utica, Geneva and Bath. Whatever way they chose the roads were mostly bridgeless and of the most primitive kind, making travel tedious and difficult. From Hornellsville westward for many years the only roads were little more than wood paths marked by 'blazed trees'." "The naming of Alfred has traditionally been attributed to Alfred the Great. That attribution may never be definitively verified because there appears to be no extant document from the period when the town was named that ties it to King Alfred – i. e., no town, county, or state record regarding the source of the name. Despite that missing documentation—There is, however, evidence in support of the legend, and there are no records that point to any other source for the name. Nineteenth century accounts do cite Alfred the Great as the source. In addition, there was no early settler named Alfred (first or last name) for whom the town might have been named."

"1807: The first settlers moved in the Alfred area, began clearing forests and building log cabins in order to bring their families in. These settlers were three men – Seventh Day Baptists – from Berlin and Brookfield, New York: Clark Crandall, Nathan Green, and Edward Green. Crandall later became a county judge and joined the state legislature." "The log schoolhouse early sprang up in each neighborhood, and the district school, the singing school, the spelling school and the Sabbath meeting became a part of the life of the community. As prosperity permitted, the large frame barn took the place of the pole sided, straw shingled stable, and a little later the frame house, with its shaved shingle roof, much smaller generally than the barn, replaced the log hut as the family dwelling." "Amos Crandall, called 'Deacon Crandall' and originally from Rhode Island, taught school four winters at $10 per month, boarding himself and taking his pay in produce or labor. He was one of the earliest teachers of singing schools in the town, and established the first Sabbath school." "The first business of the settlers in Alfred was to make "clearings." The ashes, carefully saved from the burned fallows and converted into potash, was the first source of revenue. The making of maple sugar supplied home requirement and the surplus, bartered with the merchant, helped to secure needed family supplies. Lumber had little value beyond the cost of making, on account of lack of roads and a market. Those who could hunt could in that way help supply themselves with food, especially if they were fortunate enough to secure the bounty offered for the killing of wolves. Flax was raised, prepared by hand, carded, spun, woven and converted into clothing. When it became possible sheep were raised and their wool formed, entirely by hand processes, into clothing. Few indeed were the early homes into which the cards, the spinning wheel, the flag wheel, the quill wheel, the swifts, the warping bars, and loom did not find an early entrance. Oxen were in general use because considered more economical and useful than horses. The virgin soil, enriched by the ashes of the burned timber, was highly productive; and when the seasons were favorable, good crops of grain rewarded the farmer's toil among the roots and stumps. Year by year the clearings widened, orchards were planted, flocks and herds increased and roads became more passable. Here and there a mill was built, and a few small stores were opened." "The first settlers were, for the most part, sons of soldiers of the Revolution, and themselves soldiers of the war of 1812. Alfred's sons were conspicuous in the border warfare in Kansas. At the opening of the Rebellion they were prompt to respond to the call for volunteers The names of nearly 150 of her boys are on her roll of honor. Four or five of the professors and hundreds of Alfred students fought in the Union ranks, many attaining high rank." Alfred became home to an institution of higher education in 1832, when Alfred University was founded. The college was coeducational from its inception and tried to provide practical as well as liberal education for students. This university was initially considered the principal seat of higher learning supported by the Seventh Day Baptists although it was not directly supported by the denomination. In 1888 the Celadon Terra Cotta Company was founded after the discovery of high quality clay in the town. The company grew over the next decade to become a leading producer of roof tile and architectural terra cotta. "These works have cost $150,000 and employ from 20 to 50 men. Tile of improved patterns excelling any other manufactured in America is shipped to every part of the country. Extensive pressed brick works have also been established at Alfred Station [by the Alfred Clay Company]." The presence of these two clay manufacturers helped to establish Alfred as a ceramics hub, and led to the local university being selected as the home of the New York State College of Ceramics in 1900.

The new college recruited British ceramicist Charles Fergus Binns as a director and professor. Binns was a proponent of the Arts and crafts movement and considered it essential for a student of ceramics to understand both the artistic and technical aspects of their craft. Under his leadership the college grew into a leading institution of ceramic studies, eventually developing separate schools for ceramic art and ceramic engineering. As a result of the college's prominence, Alfred remained a hub for ceramics even after the burning of the Celadon Terra Cotta Company's local factory in 1909. A statutory agricultural school was formed at Alfred University in 1908, with a farm, livestock, and farm machinery for trade education. In 1937 a school of Engineering Technology was formed at this college, and in 1948 the entire college was spun off from Alfred University to form Alfred State College.

Alfred is home to three higher educational institutions: Alfred University, Alfred State College, and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Alfred University was started in 1836, by seventh day Baptists, as part of the Alfred Select teacher's college and is one of the oldest coeducational institutions in the US. Alfred University offers more than 40 majors and courses of study in 5 colleges and schools; its enrollment status is approximately 2,000 graduate and undergraduate students each year. Alfred State College was founded as the New York State College of Agriculture at Alfred University in 1908. In 1948 the state legislature formed the State University of New York system with the Alfred College of Agriculture and Technology, or Ag Tech, as one of its founding members. Alfred State College has about 3,400 undergraduate students in many areas of study including information technology, nursing, surveying, court reporting, and web development. The New York State College of Ceramics is a statutory college of the State University of New York operated by Alfred University on behalf of the SUNY Board of Trustees. It was founded in 1900 as the New York State School of Clay working and Ceramics at Alfred University.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.6 square miles (81.8 km2), of which 31.5 square miles (81.7 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km2) (0.19%) is water. New York State Route 244 passes across the town and terminates at New York State Route 21 near Alfred Station. County roads 10, 11, 12 and 42 pass through the Town of Alfred. There is a small stream known as Canacadea Creek, that flows throughout the year from south to north. This stream flows to the Canisteo River, which is a tributary to the Susquehanna River watershed. The topography is steep hill country as it is part of the Allegheny Plateau, being the northern part of the Appalachian Mountain chain.

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,140 people, 996 households, and 468 families residing in the town. The population density was There were 1,134 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the town was 91.79% White, 3.46% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.47% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.26% of the population. There were 996 households, out of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.0% were non families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.99. In the town, the population was spread out, with 8.3% under the age of 18, 66.8% from 18 to 24, 9.7% from 25 to 44, 10.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 135.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 138.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,067, and the median income for a family was $57,159. Males had a median income of $28,667 versus $29,821 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,785. About 2.4% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alfred has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.