2019 Map of Van Etten

About this map

Van Etten and Spencer anchor this portion of the New York Southern Tier, where the valleys of Cayuta Creek and its tributaries carve through high hill country. The settlement pattern follows the drainage, with Van Etten Junction marking a historic crossroads at the base of Doolittle Hill. A high density of burial grounds, including Mount Hope Cem, Canfield Memorial Cem, and Westbrook Cem, provides a detailed record of the local lineages that populated these uplands. To the northwest, the hamlet of Swartwood sits near the Cayuta Creek Bridge, while isolated family-named summits like Rumsey Hill and Cooper Hill define the terrain between the Chemung and Tioga county lines. This area reflects a landscape where early agriculture and transport routes were dictated by the steep rise of Nobles Hill and Blake Hill, concentrating community life within the narrow creek basins.