Central New York
Nelson, New York
Nelson is a town in Madison County, in New York's Central New York region, home to about 1,900 people as of the 2020 census.
Syracuse, Finger Lakes edges, and quiet countryside. Nelson sits in that part of the state.
- Type
- Town
- County
- Madison
- Region
- Central New York
- Population (2020)
- 1,890
Local Almanac
Notes in and around Nelson
Short, sourced notes tied to this place, its county, or nearby communities.
This place · History & Culture
Nelson Has Land-Company Roots and Lake-Country Quiet
Nelson's town story moves from treaty lands and the Holland Land Company into hills, lakes, small industry, and rural calm.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Cazenovia's Lorenzo Story Holds the Lake and the Village
Cazenovia's story gathers at Lorenzo: an 1807 lakefront estate tied to John Lincklaen, the Holland Land Company, and generations of local life.
Read this note ->Nearby · The Outdoors
Georgetown Keeps a Forest With a Mystery at Its Center
Muller Hill State Forest gives Georgetown a public-land story with a pond, a vanished mansion, and a hard-to-settle name.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Fenner's story moves from old village traces to wind towers
Fenner's Madison County profile gives the town a memorable blend of early village traces, farms, open high land, and wind energy.
Read this note ->Nearby · The Outdoors
Chittenango Falls gives Cazenovia a waterfall edge
Chittenango Falls State Park gives the Cazenovia area a dramatic waterfall, gorge trails, and a state-park visitor route.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Eaton's Old Town Museum Keeps Madison County's Workshop Memory Visible
Eaton's local memory includes the Old Town of Eaton Museum, early settlement, creative residents, and Wood, Taber and Morse works.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Morrisville Is a College Village With Farm-Tool Roots
Morrisville’s village identity is tied to SUNY Morrisville and a practical agricultural-technical tradition in Madison County.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Fenner's farm story is written right into the old census
Fenner's local color comes from Madison County hill country, an 1823 town start, and old records full of farm work.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Lincoln keeps a lot of its story in Clockville
Lincoln's Clockville history ties together milling, inventions, a plank toll road, and a railroad line across Madison County farm country.
Read this note ->Property tax snapshot
Roughly $23–$24 per $1,000
Combined full-value rate — county + town/city + school district, per $1,000 of market value (FY2025). On a $300,000 home that's about $6,872–$7,231 a year before the STAR break.
A planning estimate, not a bill. Your exact rate depends on your school district and any village. Confirm with the assessor.
Statewide links
Statewide starting points.
Good to know
- • Your assessed value usually isn't your market value — ask for the equalization rate.
- • Register for STAR; new applicants generally receive a credit instead of an automatic exemption on the bill.
- • Outside the cities, check the well, the septic, and the FEMA flood map before you buy.
Nearby
Nearby places
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020. Reviewed June 2026. Source data ->
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