About Caroline
Caroline is a small town with a unique character and strong sense of community. It’s a town where people care about others, and where community events are a big part of community life. We’re located just southeast of the Town of Ithaca. The area is made up of beautiful rolling hills, farms, and several small communities. The Town of Caroline is home to more State forest land than any other town in Tompkins County, which includes Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Potato Hill State Forest, Hammond Hill State Forest, and Robinson Hollow State Forest.
The Town of Caroline is served by 4 school districts Ithaca, New York, Dryden, New York, Newark Valley, New York and Candor. Caroline Elementary School serves the northern and central portions of the town. Brooktondale Baptist School, sponsored by Brooktondale Baptist Church, closed around 2002, although the parish continues.
The town was first settled around 1794 while the region was still part of Tioga County. Caroline was part of the Watkins and Flint Purchase (1791).
The Town of Caroline was formed from the Town of Spencer (now in Tioga County) in 1811.
In 2004 Caroline became the 8th municipality in New York State to purchase wind power to provide part of the municipal electrical needs; in 2005 it became the 2nd municipality to purchase wind power for 100% of its electricity use.
On April 19 2008, volunteers in Caroline coordinated largest single-day distribution of energy-saving light bulbs rural New York State. In three hours, ninety volunteers delivered over 1,400 bags containing one energy-saving light bulb to almost every household in the town.
