South of Watertown and just outside of Oswego County lies the smallest town in Jefferson County. Residents in the town of Worth, with a population of just over 200, tell reporter Alex Valverde that it used to be booming with residents and local businesses. 

WORTH, N.Y. -- Take a drive through the town of Worth and you might miss it. At only about 43 square miles, it’s the smallest town in Jefferson County. Locals aren’t complaining though.

"It’s been a decent town. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, that’s for sure," said John Bice.

However, the town has changed drastically over the years.

It all started in 1795, when the land now known as Worth was laid out. Settlers started making their way to the area shortly after, but the War of 1812 scared many families away and for about 15 years, Worth was partially abandoned. In 1848, Worth officially became a town after separating from Lorraine. By 1880, the population was at its highest: 951.

Laura Macklen has lived in Worth her whole life. She said she remembers when the town had schools, a post office, cheese factories and general stores.

"We had blacksmith shops back then. And there were hotels. And what is the town barn now was a Methodist church," said Macklen. "The town barn was hit by lightening and they didn’t have any, so they took the old church and made that into a town barn."

Over the years, more people and businesses left, leaving pretty much only the residents -- about 230 of them. Don’t be misled though. This small town has had a big impact on places around them.

"Worth is all timber," said Macklen.

The town was known for logging and at one time, there used to be as many as eight sawmills in the town alone. Some smaller that catered to individual requests, and some larger that helped out areas far beyond the town.

"The big mills, they’d truck all the stuff, well back then it was with horses. They’d make a trip every day. With a team of horses," said Bice. "They shipped the lumber all over."

While the big companies are gone, some people continue to log for the town today.

While residents say the town used to be "booming," there’s a silver lining to all this change. The abundance of land and quiet atmosphere attracts campers and outdoor enthusiasts all year.

"People come to hunt and four-wheel and go snowmobiling. Some of them can enjoy it with the bugs or not," said Worth Highway Superintendent Randy Filson.

Many visitors have built camps so they can spend weekends in town. Some have even seen these visitors move into their camps after a while. Showing that there’s still some worth to this small, quiet town. While residents feel the population may not grow or change anytime soon, they’re happy about its history and the impact their town has made.