Camillus (town), New York
Encyclopedia
Camillus is a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 in Onondaga County
Onondaga County, New York
Onondaga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 467,026. The county seat is Syracuse.Onondaga County is part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 The population was 24,167 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Roman military leader Marcus Furius Camillus
Marcus Furius Camillus
Marcus Furius Camillus was a Roman soldier and statesman of patrician descent. According to Livy and Plutarch, Camillus triumphed four times, was five times dictator, and was honoured with the title of Second Founder of Rome....

 by a clerk interested in the classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...

.

The Town of Camillus is west of Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

. There is also a village named Camillus
Camillus (village), New York
Camillus is a village in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. The village takes its name from the town in which it is located...

 in the town. Much of the town is a western suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 of Syracuse.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 34.5 square miles (89.3 km²), all of it land.
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...

 is an east-west highway across the town. New York State Route 173
New York State Route 173
New York State Route 173 is a state highway located in the Syracuse area of central New York, United States. It takes a slightly bow-shaped route from NY 31 in the town of Van Buren to NY 5 in Chittenango, gently curving to the south of Downtown Syracuse in the center of its routing...

 intersects NY-5 near Fairmount
Fairmount, New York
Fairmount is a hamlet in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The Fairmount area was originally part of the New York State Salt Reservation, but was annexed to the Town of Camillus in 1834. Prior to that date, census enumerations for Fairmount were included in the Town of Onondaga census...

. New York State Route 174
New York State Route 174
New York State Route 174 is a state highway in Onondaga County, located in Central New York, United States. The highway is long and passes through mostly rural regions. Route 174 begins at an intersection with NY 41 in Borodino, a hamlet of Spafford...

 intersect NY-5 near Camillus village. New York State Route 321
New York State Route 321
New York State Route 321 is a state highway in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 20 in the village of Skaneateles. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with NY 5 in Bennetts Corners, a hamlet...

 intersects NY-5 at Bennetts Corners. New York State Route 695
New York State Route 695
New York State Route 695 is a short state highway located west of Syracuse in the towns of Camillus and Geddes in Onondaga County, New York. The number of the highway was derived from the two highways that NY 695 links, Interstate 690 and NY 5...

 and New York State Route 297
New York State Route 297
New York State Route 297 is a state highway in the western suburbs of Syracuse, New York, in the United States. It is signed as north–south; however, it follows more of a southwest–northeast alignment for through the towns of Camillus and Geddes. The southern terminus of the route is at an...

 are state highways near the east town line.

History

Camillus was part of the former Central New York Military Tract
Central New York Military Tract
The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly two million acres of bounty land set aside to compensate New York’s soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War....

. The first pioneer arrived around 1790 at the site of the village of Camillus.

The Town of Camillus was formed in 1799 with land from the Town of Marcellus
Marcellus (town), New York
Marcellus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,319 at the 2000 census. The town was probably named after Marcus Claudius Marcellus, a Roman general, by a clerk interested in the Classics....

.

Industrial development was promoted by the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...

 in 1825. Camillus was also on the railroad line linking Syracuse to Auburn
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...

 in 1838.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 23,152 people, 9,315 households, and 6,595 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 671.9 people per square mile (259.4/km²). There were 9,661 housing units at an average density of 280.4 per square mile (108.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.45% White, 0.95% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.37% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.

There were 9,315 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,198, and the median income for a family was $58,395. Males had a median income of $41,011 versus $29,110 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $22,591. About 3.1% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Camillus

  • Amboy – A hamlet in the north central part of Camillus on NY-173.
  • Amboy Station – A location north of Amboy.
  • Belle Isle – A location east of Amboy and adjacent to Rt. 695 and the NYS Fairgrounds.
  • Bennetts Corners – A hamlet
    Hamlet (place)
    A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

     near the west town line by the junction of NY-5 and NY-321.
  • Camillus
    Camillus (village), New York
    Camillus is a village in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. The village takes its name from the town in which it is located...

     – The Village of Camillus is in the southwest part of the Town of Camillus.
  • Camillus Airport (NY2)
    Syracuse Municipal Airport
    Syracuse Municipal Airport was an airport located in Camillus, NY.-Origins:The first plane landed at the site of the airport in 1912 and was flown by Harry Atwood, establishing a long distance flight record from Chicago, Il to Camillus...

     – A former airport
    Airport
    An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

     near the north town line. It was an early center for aviation in the county.
  • Edgewood Garden'a – A neighborhood near the north town line.
  • Fairmount
    Fairmount, New York
    Fairmount is a hamlet in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The Fairmount area was originally part of the New York State Salt Reservation, but was annexed to the Town of Camillus in 1834. Prior to that date, census enumerations for Fairmount were included in the Town of Onondaga census...

     – A hamlet near the east town line.
  • Four Winds – A group of homes located in the Hamlet of Newport
  • Fox Chapel – A neighborhood approximately 5 minutes from the village of Camillus.
  • Garden Terrace – A neighborhood near the north town line.
  • Greenfield Village – A neighborhood adjacent to Amboy and across from Reed Webster park.
  • Hidden Knolls – A neighborhood just west of Fairmount, on a hill above Shove Park.
  • Memphis
    Memphis, New York
    Memphis is a hamlet in the Town of Van Buren, west of Syracuse in Onondaga County, New York, United States.Because of its location on the south town line of Van Buren, part of Memphis can be considered to be also in the Towns of Elbridge and Camillus...

     – A hamlet at the north town line north of Oswego Bitters.
  • Newport – A hamlet near the north town line.
  • Ninemile Creek – A Stream flowing through the western part of the town.
  • North Belle Isle – A hamlet near the east town line.
  • Orchard Village – A neighborhood near the south town line.
  • Oswego Bitters – A hamlet in the western part of the town on NY-321.
  • Parson Farms – A neighborhood near the south town line.
  • Pioneer Farms – A neighborhood west of the Weatheridge and Fox Chapel neighborhoods and across from the Camillus Medical Center (formerly the GTE building).
  • Scenic Hills – A neighborhood on the south town line between Kasson Road and Westvale Golf Course.
  • Sherwood Knolls – A neighborhood near the south town line.
  • Stanley Manor – A neighborhood near the south town line.
  • Warners – A hamlet at the north town line, north of Newport.
  • Weatheridge – A neighborhood southeast of Camillus village and borders pioneer farms
  • Wellington – A neighborhood along NYS Route 5.
  • Westerlea – A neighborhood northeast of Camillus village.
  • Westview Manor – A neighborhood east of Camillus village.
  • West Genesee Terrace – A neighborhood east of Camillus village.
  • Wincrest Park – A neighborhood southeast of Camillus village.
  • Daniluk Drive – A neighborhood near the west town line by the junction of NY-5.

Celebrity connections and famous residents

  • Richard Gere
    Richard Gere
    Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...

     has ancestors in the town and has visited it in the past.
  • Carol Baldwin mother of the Baldwin brothers (actors).
  • Kinsley S. Bingham
    Kinsley S. Bingham
    Kinsley Scott Bingham was a U.S. Representative, a U.S. Senator, and the 11th Governor of the state of Michigan.-Early life in New York:...

     was born in the town of Camillus and went on to be a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives
    Michigan State House of Representatives
    The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2000 federal U.S. Census.Members are elected in...

    , Speaker
    Speaker (politics)
    The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...

    , United States Representitave from Michigan's  3rd Congressional District, Governor of Michigan
    Governor of Michigan
    The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...

    , and a US Senator.

External links

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