Cato (town), New York
Encyclopedia
Cato is a town
in Cayuga County
, New York
, USA
. The population was 2,537 at the 2010 census. The name was assigned by the surveyors of the Military Tract, and is one of many towns and villages bearing classical place names.
The Town of Cato contains a part of a village, also with the name of Cato
, as well as the entire village of Meridian. Cato is northwest of Syracuse
, New York
.
, reserved for veterans of the American Revolution
.
Settlers trickled in during the early 19th century. After the War of 1812
, the population increased more quickly.
The town was formed in 1802 from part of the Town of Aurelius
. Cato was subsequently reduced in size when new towns were formed: Sterling
in 1812, and, in 1821, Conquest, Ira
, and Victory
. Part of the Town of Ira was returned to Cato in 1824.
, the town has a total area of 36.2 square miles (93.7 km²), of which, 33.6 square miles (87.1 km²) of it is land and 2.6 square miles (6.6 km²) of it (7.07%) is water.
The town of Cato is on the eastern side of the county, so that the east town line is the border of Onondaga County
. The south town line is defined by the Seneca River
/Erie Canal
.
New York State Route 34
, a north-south highway, intersects New York State Route 370
, an east-west highway, in Cato village. The southern terminus of New York State Route 176
is at NY-370, east of Meridian.
of 2000, there were 2,744 people, 994 households, and 747 families residing in the town. The population density
was 81.6 people per square mile (31.5/km²). There were 1,293 housing units at an average density of 38.4 per square mile (14.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.74% White, 0.36% Black or African American
, 0.40% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races
, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.
There were 994 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,281, and the median income for a family was $49,028. Males had a median income of $35,150 versus $24,572 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $19,941. About 6.0% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
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 Cayuga County
Cayuga County, New York
Cayuga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named for one of the tribes of Indians in the Iroquois Confederation. Its county seat is Auburn.- History :...
, 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,537 at the 2010 census. The name was assigned by the surveyors of the Military Tract, and is one of many towns and villages bearing classical place names.
The Town of Cato contains a part of a village, also with the name of Cato
Cato (village), New York
Cato is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 601 at the 2000 census. The name was assigned by the surveyors of the Military Tract, and is one of many towns and villages bearing classical place names....
, as well as the entire village of Meridian. Cato is northwest 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...
, 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...
.
History
The town was in the Central New York Military TractCentral 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....
, reserved for veterans of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Settlers trickled in during the early 19th century. After the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the population increased more quickly.
The town was formed in 1802 from part of the Town of Aurelius
Aurelius, New York
Aurelius is a town in Cayuga County, New York, USA. The population was 2,792 at the 2010 census. The town was named after the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.The Town of Aurelius is at the western edge of the county and borders the City of Auburn....
. Cato was subsequently reduced in size when new towns were formed: Sterling
Sterling, New York
Sterling is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 3,040 at the 2010 census. The town is named after "Lord Stirling", a general of the Revolutionary War. Sterling is the most northerly town in the county...
in 1812, and, in 1821, Conquest, Ira
Ira, New York
Ira is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,206 at the 2010 census.The Town of Ira is in the northern part of the county and is northwest of Syracuse, New York.- History :...
, and Victory
Victory, Cayuga County, New York
----Victory is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,660 at the 2010 census. The name celebrates the political victory in forming the town....
. Part of the Town of Ira was returned to Cato in 1824.
Famous Residents
- Regan SmithRegan SmithRegan Smith is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet Impala for Furniture Row Racing.-Beginnings:...
, NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver
- Josh Warner, Pro Football player (NY Giants)
- Howard Frank MosherHoward Frank MosherHoward Frank Mosher is a contemporary author of eleven books: ten fiction and one non-fiction. Much of his fiction takes place in the mid-20th century and all of it is set in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a region loosely defined by the three counties in the northeastern corner of the state...
, novelist
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 36.2 square miles (93.7 km²), of which, 33.6 square miles (87.1 km²) of it is land and 2.6 square miles (6.6 km²) of it (7.07%) is water.
The town of Cato is on the eastern side of the county, so that the east town line is the border of 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....
. The south town line is defined by the Seneca River
Seneca River (New York)
The Seneca River in central New York flows from west to east, from Seneca Lake, through the Montezuma Marsh at the north end of Cayuga Lake to the Seneca's confluence with the Oneida and Oswego rivers at the Three Rivers area north of Syracuse. Much of the river has been channelized to form part...
/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...
.
New York State Route 34
New York State Route 34
New York State Route 34 is a north–south New York state route located in Central New York. Its southern terminus is at the Pennsylvania state line in the village of Waverly, where it connects to Pennsylvania Route 199 and meets NY 17...
, a north-south highway, intersects New York State Route 370
New York State Route 370
New York State Route 370 is an east–west state highway in central New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 104 and NY 104A south of the Wayne County village of Red Creek to a junction with U.S. Route 11 in the Onondaga County city of Syracuse...
, an east-west highway, in Cato village. The southern terminus of New York State Route 176
New York State Route 176
New York State Route 176 is a north–south state highway located in the central part of New York, United States, that connects Cayuga County with Oswego County. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 370 in the northeast part of the town of Cato, east of...
is at NY-370, east of Meridian.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 2,744 people, 994 households, and 747 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 81.6 people per square mile (31.5/km²). There were 1,293 housing units at an average density of 38.4 per square mile (14.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.74% White, 0.36% 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...
, 0.40% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.07% 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 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.
There were 994 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,281, and the median income for a family was $49,028. Males had a median income of $35,150 versus $24,572 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 $19,941. About 6.0% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Cato
- CatoCato (village), New YorkCato is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 601 at the 2000 census. The name was assigned by the surveyors of the Military Tract, and is one of many towns and villages bearing classical place names....
– The Village of Cato straddles the north town line at the junction of NY-34 and NY-370. The northern part of the Village of Cato is in the Town of IraIra, New YorkIra is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,206 at the 2010 census.The Town of Ira is in the northern part of the county and is northwest of Syracuse, New York.- History :...
. - Cross Lake – A large lakeLakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
on the eastern town line. - MeridianMeridian, New YorkMeridian is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 350 at the 2000 census.The Village of Meridian is near the north town line of the Town of Cato and is west of Syracuse, New York.-History:...
– The Village of Meridian is at the north town line on NY-370. - Otter Lake – A lake south of Meridian. The Otter Lake Community ChurchOtter Lake Community ChurchOtter Lake Community Church is a historic church on NY 28 in Otter Lake, Oneida County, New York. It was built in 1863 and moved to its present location in 1921. It is a rectangular, gable roofed Carpenter Gothic structure with board-and-batten siding...
was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2004. - Parker Pond – A small lake at the southeast corner of Cato village.
- Whitford's AirportWhitford's AirportWhitford's Airport is a public use airport in Cayuga County, New York, United States. It is owned by John Whitford and is located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of the Village of Weedsport. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for...
– A general aviation airport near the south town line. It is also called "Weedsport Airport."