Fairport, New York
Encyclopedia
Fairport is a village located in the town of Perinton
Perinton, New York
Perinton is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 46,090 at the 2000 census.The Village of Fairport, New York is within the town on the Erie Canal. Perinton is adjacent to the village of East Rochester , and the towns of Victor , Macedon , Pittsford , and Penfield...

 which is part of Monroe County
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....

, 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...

. Fairport is a suburb 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

. It is also known as the "Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal". In 2005 it was named as one of Money Magazine's
Money (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...

 "Best Places to Live".

Geography

Fairport is located at 43°5'58" North, 77°26'35" West (43.099433, -77.443015).

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 village has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), of which 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) is water. The total area is 3.09% water.

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 5,740 people, 2,369 households, and 1,594 families residing in the village. 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 3,645.0 people per square mile (1,411.6/km²). There were 2,431 housing units at an average density of 1,543.7 per square mile (597.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.99% White, 0.73% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 1.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,369 households, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18, 53.4% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,375 and the median income for a family was $65,980. Males had a median income of $50,094 v. $30,431 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 village was $29,390. 3.3% of the population and 1.7% of families were below the poverty line. 2.2% of those under the age of 18 and 5.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

History

The town of Perinton was first settled in the two flat areas of Perinton Center (Turk Hill and Ayrault Roads) and Egypt. The first settlers in Perinton were Glover Perrin, his wife Johanna and his brother Jesse. The village of Fairport was originally a swampy area within the town of Perinton until it was drained by the new 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 the 1820s. With the addition of the Canal, what was then known as Perrinsville quickly became a busy canal port with a reputation for being a "fair port". A further boon to the area's reputation as an industry and transportation center came with the addition of railroads in 1853. This now booming section of Perrinsville was incorporated as a village on and eventually became the center of activity for the town of Perinton.

In the 19th century industry moved into Fairport including Deland Chemical (baking soda), Cobb Preserving (the predecessor to American Can) and the Trescott Company (fruit grading and packing systems). Deland Chemical later became Fairport Vinegar Works - makers of Certo brand pectin used to jell foodstuffs.

In the early 20th century the Erie Canal was expanded and renamed the Barge Canal. (It reverted back to its original name in 1992) Barge transportation rapidly declined as automobiles and trucks became popular. The town began to expand away from the canal. Currently, the Erie Canal is used mainly for recreation.

Fairport acquired its name in the mid-19th century from a traveler on the Erie Canal who was overheard at Mallett's Tavern referring to the village as a fair port. In an ironic twist, local legend has it that the same visitor vociferously complained the next morning that the Millstone Block Hotel had bedbug
Bedbug
Cimicidae are small parasitic insects. The most common type is Cimex lectularius. The term usually refers to species that prefer to feed on human blood...

s and he stormed out of Fairport never to return. The name, however, stuck.

In 2005, Money Magazine
Money Magazine
Money Magazine is a business news and financial programme that is broadcast on Sundays at 7:00pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl.-Producers and reporters:...

 and CNN/Money ranked Fairport as #62 on their "Best Places to Live" list.

In 2008, Relocate America included Fairport in their "Top 100 Places To Live" list.

Sports

Notable athletes to come out of Fairport include Tim Soudan
Tim Soudan
Tim Soudan is the current coach of the Rochester Rattlers and a former NLL/MLL lacrosse player for the Boston Blazers, Rochester Knighthawks, and Rochester Rattlers.- College career :...

 in lacrosse (UMass
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...

, Rochester Knighthawks
Rochester Knighthawks
The Rochester Knighthawks are a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. They play in Rochester, New York at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Knighthawks were previously members of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1995 to 1997...

), Shawn Johnson
Shawn Johnson (football player)
Shawn Johnson is a former American football defensive end.defensegoals:56...

 in football (Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...

), Steve Soja (Coastal Carolina University, River City Rascals, Mid-Missouri Mavericks, Gateway Grizzlies and Yuma Scorpions) and Ryan Szwejbka in baseball(University of South Carolina, Aberdeen Pheasants), Dave Cerny in lacrosse (SUNY Albany Hall of Fame), Dan Predmore in track and field (Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

 Hall of Fame), Chris Collins
Chris Collins
Chris Collins may refer to:In the arts:* Chris Collins or K. C. Collins, a Canadian-born American actor* Chris Collins * Chris Collins , a former vocalist for the band now known as Dream Theater...

 in hockey (Boston College
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...

 Providence Bruins
Providence Bruins
The Providence Bruins are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the primary development team for the NHL's Boston Bruins. They play in Providence, Rhode Island at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.-History:...

), professional tennis player Marcus Fugate, Dhruv Tyagi in diving (Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

), Ryan Kavanaugh in Rowing (Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

)

Culture

Much of the activity of Fairport revolves around the Erie Canal waterfront. The Fairport Village Landing opened in 1977 and Packett's Landing, built in the early 1980s, are two of the main shopping, dining and gathering spots in the village. Both developments resulted from a then-controversial decision to raze much of the core of historic buildings in the center of the village in favor of the style of urban development then coming into vogue.

The Colonial Belle is a popular tour boat that offers canal cruises from Packett's Wharf - on the south bank of the Erie in downtown Fairport.

Fairport is the home of Fairport Canal Days (http://www.fairportcanaldays.com/attendees.php). This festival takes place the first full weekend of June each year and features many Rochester, Monroe County, New York area performers, including The Perinton Concert Band, The Rochester Scottish Pipe Band, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, Monroe County, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music....

. Artists and artisans from more than a dozen states and Canada flock to Fairport to show their goods at the three-day festival.

Fairport's calendar is filled with numerous other family-oriented activities. Each Tuesday during the summer the village hosts live entertainment. Thursday evenings see hundred gather at the canalside gazebo at Kennelly Park to enjoy live music of a variety of musical styles and genres. Center Stage at Center Park, a large outdoor amphitheater just minutes from the village, hosts live stage performances, festivals and concerts throughout the summer. The village also hosts numerous seasonal festivals throughout the year as well, such as the Fairport Music and Food Festival.

The Erie Canal towpath is a popular walking/biking path. The section from Rochester's Genesee Valley Park to the village of Fairport is one of the most popular sections on the entire 340 miles (547.2 km) of the Erie Canal. The towpath is a mix of pavement and crushed gravel in the Rochester area.

Although less popular, the section heading east from Fairport is high quality and an excellent trail. Hikers, bikers, dog-walkers, and runners are common on this section. It takes about 30 minutes to cycle from Rt. 250 to Canandagua Rd. on the towpath.

Perinton Park is popular family-oriented park located on the banks of Erie Canal at Fairport Road (Rte. 31F) - the traditional east/west gateway into the village. The park is a short walk on the canal from the village. Nearby is the rowing boathouse for the Fairport Crew Club, an independent rowing club for local residents. The FCC boathouse is used to store rowing shells, whose teams can be seen practicing on the canal most days during the traditional canal season. Each September Fairport hosts the "Lift Bridge Regatta", a popular crew event featuring some of the top crew clubs in the Northeast.

The Fairport Red Raiders represent Fairport High School
Fairport High School
Fairport High School is a public high school serving the tenth through twelfth grades in Fairport, NY and is part of the Fairport Central School District. Principal Christopher Salinas is currently in his second year at FHS....

 in all varsity sports. For decades their traditional rivals in football were the East Rochester
East Rochester, New York
East Rochester is a coterminous town and village located southeast of the City of Rochester in Monroe County, New York. The village, home to about 6,587 people, is bounded by Pittsford to the west and south and Perinton to the north and east. The southern boundary is delimited by New York State...

 Bombers, whom they played annually for the Little Brown Jug. The tradition was ended October 30, 1987 when it was acknowledged that Fairport's student enrollment was much larger than that of East Rochester.

The village of Fairport owns and operates a municipal power corporation called Fairport Electric. Incorporated in 1901, Fairport Electric provides electric power to its customers at lower rates than those charged by neighboring utilities. Fairport Electric has purchased power from the New York Power Authority
New York Power Authority
The New York Power Authority , officially the Power Authority of the State of New York , is a New York State public benefit corporation and the largest state-owned power organization in the United States. NYPA provides some of the lowest-cost electricity in New York State, operating 17 generating...

 since 1961.

Fairport native Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...

 won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...

 for his performance in the motion picture Capote
Capote (film)
Capote is a 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The movie was...

.

Although officially the name of only the village, the simple moniker "Fairport" is often used when referring to the encompassing township of Perinton as well. The vast majority of the Town of Perinton
Perinton, New York
Perinton is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 46,090 at the 2000 census.The Village of Fairport, New York is within the town on the Erie Canal. Perinton is adjacent to the village of East Rochester , and the towns of Victor , Macedon , Pittsford , and Penfield...

 falls within the Fairport Central School District
Fairport Central School District
The Fairport Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 7,100 students in the village of Fairport and the town of Perinton in Monroe County, with over 1200 employees and an operating budget of $94 million .The average class size is 22.3 students...

 and Fairport zip code (the physical limits of both correspond closely with the official town borders), thus much of what is technically Perinton is often identified as Fairport. Many Perinton residents will claim to live in Fairport although they may not actually live within the village limits. Although use of the term Perinton has increased in recent years, some Perintonians share the same pride and identity with Fairport as village residents do, while others prefer not to be called Fairport residents. (With the multiple levels of municipal government in the State of New York, this is common in many towns and villages throughout the state.)

Village of Fairport Parks

  • Kennelley Park
  • North Bank Canal Park
  • Packett's Landing Wharf
  • Potter Park

Government

The Village Board is the local legislative body, consisting of the Mayor and four Trustees. Board members are elected in the November general elections and serve a term of four years.

The Village Justice, also elected in the November general elections for a four year term, presides over the village court which settles criminal, civil, small claims, parking, vehicle and traffic cases that occur within the Village.

The Village Board selects a Village Administrator with responsibility for directing Village operations, including those of the Fairport Municipal Commission and for serving as budget director, zoning officer and public safety officer.

Serving under the Village Administrator and appointed by the mayor with Board of Trustees approval, are the clerk/treasurer, deputy clerk, deputy treasurer and building inspector/fire marshal.
Village presidents and mayors
Name Title Term Name Title Term Name Title Term
C. H. Dickingson President 1866 Edward L. Dudley President 1894 Lewis W. Hollander Mayor 1933–1935
A. C. Hill President 1867–1869 Joseph Duncan President 1895–1896 Irving R. Neiss Mayor 1935–1944
George R. Sanford President 1870 Nathan A. Rightmire President 1897 Harry F. VanHorn Mayor 1945–1954
Thomas B. V. Durand President 1871 James E. Russell President 1898 Charles J. Stauber Mayor 1955–1962
William P. Close President 1872 Charles H. Howe President 1899 Albert H. Knapp Mayor 1963–1966
Joseph Y. Parce President 1873 John Zollman President 1900–1902 Gordon T. Murphy Mayor 1967–1970
W. K. Goodrich President 1874 Theron R. Pritchard President 1903 Peter J. McDonough Mayor 1971–1982
George R. Sanford President 1875 George E. Cobb President 1904 Vincent T. Kennelly Mayor 1982–1989
W. K. Goodrich President 1876 Irving B. Eldridge President 1905 Clark T. King Mayor 1989–2006
Levi J. DeLand President 1877 S. J. Robbins President 1906–1907 Frederick H. "Fritz" May Mayor 2006 – present
Ezekiel Davidson President 1878–1879 George C. Taylor President 1908
Levi J. DeLand President 1880 Frank M. Kurtz President 1909
F. A. Defendorf President 1881–1882 Richard L. Saunders President 1910
Nelson Lewis President 1883 Charles W. Butler President 1911
F. W. Howard President 1884 Gordon H. Kellogg President 1912
G. L. G. Seeley President 1885 J. H. Cotter President 1913–1914
F. A. Defendorf President 1886 E. L. Dudley President 1915–1916
A. Worth Palmer President 1887 J. D. McGartney President 1917–1919
F. W. Howard President 1887 James W. Welch President 1920
Egbert L. Hodskin President 1888 T. J. Bridges President 1921
W. M. DeLand President 1889 Harry T. Tinney President 1922–1923
Patrick McAuliffe President 1890 Stewart S. Pierce President 1924
J. Wesley "Wes" Osborn President 1891 Henry Steiger President
Mayor
1925–1927
1928
Ephrium J. Fisk President 1892 Herman L. Steffen Mayor 1929–1930
Ezra B. Pratt President 1893 Glezen G. Wilcox Mayor 1931–1932

Education

The Fairport Central School District
Fairport Central School District
The Fairport Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 7,100 students in the village of Fairport and the town of Perinton in Monroe County, with over 1200 employees and an operating budget of $94 million .The average class size is 22.3 students...

 serves the village of Fairport and the town of Perinton.

Elementary Schools (Grades: K-5)

  • Dudley Elementary School
  • Brooks Hill Elementary School
  • Jefferson Avenue Elementary School
  • Northside Elementary School

Notable people

  • Brian Michael Bendis
    Brian Michael Bendis
    Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...

    , comic book writer, spent summers in Fairport while growing up in Cleveland
  • Ralph Bown
    Ralph Bown
    Ralph Bown was a noted American radio pioneer.Bown was born in Fairport, New York, and received his M.E., M.M.E., and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University where he also taught physics...

    , radio pioneer
  • Bill Davey
    Bill Davey
    Bill Davey is an American bodybuilder and fitness model. He earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in exercise physiology from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Davey has often been presented in fitness and bodybuilding magazines...

    , professional bodybuilder, 1997 AAU Mr America
  • Don Davey
    Don Davey
    Donald Vincent "Don" Davey is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.Davey also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars....

    , NFL football player, Green Bay Packers (1991–94), Jacksonville Jaguars (1995–97)
  • Sean Fine
    Sean Fine
    Sean Fine is a documentary filmmaker whose War/Dance about child soldiers was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2007.- Biography :...

    , Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker, "War/Dance", 2007
  • Joseph Fornieri
    Joseph Fornieri
    Joseph R. Fornieri is an American political historian and Professor of Political Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology...

    , historian and author
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...

    , actor, 2006 Academy Award Winner (Best Actor: Capote 2005)
  • Leo Lyons
    Leo Lyons (American football)
    Leo V. Lyons was a co-founder of the National Football League. He was a player, manager,coach and owner of the Rochester Jeffersons from 1908 to 1925.-Early career:...

    , owner-manager of Rochester Jeffersons
    Rochester Jeffersons
    The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...

     founding NFL team (1920–25)
  • Louise Slaughter, U.S. House of Representatives, Chairperson, House Rules Committee
  • Tim Soudan
    Tim Soudan
    Tim Soudan is the current coach of the Rochester Rattlers and a former NLL/MLL lacrosse player for the Boston Blazers, Rochester Knighthawks, and Rochester Rattlers.- College career :...

    , professional lacrosse player, MILL All-Pro; Boston Blazers, Rochester Knighthawks, Rochester Rattlers

External links

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