Hopewell, New York
Encyclopedia
Hopewell is a town
in Ontario County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 3,346 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Hopewell is in the north central part of the county, east of the City of Canandaigua
.
Settled beginning in 1789, the town of Hopewell, New York, was originally part of a tract of land first called "District of Easton" and then "Lincoln" and was part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
of 1788.
The original settlers in the area were former New Englanders. According to The History of Ontario County New York, some of the earliest pioneers included "Daniel Gates, Daniel Warner, Ezra Platt, Samuel Day, George Chapin, Israel Chapin, Jr., Frederick Follett, Thomas Sawyer, Benjamin Wells and Mr. Sweet, all of whom were from Massachusetts, while William Wyckoff who was another pioneer, was from Pennsylvania."
In 1807, the name of the town was changed again, this time to "Gorham," in honor of Nathaniel Gorham
. The Town of Hopewell was formed out of the northern section of the Town of Gorham
on March 29, 1822.
On April 17, 1823, the first town meeting was held and the first town officers were elected. They were:
Between 1830 and 1890, the population of Hopewell ranged from 2,202 (1830) to 1,655 (1890).
In 1825 the County Board of Supervisors purchased farmland in the southeastern part of the town and established a home for the county poor. That land today is still owned by Ontario County and is used to house the County Health Facility, County Historian and Archives Center and other County facilities.
, the town has a total area of 35.7 square miles (92.5 km²), of which, 35.6 square miles (92.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.06%) is water.
New York State Route 21
intersects New York State Route 488
in Chapin. The NY 5
/US 20
concurrency
runs through the south part of the town.
Hopewell is near the northeast end of Canandaigua Lake
, one of the Finger Lakes
.
of 2000, there were 3,346 people, 1,244 households, and 888 families residing in the town. The population density
was 93.9 people per square mile (36.2/km²). There were 1,342 housing units at an average density of 37.7 per square mile (14.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.97% White, 0.78% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races
, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.
There were 1,244 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples
living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,604, and the median income for a family was $46,452. Males had a median income of $30,575 versus $23,354 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,899. About 4.0% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% 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 Ontario County
Ontario County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,346 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Hopewell is in the north central part of the county, east of the City of Canandaigua
Canandaigua (city), New York
Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County, New York, USA, of which it is the county seat. The population was 11,264 at the 2000 census...
.
History
Significant portions of this section is sourced from Conover, Chapter XXV.Settled beginning in 1789, the town of Hopewell, New York, was originally part of a tract of land first called "District of Easton" and then "Lincoln" and was part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of the pre-emptive right to some 6,000,000 acres of land in western New York State for $1,000,000 . This was all land in western New York west of Seneca Lake between Lake Ontario and the Pennsylvania border...
of 1788.
The original settlers in the area were former New Englanders. According to The History of Ontario County New York, some of the earliest pioneers included "Daniel Gates, Daniel Warner, Ezra Platt, Samuel Day, George Chapin, Israel Chapin, Jr., Frederick Follett, Thomas Sawyer, Benjamin Wells and Mr. Sweet, all of whom were from Massachusetts, while William Wyckoff who was another pioneer, was from Pennsylvania."
In 1807, the name of the town was changed again, this time to "Gorham," in honor of Nathaniel Gorham
Nathaniel Gorham
Nathaniel Gorham was the fourteenth President of the United States in Congress assembled, under the Articles of Confederation...
. The Town of Hopewell was formed out of the northern section of the Town of Gorham
Gorham, New York
Gorham is a town in Ontario County, New York, USA. The population was 3,776 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Nathaniel Gorham.The Town of Gorham is at the south border of the county, southeast of Canandaigua, NY.- History :...
on March 29, 1822.
On April 17, 1823, the first town meeting was held and the first town officers were elected. They were:
- Supervisor - Nathan Lewis
- Town Clerk - John Prince
- Assessors - Elisha Higby, George Brundage, and James Birdseye
- Highway Commissioners - Joel S. Hart, Erastus Lamed, and William Canfield
- Overseers of the Poor - Rufus Warner and Lemuel Babcock
- Commissioner of Schools - William Buchan, Jason Angel, and Joshua Case
- Inspector of Schools - Joseph Merrill, William Bodman, and Joel Amsden
- Constables - Timothy Dunham, Hiram Dillon, William Lamed, and Joseph Parker
- Collector - Walter Wells
- Justice of the Peace - Nathaniel Lewis, John Price, Amos Jones and Elisha Higby
Between 1830 and 1890, the population of Hopewell ranged from 2,202 (1830) to 1,655 (1890).
In 1825 the County Board of Supervisors purchased farmland in the southeastern part of the town and established a home for the county poor. That land today is still owned by Ontario County and is used to house the County Health Facility, County Historian and Archives Center and other County facilities.
Notable inhabitants
- Henry Morrison FlaglerHenry Morrison FlaglerHenry Morrison Flagler was an American tycoon, real estate promoter, railroad developer and partner of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil. He was a key figure in the development of the eastern coast of Florida along the Atlantic Ocean and was founder of what became the Florida East Coast Railway...
, United States businessman and "Father of MiamiMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
," born in Hopewell (1830). - Daniel Myron LeFeverDaniel Myron LeFeverDaniel Myron LeFever was an American gun maker, popularly known as "Uncle Dan LeFever". He is best known as the inventor of the hammerless shotgun, first introduced in 1878.-Biography:...
, American gunmaker, inventor of the hammerless shotgun, born in Hopewell (1835). - Edyth WalkerEdyth WalkerEdyth Walker was an American opera singer who had an active international career from the 1890s through the 1910s. She began her career performing roles from the mezzo-soprano repertory, but later successfully added several soprano parts to her repertoire as well...
, American opera singer of the Metropolitan Opera and Vienna State Opera, born in Hopewell (1867).
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 35.7 square miles (92.5 km²), of which, 35.6 square miles (92.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.06%) is water.
New York State Route 21
New York State Route 21
New York State Route 21 is a state highway extending for through the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at NY 417 in Andover. The northern terminus is at NY 104 in Williamson...
intersects New York State Route 488
New York State Route 488
New York State Route 488 is a state highway in Ontario County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 21 in the town of Hopewell, near the city of Canandaigua, to a junction with NY 96 midway between the villages of Phelps and Clifton Springs...
in Chapin. The NY 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...
/US 20
U.S. Route 20 in New York
U.S. Route 20 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Newport, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts. In the U.S. state of New York, US 20 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Ripley to the Massachusetts state line in the Berkshire Mountains. US 20 is the longest...
concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
runs through the south part of the town.
Hopewell is near the northeast end of Canandaigua Lake
Canandaigua Lake
Canandaigua Lake is the fourth largest of the Finger Lakes, in the U.S. state of New York. The city of Canandaigua is located at the northern shore of the lake and the village of Naples is just a few miles south of the southern end...
, one of the Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
.
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 3,346 people, 1,244 households, and 888 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 93.9 people per square mile (36.2/km²). There were 1,342 housing units at an average density of 37.7 per square mile (14.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.97% White, 0.78% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.24% 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 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.
There were 1,244 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,604, and the median income for a family was $46,452. Males had a median income of $30,575 versus $23,354 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 $16,899. About 4.0% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Hopewell
- Aloquin – A hamletHamlet (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...
in the southeast corner of the town on NY-5 and US-20. - Canandaigua Lake Outlet – A stream crossing the northwest corner of the town.
- Chapin (formerly "Chapinville") – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town at the junction of Routes 21 and 488. Although a railroad was built through the hamlet, the increase in business and commerce lasted only a short while.
- Ennerdale – A hamlet south of Hopewell Center, located on the former Ennerdale Road, now known as County Road 47.
- Hopewell Center (or "Hopewell") – A hamlet near the center of the town at the junction of County Roads 4 and 47.
- Lewis – An historic location in the southeast part of the town.
- Littleville – A hamlet on the northern town line, Littleville is the site of a grist mill built by Oliver PhelpsOliver PhelpsOliver Phelps was born in Poquonock, Connecticut and moved to Suffield, Connecticut, where he apprenticed to a local merchant. He shortly thereafter became a tavern keeper in Granville, Massachusetts. During the Revolution he was Deputy Commissary of the Continental Army and served until the end...
in 1791. The hamlet is named after Norman C. Little who ran the Phelps mill along with a store (Conover).
Schools
Hopewell has no school district of its own, and a number of school districts cover the town. These include:- City of Canandaigua School District
- Gorham-Middlesex (Marcus Whitman) School District
- Manchester-Shortsville (Red Jacket) School District
- Phelps-Clifton Springs (Midlakes) School District. http://www.midlakes.orghttp://www.midlakesschool.blogspot.com/
Miscellaneous
- Hopewell is home to the Pageant of SteamPageant of SteamPageant of Steam is an annual steam fair held in the Town of Hopewell, New York. It started in 1960 and is hosted by the New York State Steam Engine Association....
Official site - Hopewell is home to the Constellation Brands - Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center Official Site
- Hopewell is home to the Finger Lakes Community College Official site