Wolcott (town), New York
Encyclopedia
Wolcott is a town
in Wayne County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 4,692 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Governor Oliver Wolcott of Connecticut
.
The Town of Wolcott is in the northeast corner of the county. There is a village named Wolcott
in the town. Both are west of Syracuse
, New York
.
The Town of Wolcott was formed 1807 from the Town of Junius
in Seneca County
, New York
before the creation of Wayne County, but the town was not completely organized until 1810.
The town was later reduced in size by the formation of new towns in the county: Bulter
, Huron
, and Rose
, all in 1826.
The discovery of iron ore in the county led to the smelting operation at Wolcott furnace north of Wolcott village from 1821 to 1869.
, the town has a total area of 40.2 square miles (104.0 km²), of which, 39.3 square miles (101.8 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²) of it (2.14%) is water.
The town's north border is Lake Ontario
, and the east town line is Cayuga County
.
The Clinton Formation of red hematite
led to the early iron production industry in the town and county.
At Red Creek, east-west highway New York State Route 104
splits off New York State Route 104A
, which becomes a north-south highway near the east town line. New York State Route 370
is in the southeast part of the town.
of 2000, there were 4,692 people, 1,742 households, and 1,153 families residing in the town. The population density
was 119.4 people per square mile (46.1/km²). There were 2,232 housing units at an average density of 56.8 per square mile (21.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.71% White, 4.20% Black or African American
, 0.62% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 1.26% from other races
, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.90% of the population.
There were 1,742 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,516, and the median income for a family was $40,265. Males had a median income of $32,617 versus $21,898 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,487. About 13.4% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% 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 Wayne County
Wayne County, New York
Wayne County is a county located in the US state of New York. It is part of the Rochester, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area and lies on the south shore of Lake Ontario, forming part of the northern border of the United States with Canada. The name honors General Anthony Wayne, an American...
, 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 4,692 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Governor Oliver Wolcott of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
The Town of Wolcott is in the northeast corner of the county. There is a village named Wolcott
Wolcott (village), New York
Wolcott is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. The name is from a former governor of Connecticut....
in the town. Both are 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...
, 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 first settlement began around 1807.The Town of Wolcott was formed 1807 from the Town of Junius
Junius, New York
Junius is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 1,362 at the 2000 census.The Town of Junius is in the northwest corner of the county and is east of Geneva, New York.- History :...
in Seneca County
Seneca County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,342 people, 12,630 households, and 8,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile . There were 14,794 housing units at an average density of 46 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...
before the creation of Wayne County, but the town was not completely organized until 1810.
The town was later reduced in size by the formation of new towns in the county: Bulter
Butler, New York
Butler is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,277 at the 2000 census.The Town of Butler is on the east border of the county and is west of Syracuse, New York.- History :Settlement began in 1803....
, Huron
Huron, New York
Huron is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,117 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the Huron Indians.The Town of Huron is in the northeastern part of the county and is east of Rochester, NY.- History :...
, and Rose
Rose, New York
Rose is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,442 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Robert S. Rose, an early landowner of the town....
, all in 1826.
The discovery of iron ore in the county led to the smelting operation at Wolcott furnace north of Wolcott village from 1821 to 1869.
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 40.2 square miles (104.0 km²), of which, 39.3 square miles (101.8 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²) of it (2.14%) is water.
The town's north border is Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, and the east town line is 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 :...
.
The Clinton Formation of red hematite
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
led to the early iron production industry in the town and county.
At Red Creek, east-west highway New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104 is a long east–west state highway in Upstate New York, United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to that of the southern shoreline of Lake...
splits off New York State Route 104A
New York State Route 104A
New York State Route 104A is an east–west state highway in the central portion of New York in the United States. It serves as a northerly alternate route of NY 104, to which it connects at each end...
, which becomes a north-south highway near the east town line. 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...
is in the southeast part of the town.
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 4,692 people, 1,742 households, and 1,153 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 119.4 people per square mile (46.1/km²). There were 2,232 housing units at an average density of 56.8 per square mile (21.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.71% White, 4.20% 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...
, 0.62% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 1.26% 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 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.90% of the population.
There were 1,742 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% 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, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,516, and the median income for a family was $40,265. Males had a median income of $32,617 versus $21,898 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 $15,487. About 13.4% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Government
- Supervisor: Kim Park
- Town Clerk: Dawn Krul
- Town Justice: George Lachnicht
- Town Justice: Henry Krasucki, Jr.
- Councilman: Adam Ellis
- Councilman: Scott Gregg
- Councilman: Jeffrey Keller
- Councilman: Dallas Youngman
- Assessor: Diana Blankley
- Assessor: Amber Roberts
- Superintendent of Highways: Thomas Interlichia
Communities and locations in the Town of Wolcott
- Blind Sodus Bay – A bay of Lake Ontario in the northeast part of the town. The bay is not open to the lake due to a spit of land that closes it off, forming a fresh water lagoonLagoonA lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
. - Desbrough Park – 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...
near Lake Ontario on the east side of Port Bay. - Duncans Corners – A location near the east town line on County Road 167.
- Furnace Village – A hamlet on the west town line north of Wolcott village. This community was important in the production of iron in the 19th Century.
- Lake Shore Marshes Wildlife Management Area – Three conservation areas in the north part of the town.
- North Wolcott – A hamlet in the north central part of the town.
- Port Bay – A bay of Lake Ontario north of Wolcott village.
- Red CreekRed Creek, New YorkRed Creek is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 521 at the 2000 census.The Village of Red Creek is in the eastern part of the Town of Wolcott. The village is west of Syracuse, New York.- History :...
– The Village of Red Creek is at the east town line on NY-104. - WolcottWolcott (village), New YorkWolcott is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. The name is from a former governor of Connecticut....
– The Village of Wolcott is near the west town line. - Wolcott Creek – A stream flowing past Wolcott village and Furnace Village into Port Bay.
- Yellow Red Corners – A location in the southeast part of the town, now at the present intersection of NY-370 and Ridge Road (County Road 163).