Clay, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clay is a town in Onondaga County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 58,805, making it Syracuse's largest suburb. The town was named after Henry Clay, stateman.
The Town of Clay is northwest of Syracuse. It is the largest town in the county and contains part of the Village of North Syracuse, New York. It contains the major retail strip of Syracuse's northwesterly suburbs, along NY-31, including the Great Northern Mall.
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[edit] History
Clay was within the Central New York Military Tract. The town was first settled by outsiders around 1791.
The Town of Clay was formed in 1827 from the Town of Cicero, one of the original townships of the military tract.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 126.4 km² (48.8 mi²). 124.3 km² (48.0 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (1.60%) is water.
The north town line is the border of Oneida County, marked by the Oneida River. The Seneca River marks the west town line. Both these rivers join into the Oswego River near the community of Three Rivers. The renovated Erie Canal follows the rivers around the border of Clay.
New York State Route 31 is an east-west highway through the town. New York State Route 481 intersects NY-31 west of Euclid.
Clay is north of Onondaga Lake.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 58,805 people, 22,294 households, and 15,940 families residing in the town. The population density was 472.9/km² (1,224.9/mi²). There were 23,398 housing units at an average density of 188.2/km² (487.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.13% White, 3.50% African American, 0.47% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population.
There were 22,294 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,412, and the median income for a family was $57,493. Males had a median income of $40,387 versus $27,996 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,011. About 4.1% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
 Barnes & Noble in Clay |
 Clay Town Hall |
 Interstate 481 and Golf Dome from Route 31 |
 COR Center shopping mall |
 Erie Canal/Seneca River borders Clay to the north and to the west |
[edit] Communities and locations in Clay
- Bayberry -- a suburban residential community in the town.
- Belgium -- A hamlet on NY-31 near the west town line.
- Cherry Heights -- A hamlet near the east town line.
- Clay -- The hamlet of Clay is located on NY-31.
- Elmcrest -- A hamlet in the southwest part of Clay.
- Euclid -- a hamlet in the northern part of the town on NY-31.
- Great Northern Mall -- A Large Regional Mall at the junction of NY-31 and NY-481.
- Kimbrook -- a suburban residential community.
- Lynelle Meadows-- a suburban residential community.
- Moyers Corners -- A hamlet on NY-31 near the west town line, east of Belgium.
- North Syracuse -- The Village of North Syracuse is mostly within the town.
- Rodger Corner -- A hamlet south of Clay village.
- Three Rivers -- A hamlet at the west town line at the junction of the Oneida, Oswego, and Seneca Rivers.
- Woodard -- A hamlet in the southwest part of Clay.
- Youngs -- A hamlet north of Clay village.
