Fairport, New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fairport is a village located in Monroe County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 5,740.

The Village of Fairport, on the Erie Canal, is in the Town of Perinton.

1 History
2 Government
3 Culture
4 Geography
5 Demographics
6 Education
7 Town Historian
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

The town of Perinton was first settled in the two flat areas of Perinton Center (Turk Hill and Ayrault Roads) and Egypt. The Village of Fairport was originally a swampy area within the town of Perinton until it was drained by the new Erie Canal in the 1820's. The town became a busy canal port and eventually became the center of gravity for the town of Perinton.

In the 1800's, industry moved into Fairport, including Deland Chemical (baking soda), Cobb Preserving (the predecessor of American Can), and the Trescott Company (fruit grading and packing systems).

In the early 1900's the Barge Canal was built, expanding the Erie Canal. However, barge transportation rapidly declined as automobiles and trucks became ubiquitous. The town began to expand away from the canal. Currently, the Barge Canal is used almost solely for tourism.

The village (of Fairport) derives its name from the fact that it was thought of as being literally a "fair port" on the Erie Canal.

In 2005, Money Magazine and CNN/Money ranked Fairport as #62 on their "Best Places to Live" list.

[edit] 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 marshall.^[1]

[edit] Culture

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 rates about one-third of those charged by neighboring utilities. Fairport Electric has purchased power from the Power Authority of the State of New York since 1961.

Fairport is also the home of Constellation Brands, the largest wine company in the world and Casa Larga Vineyards, the only winery in Monroe County.

The winner of the 2006 Academy Award for Best Actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, grew up in Fairport.

Notable athletes to come out of Fairport include Tim Soudan in lacrosse (UMass, Rochester Knighthawks), Shawn Johnson in football (Duke University, Tennessee Titans), Steve Soja in baseball (Coastal Carolina University, Gateway Grizzlies), Caitlin Howe in basketball (Duke University), and Chris Collins in hockey (Boston College, Providence Bruins).

The Village Landing, built in the 1970's, and Packett's Landing, built in the ealy 1980's, are two of the main shopping, dining, and gathering spots in the village.

Fairport is the home of Fairport Canal Days, "one of the premier annual Arts and Crafts festivals in the Northeast, attracting nearly a quarter-million visitors each year!" (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 and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Fairport Red Raiders represent Fairport High in all varsity sports. For decades, their traditional rivals in football were the Bombers of East Rochester, who they played annually for the Little Brown Jug. The tradition was ended in the late 1980's when Fairport grew much bigger than East Rochester in school population. Mike Ierlan, Ray Soja, Randy Garrett, Jacques Monte and Mike DeMay coach football at the varsity level. After nearly three decades of disappointment, the boys varsity basketball program took Section V by storm in 2005-06 as head coach Scott Fitch led the team to a sectional crown, their first since 1975.

Perinton Park is located on the barge canal, and it is home to a boathouse used to store rowing sculls, whose teams can be seen practicing on the canal most days except in the winter monthes, when the canal is drained and usually freezes.

[edit] Geography

Fairport is located at 43°5'58" North, 77°26'35" West (43.099433, -77.443015)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²). 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.09% water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,740 people, 2,369 households, and 1,594 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,411.6/km² (3,645.0/mi²). There were 2,431 housing units at an average density of 597.8/km² (1,543.7/mi²). 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 out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples 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 versus $30,431 for females. The per capita income 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.

[edit] Education

Fairport High School is located in a suburban setting on 1358 Ayrault Road Fairport, NY 14450. It is for grades 10-12. The school mascot is the Red Raider.

Minerva Deland houses Grade 9.

Middle schools are Joanna Perrin and Martha Brown.

Elementary schools are Brooks Hill, Dudley, Northside, and Jefferson Avenue.