Seneca Falls (town), New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seneca Falls is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 9,347 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Seneca Falls contains a village also called Seneca Falls. The town and the village are east of Geneva, New York in the northern part of the Finger Lakes District.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Communities and locations in the Town of Seneca Falls
5 Schools
- 5.1 Public Schools
  - 5.1.1 Seneca Falls Central School District
  - 5.1.2 Waterloo Central School District
- 5.2 Private education
6 Colleges
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

The region is the former realm of the Cayuga tribe, who were visited by Jesuit missionaries during the 17th Century. Cayuga villages were attacked and destroyed by the Sullivan Expedition of 1779 in retaliation for plundering and killing colonists.

The region became part of the Central New York Military Tract, reserved for veterans, after the conclusion of the American Revolution. Part of the current town was in a reservation set apart for members of the Cayuga who returned after the war. This reservation was located at the north end of Cayuga Lake.

A canal was completed in 1818 allowing transit between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake. This canal was connected to the Erie Canal in 1828.

The town was established in 1829 from part of the Town of Junius. The community of Seneca Falls in the town set itself apart by incorporating as a village in 1831.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 71.0 km² (27.4 mi²). 62.8 km² (24.2 mi²) of it is land and 8.3 km² (3.2 mi²) of it (11.63%) is water.

The east town line is partly defined by Cayuga Lake. The Seneca River/Cayuga-Seneca Canal passes across the town. More recently, efforts are underway to complete a scenic trail along the historic canal. The eastern part of the town is part of Montezuma Marsh, an extensive wetland at the north end of Cayuga Lake.

Conjoined US Route 20 and NY-5 form an east-west highway across the town. New York State Route 89 is a north-south highway by the shore of Seneca Lake. New York State Route 414 is also a north south highway, but has an east-west orientation while conjoined with US-20 and NY-5. New York State Route 318 intersects US-20/NY-5 in the northeast corner of the town.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 9,347 people, 3,796 households, and 2,440 families residing in the town. The population density was 148.9/km² (385.6/mi²). There were 4,167 housing units at an average density of 66.4/km² (171.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.86% White, 0.87% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.

There were 3,796 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,245, and the median income for a family was $48,565. Males had a median income of $36,631 versus $25,094 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,462. About 9.7% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Communities and locations in the Town of Seneca Falls

Bridgeport -- A lakeside hamlet east of Seneca Falls village on NY-89.
Cayuga Lake State Park -- A state park on the shore of Cayuga Lake.
Finger Lakes Regional Airport (0G7) -- A general aviation airport southeast of Seneca Falls village.
Halsey Corner -- A location in the northeast corner of the town on US-20.
Lehigh Valley Junction -- A hamlet north of Seneca Falls village.
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge -- A federal conservation area partly in the eastern end of the town.
Montezuma Wildlife Management Area -- A state conservation area in the east of the town.
Nichols Corner -- A location on the north town line on NY-318.
Seneca Falls -- The Village of Seneca Falls is located on US-20, NY-5 and the Seneca River.

[edit] Schools

[edit] Public Schools

[edit] Seneca Falls Central School District

The public school system for Seneca Falls and its nearby villages is provided by the Seneca Falls Central School District. This district has four schools: ^[1] ^[2]

Frank M. Knight Elementary School is a public school, which handles grades K-2 in the Seneca Falls Central School District. It has an enrollment of about 300 students. The principal in 2006 is Michele VanCopenolle. ^[3]
Elizabeth Cady Stanton School is a public school which handles grades 3-5. It has an enrollment of about 300 students. The principal in 2006 is Andrew Doell. ^[4]
Seneca Falls Middle School is a public school which handles grades 6-8. Enrollment is around 350 students. The principal is Robert McKeveny. ^[5]
Mynderse Academy is a public school which handles grades 9-12. 2006 enrollment is around 511 students. The principal is Anthony Ferrara. ^[6]

[edit] Waterloo Central School District

Some students attend the schools of the nearby town of Waterloo, New York, in the Waterloo Central School District. ^[7]

[edit] Private education

St. John Bosco School is a private Catholic Pre-K-Grade 8 school in Seneca Falls. It has around 120 students in all grades. The current principal is Mary E. Cafrey. The school was formed by the merger in 2005 of the St. Mary School in nearby Waterloo and the St. Patrick School in Seneca Falls. Though the school is a Catholic school, it has an official policy of accepting all faiths.

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Finger Lakes Christian School is a private Pre-K-Grade 12 school in Seneca Falls. It shares the building with the 1st Baptist Church. The current principal is the Rev. Scott Van Kirk. The school was established in 1991. Linked to The First Baptist Church of Seneca Falls, its aims were to offer an alternative for Christian children. The school has about 75 students. Its admission policy is that at least one parent or guardian must be a born-again Christian. As well as the general curriculum, pupils at the school attend Bible classes twice a week, and students have devotional meetings with their teachers or a Pastor at least weekly and have a weekly Chapel service.

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