Greece (town), New York

Town of Greece
Town

Greece Town Seal
Motto: Discover the Promise

Location in Monroe County and the state of New York.

Location of New York in the United States
Coordinates: 43°12′34″N 77°41′43″W / 43.20944°N 77.69528°W / 43.20944; -77.69528Coordinates: 43°12′34″N 77°41′43″W / 43.20944°N 77.69528°W / 43.20944; -77.69528
Country United States
State New York
County Monroe
Established 1822
Government
 • Town Supervisor

William D. Reilich (R) First Elected 2013

Area[1]
 • Total 51.39 sq mi (133.11 km2)
 • Land 47.52 sq mi (123.08 km2)
 • Water 3.87 sq mi (10.03 km2)
Elevation 424 ft (129 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 96,095
 • Estimate (2016)[2] 96,175
 • Density 2,023.80/sq mi (781.39/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 14612, 14615, 14616, 14626
Area code(s) 585
FIPS code 36-055-30290
Website http://www.greeceny.gov/

Greece is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town had a total population of 96,095. The town motto is "Discover the Promise."

The Town of Greece is in the northern part of the county and borders the City of Rochester on the east, the Town of Gates on the south, the towns of Parma and Ogden on the west, and Lake Ontario on the north. The town is a contiguous suburb of Rochester. The area known as Charlotte, on the eastern border, was formerly part of the town until it was annexed by the City of Rochester in 1916.

History

The Town of Greece was established in 1822 from part of the Town of Gates and was previously called Northampton. The name "Greece" was selected because of the contemporary struggle of Greece for independence from the Ottoman Empire.

The region that the town now occupies was originally settled by the Algonquian and Iroquois Native Americans in the 14th century. The first European to visit the area was the French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, who visited in 1669.[3] European settlers began to arrive in the area in the 1790s, and French and British soldiers passed through on multiple occasions during this time period as the two colonial powers struggled to control the region.

According to the Morgan Quitno Awards, Greece was rated the ninth-overall-safest city in America and the sixth-safest city with a population of 75,000 to 99,999.[4]

The William Payne House, Greece Memorial Hall, William Covert Cobblestone Farmhouse, and Our Mother of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church Complex are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5][6]

Town supervisors
Name Term Name Term Name Term
John Williams 1822
1830 		Peter Larkin 1861–1862
1872
1876 		Frank Vance 1902–Feb 14, 1903
Frederick Bushnell 1823–1825 Harry A. Olmsted 1863 Willis N. Britton Feb 25, 1903
Silas Walker 1826–1829 Nelson Lewis 1864–1869 Frank Truesdale 1904–1909
Elijah Hughitt 1831 Simon Butts 1870–1871 Frank Dobson 1910–1915
Giles H. Holden 1832–1833 David Todd 1874–1875 Herbert J. Paine 1916–1921
Asa Rowe 1834–1835
1842 		Alanson P. Britton 1877–1878
1884–1885
1887
1893
April 29, 1901–December 31, 1901 		Frank J. Mitchell 1922–1927
Samuel Bradley 1836–1838 John Lowden 1879–1880 William F. Schmitt 1928–1933
Lyman Langworthy 1839–1841
1850 		John Kintz 1881 Gordon A. Howe 1934–1960
Abdial Carpenter 1843
1848 		Erastus Benedict 1882–1883 Vincent L. Tofany 1960–1964
George C. Salter 1844 Lucien A. Rowe 1886 George W. Badgerow 1965–1969
George C. Latta 1845
1849 		John M. Lowdon 1888–1889 Fred J. Eckert 1970–1972
James S. Stone 1846–1847
1853 		Thomas Eddy 1890 Donald J. Riley 1973–1989
Levi H. Parrish 1851–1852 Joseph R. Beaty 1891–1892 Roger W. Boily 1989–1997
Elias Avery 1854–1855 James B. Castle 1894–1897 John T. Auberger 1998–2013
Erastus Walker 1856–1857
1873 		Edward Frisbee 1898–February 27, 1901 William D. Reilich 2014-present
Joshua Eaton 1858 William T. Whelehan March 1, 1901–March 27, 1901
Alamander Wilder 1859 Charles H. Banker March 27, 1901–April 24, 1901

Geography

Greece is located at 43o 14' N latitude, 077o 42' W longitude.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 51.4 square miles (133 km2), of which 47.4 square miles (123 km2) of it is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km2) of it (7.65%) is water.

Major highways in the town include NY 390 and the Lake Ontario State Parkway. As that suggests, the town borders Lake Ontario.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18302,574—
18403,66942.5%
18504,21915.0%
18604,147−1.7%
18704,3144.0%
18804,84812.4%
18905,1456.1%
19005,5798.4%
19107,77739.4%
19203,350−56.9%
193012,113261.6%
194014,92523.2%
195025,50870.9%
196048,67090.8%
197075,13654.4%
198081,3678.3%
199090,10610.7%
200094,1414.5%
201096,0952.1%
Est. 201696,175[2]0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 94,141 people, 36,995 households, and 25,748 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,985.0 people per square mile (766.4/km²). There were 38,315 housing units at an average density of 807.9 per square mile (311.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.37% White, 2.88% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population.

J & F Fetzner Carriage and Blacksmith shop on West Ridge Road, by Raymond Getzner, 1877

There were 36,995 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. Of all households, 25.6% were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town, the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,355, and the median income for a family was $57,102. Males had a median income of $41,563 versus $29,864 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,614. About 3.6% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Greece town hall

The town is governed by a town board consisting of a supervisor and four council members. The supervisor is elected by all registered voters in the town, while council members are elected by and represent one of four wards. Supervisors are elected for four-year terms, and by town law may not serve for more than twelve years consecutively, after which the individual is ineligible to serve for four years. Councilpersons are elected for two-year terms, and may serve for a maximum of ten consecutive years in that position.[9]

The town board's practice of opening each meeting with a prayer, which started in 1999, was legally challenged in 2008,[10] on the grounds that all prayers offered to open the meetings had, until that point, been Christian ones.[11]

The United States District Court, Western District of New York, ruled in favor of the town in 2010,[12] and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision in 2012,[13] setting the stage for a 2014 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States which ruled in favor of the town (see Town of Greece v. Galloway).[14]

The town is also represented in congress by three different representatives, the State Assembly Representative, State Senatorial Representative and the Congressional Representative.

The town's New York State Assembly Representative is Peter Lawrence who was elected to serve the constituents of the 134th Assembly District on November 4, 2014. The districts in which he represents include the towns of Greece, Ogden and Parma in western Monroe County.

The town's New York State Senatorial Representative is Joseph E. Robach who was elected to represent the 56th Senatorial District on November 5, 2002. The 56th Senatorial District encompasses the Towns of Brighton, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Parma, as well as parts of the City of Rochester, including Charlotte, Historic Maplewood and the University of Rochester.

Greece's United States Congressional Representative is Louise M. Slaughter who has represented the 25th Congressional District of New York since 1987. The 25th Congressional District of New York comprises the towns of Irondequoit, Penfield, Webster, and Greece as well as the Onondoga and Wayne Counties, and a northern portion of Cayuga County.

Education

There are three school districts serving the Town of Greece: the Greece Central School District, the Hilton Central School District and the Spencerport Central School District.

There are twelve elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools in the Greece Central School District, educating approximately 13,000 students. The post-elementary schools have Classical Greek names: Arcadia, Athena, Apollo, Odyssey Academy, and Olympia. The school district's motto is "One Vision, One Team, One Greece." Among the elementary schools, Brookside, Longridge, Paddy Hill, Pine Brook and West Ridge span K-5.

Communities and locations in Greece

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 5, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Town History". All About Greece. The Town of Greece. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  4. ↑ 13th Annual America's Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities Archived 2007-01-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  6. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 6/18/12 through 6/22/12. National Park Service. 2012-06-29.
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  9. ↑ "Code of the Town of Greece, chapter 45". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  10. ↑ Mehta, Hemant (2013-08-16). "Everything You Need to Know About Town of Greece v. Galloway, the Supreme Court Case About Government Prayer". Friendly Atheist. Patheos. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  11. ↑ Lund, Christopher C. (2013-08-15). "Legislative Prayer Goes Back to the Supreme Court". Slate.com. The Slate Group. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Galloway v Greece". Google Scholar. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Decision of Court ofAppeals". Google Scholar. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  14. ↑ Liptak, Adam (May 5, 2014). "Town Meetings Can Have Prayer, Justices Decide". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
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