Brighton is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, United States. The population was 37,137 at the 2020 census.
History
The Town of Brighton, located on the southeastern border of the city of
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
, is located on the traditional homelands of the Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca), part of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy, the People of the Long House, called Iroquois by the French. The first Europeans in the area were French trappers in the seventeenth century, who visited frequently but did not settle there. English colonists built permanent structures in approximately 1790, and formally established the town in 1814—earning it recognition as one of the oldest towns in Monroe County. Named for
Brighton, England
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, it remained a farming and brick-making community until the 20th century, when the town began its evolution into an upscale suburban residential area, occupying some . In 1999, the town purchased 64 acres (259,000 m
2) with the intention of developing a central park.
The
Alcoa Care-free Home
Alcoa Care-free Home is a historic home located at Brighton in Monroe County, New York. It was designed by Charles M. Goodman (1906 – 1992) and is one of 24 Alcoa Care-free Homes listed in their sales brochure of 1957 that were built for a de ...
and
Stone-Tolan House are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
the men of Brighton helped form Company D of the
140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment in September, 1862, which was formed in
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
. The total population of Brighton at the time was approximately 3,100 people. The 140th New York Regiment served in the
XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to:
* 12th Army Corps (France)
* XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army
* XII ...
and then the
V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to:
France
* 5th Army Corps (France)
* V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...
of the
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...
. They saw battle during the
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...
, The
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...
, the
Battle of Spotsylvania
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 186 ...
and
Appomatox Courthouse Campaigns during the war. The 140th New York was disbanded from service on June 3, 1865.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of 15.6 square miles (40.5 km
2), of which 15.5 square miles (40.0 km
2) is land and 0.17 square mile (0.4 km
2) (1.1%) is water.
In terms of latitude and longitude, Brighton is located at .
Brighton has lacked a central village since the city of Rochester annexed the area around East Avenue and Winton Road, formerly the village of Brighton, in 1905. The central entertainment and commercial hub is the Twelve Corners, so named because three intersecting roads, Winton Road, Monroe Avenue and Elmwood Avenue, define 12 distinct corners. Residents tend to gravitate to nearby
Pittsford Plaza
Wilmorite Properties, Inc is a commercial real estate company based in Chili, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York.
A subsidiary of the company owes significant back taxes and fees to the City of Rochester resulting from a loan and tax ag ...
for shopping, as well as
Eastview Mall and Commons, in bordering
Pittsford and nearby
Victor
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
. Also, both the High School (
Brighton High School) and the Middle School (Twelve Corners Middle School) are located at Twelve Corners. Brighton is bordered by the city of
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
and the town of
Irondequoit
Irondequoit is a town (and census-designated place) in Monroe County, New York, United States. As of 2019, the coterminous town-CDP had a total population of 50,055. Irondequoit is a suburb of the city of Rochester, lying just north and east o ...
northwest, the town of
Henrietta Henrietta may refer to:
* Henrietta (given name), a feminine given name, derived from the male name Henry
Places
* Henrietta Island in the Arctic Ocean
* Henrietta, Mauritius
* Henrietta, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
United States
* Henrie ...
(West Pittsford) to the south, the
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States.
The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...
and Chili the west, and the towns of
Pittsford and
Penfield to the east. Brighton is located some from
Buffalo, and from
Syracuse. The
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...
courses through Brighton, accompanied by the acclaimed
Erie Canal Heritage Trail, one of the longest continuous stretches of maintained off-road trail in the United States.
The Pinnacle Hill Range, a range of glacially-formed hills of unique habitat including old-growth oak woodland, is largely leveled or otherwise destroyed, but does have degraded remnants on Pinnacle Hill and the east side of Cobbs Hill. The latter is dedicated as Washington Grove and very popularly used; the former is the highest (though eroded) peak in Rochester and mainly used for unregulated mountain biking with an extensive and wide network of trails on its steep, sandy slopes. The largest wetland in Brighton is a former clay-mining operation filled with lesser cattails along the Brickyard Trail, recently made a park in 2017. A fairly large area of west Brighton is undeveloped and wooded, including Lynch Woods Nature Park, from which one can access the Lehigh Valley Trail, which extends to Victor in the east and Rush to the west, and connects to the Genesee Valley Greenway, Auburn Trail, and Erie Canal trails. Most of Brighton however is completely developed, consisting of asphalt and lawn geography.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 35,588 people, 15,854 households, and 8,687 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 2,302.5 people per square mile (888.8/km
2). There were 16,705 housing units at an average density of 417.2 persons/km
2 (1,080.8 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 86.09%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 8.13%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 3.70%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.33% from two or more races, 0.10%
Native American, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
and 0.63% from other races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.34% of the population.
There were 15,854 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 6.8% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 45.2% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $91,345 and the median income for a family was $112,125. Males had a median income of $75,670 versus $49,299 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $40,500. 6.1% of the population and 3.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.9% are under the age of 18 and 5.2% are 65 or older.
Education
Much of the Town of Brighton is served by the
Brighton Central School District
The Brighton Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 3,800 students in portions of the towns of Brighton and Pittsford in Monroe County. In 2022, the district had over 650 employees and an ...
, which frequently earns high positions in ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' national rankings (5th in 1998). Very recently, the ratings have gone down, possibly because some of the school teachers in Brighton have retired or because of increased emphasis on APs in other schools. In 2007, Brighton placed higher (87th) than its cross-town rival,
Pittsford Mendon High School
Pittsford Mendon High School is a public high school in suburban Rochester, Monroe County, upstate New York. It is one of two high schools in the Pittsford Central School District, the other being Pittsford Sutherland High School. Pittsford Men ...
(94th) for the first time in several years.
Brighton was recently ranked #56 out of over 18,000 in the inaugural ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranking of U.S. high schools (2007), which is generally regarded as having more breadth of analysis than the Newsweek rankings. (The former rankings are formed based upon numerous quantifiable factors, whereas the Newsweek rankings solely examine the raw number of students enrolled in AP classes per capita.) No other school in Monroe County placed in the top 1,000, including, most notably, cross-town rival Pittsford Mendon High School.
In 2019, Brighton High School was ranked #786 nationally by ''U.S. News & World Report.''
In 2006, Twelve Corners Middle School received the "Schools to Watch" award, and again was recertified in 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018. It is one of only ten Middle Schools in New York to receive the "Schools to Watch" award.
Other portions of the Town of Brighton are served by other school districts:
*Most of the northeastern part of the town is served by the
Penfield Central School District.
*Some of the northeastern and eastern part of the town is served by the
Pittsford Central School District.
*Most of the western part of the town is served by the
Rush–Henrietta Central School District.
*The extreme western part of the town is served by the
Wheatland–Chili Central School District.
Private schools located in Brighton include
the Harley School
The Harley School is a college preparatory, independent day school in Rochester, New York, United States.
History
Founded in 1917 by Harriet Bentley, The Harley School was first called “The Children’s University School of Rochester.” The ...
,
McQuaid Jesuit High School
McQuaid Jesuit High School is an all-male, Catholic, Jesuit, college preparatory school run by the USA Northeast Jesuit province of the Society of Jesus in the metropolitan area of Rochester, New York. The school is named Named after Bernard J. M ...
,
Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women, St. Thomas More School, and Seton Catholic School.
Former schools include the Allen Creek School (annexed by
Pittsford Central School District in 1958), Brighton Common School No. 4 (annexed by
Rush–Henrietta Central School District in 1954 and later renamed Austin Crittenden School),
Indian Landing School (annexed by
Penfield Central School District in 1954), and St. Agnes High School (1954–1982).
Brighton is also home to the main campus of
Monroe Community College
Monroe Community College is a public community college in Monroe County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college has two campuses; the main campus in the town of Brighton, and the Downtown Campus in the City of Ro ...
and auxiliary campuses of
Empire State College
Empire State College (SUNY Empire or ESC) is a public university headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Empire State College is a multi-site institution offering associate, ...
,
Medaille College
Medaille University is a private university in Buffalo, New York. The Sisters of St. Joseph founded Medaille in 1937. Medaille serves roughly 1,600 students from Western New York and Southern Ontario.
Campuses
Medaille's main campus is in Buffa ...
, and the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
The University of Roc ...
.
Government
![Brighton, New York town hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Brighton%2C_New_York_town_hall.jpg)
Brighton is governed by an elected
town board
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
, consisting of a supervisor and four town board members. The supervisor is elected to a two-year term and serves as the CEO of the municipality and chairperson of the town board. The board members serve four-year terms. Voters also elect two town justices and a town clerk. Town justices serve a four-year term, and the clerk is elected to a two-year term.
Notable people
*
Charles August, founder of
Monro Muffler Brake
*
Al Cervi, Basketball Hall of Famer
*
Ernie Clement
Ernie James Clement (born March 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians / Guardians and Oakland Athletics.
A ...
, Baseball player
*
David Diamond, composer of classical music
*
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
(1818–1895), social reformer, orator, writer, statesman, leader in the
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...
*
Winston Duke
Winston Duke (born 15 November 1986) is a Tobagonian actor. He made his feature film debut in the role of M'Baku in ''Black Panther'' (2018) and is best known for portraying the character in two films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Duke w ...
, actor (''
Black Panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
'' and ''
Avengers: Infinity War'')
*
Dana Fox
Dana Fox (born September 18, 1976) is an American screenwriter. She is best known as the writer of '' The Wedding Date'' (2005), ''What Happens in Vegas'' (2008), and the television comedy series ''Ben and Kate'' (2012–13).
Career
Fox graduate ...
,
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
(''
The Wedding Date
''The Wedding Date'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Clare Kilner and starring Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, and Amy Adams. Based on the 2002 novel ''Asking for Trouble'' by Elizabeth Young, the film is about a single wom ...
'')
*
Walter Hagen
Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tiger ...
(1892–1969), "Golf's Greatest Showman", World Golf Hall-of-Famer, won 11 Majors.
*
Howard Hanson
Howard Harold Hanson (October 28, 1896 – February 26, 1981)''The New York Times'' – Obituaries. Harold C. Schonberg. February 28, 1981 p. 1011/ref> was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American class ...
, composer
*
Shirley Jackson
Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August 8, 1965) was an American writer known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Over the duration of her writing career, which spanned over two decades, she composed six novels, two me ...
(1916–1965), author of ''
The Lottery
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''
*
David Cay Johnston
David Cay Boyle Johnston (born December 24, 1948) is an American investigative journalist and author, a specialist in economics and tax issues, and winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.
From July 2011 until September 2012 he was a ...
,
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
winning ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reporter
*
David T. Kearns
David Todd Kearns (August 11, 1930February 25, 2011) was an American businessman who was CEO of Xerox Corporation (1982–1990) and served as the first United States Deputy Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993.
Early life and education
Kear ...
, former
Xerox
Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...
CEO, former Deputy
Secretary of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
*
Robert L. King, former assemblyman, former Monroe County executive, former chancellor of the State University of New York
*
Heidi "Hudson" Leick, ''
Xena: Warrior Princess'' actress, played "Callisto"
*
Jenna Marbles
Jenna Nicole Mourey (born September 15, 1986), better known as Jenna Marbles, is an American former YouTuber. Over the span of ten years, her YouTube channel has accumulated approximately 1.7 billion video views and over 20 million subscribers. ...
, YouTube personality, entertainer
*
Linda Sue Park
Linda Sue Park (born March 25, 1960) is a Korean-American author who published her first novel, ''Seesaw Girl'', in 1999. She has written six children's novels and five picture books. Park's work achieved prominence when she received the presti ...
, Newbery award-winning author
*
Arthur Schneider
Arthur Schneider (January 26, 1930 – October 1, 2009) was a television pioneer and a four-time Emmy Award winning television editor, with a career spanning from 1951 to 1988.
Early years
Arthur Schneider grew up in New York, and attended Brig ...
, four-time
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
winning television editor
*
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joi ...
, actress (''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' and ''
Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Traditi ...
'')
References
External links
Brighton town websiteBrighton-Pittsford Postmdash;local newspaper
{{authority control
Rochester metropolitan area, New York
Erie Canal
1814 establishments in New York (state)
Populated places established in 1814