Fayette is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 3,617 at the 2020 census. The town is in the north-central part of the county and is southeast of

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, New York. A post office is located in the Town of Fayette although the area is covered by four postal districts. Only the immediate

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

of Fayette uses a ZIP Code of 13065 for Fayette.United States Postal Service (Fayette, New York Post Office)
Retrieved June 3, 2015. Addresses in the eastern section have a ZIP Code of 13148 for Seneca Falls.United States Postal Service (Seneca Falls, New York Post Office)
Retrieved June 3, 2015. The central section of the town has a ZIP Code of 13165 for Waterloo, while addresses in the western section have a ZIP Code of 14456 for Geneva.United States Postal Service (Waterloo, New York Post Office)
Retrieved June 3, 2015.United States Postal Service (Geneva, New York Post Office)
Retrieved June 3, 2015.

History

Seneca was part of the Central New York Military Tract and was first settled around 1790. The town was established from part of the Town of Romulus in 1800 as the "Town of Washington", but adopted the current name in 1808. In Fayette on April 6, 1830,

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

, who was from nearby

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

, New York, organized the Church of Christ in a log home owned by Peter Whitmer Sr. Whitmer and four others besides Smith were the initial six members of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...

started by Smith, with the largest denomination in the movement later being known as

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church). In 1980, this reconstructed log home, built on the site of the original Whitmer home, was dedicated as part of the LDS Church's sesquicentennial celebrations. The home was dedicated by LDS Church

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Spencer W. Kimball and was broadcast by satellite, as part of the church's semi-annual church general conference, to many LDS stake centers around the world. The Whitmer log home continues to be operated as a religious historical site by the LDS Church. The Christ Evangelical and Reformed Church and William Hoster House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The Rose Hill Mansion is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (17.00%) is water. The west town line is Seneca Lake, and the east town line is Cayuga Lake. The north town line is partly marked by the Seneca River, which is part of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, linked to 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 navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

system. New York state routes 89, 96, 96A and 414 are all north-south highways passing through the town. New York State Route 336 is a short east-west highway between McDougall and Fayette.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,929 people, 1,535 households, and 1,114 families residing in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.6%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.4% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 1,535 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.96. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 20, 5.3% from 20 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $69,545, and the median income for a family was $75,441. Males had a median income of $47,659 versus $34,450 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $29,075. About 4.5% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 1,884 housing units at an average density of . 18.5% of housing units were vacant. There were 1,535 occupied housing units in the town. 1,301 were owner-occupied units (84.8%), while 234 were renter-occupied (15.2%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 6.0%. ''NOTE: It is common for resort communities to have higher than normal vacant house counts. Many are vacation homes which are seasonal and not regularly occupied.''

Communities and locations in the Town of Fayette

* Canoga – A hamlet near Cayuga Lake by NY-89. *Canoga Springs – A hamlet in the east part of the town on County Road 121. *Fayette – The

of Fayette on NY-414 at the south town line. *Kuneytown – A hamlet south of Canoga Springs, located on County Road 154. *Pastime Park – A lakeside hamlet on Seneca Lake. *Rose Hill – A hamlet on NY-96A in the western part of Fayette. *MacDougall – A hamlet on the south town line on NY-336. * Seneca Lake State Park – A state park near the northwest part of Fayette at the Seneca River in the Town of Waterloo. *Teall Beach – A lakeside hamlet on Seneca Lake. * Waterloo – The south part of the Village of Waterloo is on NY-96 at the north town line. *Yale – A hamlet on the south town line on County Road 126. *Yost Corners – A location near the town center.

Notable people

* Robert Seldon Duncanson, Hudson River School artist * Red Jacket, "Saguwatha" ("the keeper awake"), the Seneca chief was born here. * Robert S. Rose, former US Congressman * Peter Whitmer Sr., a prominent early Latter Day Saint, one of the first six members and host of the organizational meeting of the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith in 1830.

References

External links

Town of Fayette
{{authority control Populated places established in 1790 Towns in Seneca County, New York Towns in New York (state) Significant places in Mormonism 1790 establishments in New York (state)