Fayette 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 Seneca County,

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 3,617 at the 2020 census. The town is in the north-central part of the county and is southeast of

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, 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 tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

of Fayette uses a ZIP Code of 13065 for Fayette.United States Postal Service (Fayette, New York Post Office)
Retrieved Jun. 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 Jun. 3, 2015. The central section of the town has a ZIP Code of 13165 for

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

, while addresses in the western section have a ZIP Code of 14456 for Geneva.United States Postal Service (Waterloo, New York Post Office)
Retrieved Jun. 3, 2015.United States Postal Service (Geneva, New York Post Office)
Retrieved Jun. 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 leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

, who was from nearby Palmyra, New York, organized the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

in a log home owned by

Peter Whitmer Sr. Peter Whitmer Sr. (April 14, 1773 – August 12, 1854) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement, and father of the movement's second founding family. Whitmer was born in Pennsylvania and married Mary Elsa Musselman. The Whitmers had ...

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 Jo ...

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 Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of 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 An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Spencer W. Kimball Spencer Woolley Kimball (March 28, 1895 – November 5, 1985) was an American business, civic, and religious leader who was the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The grandson of early Latter-day S ...

and was broadcast by satellite, as part of the church's semi-annual church general conference, to many LDS

stake center A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine ha ...

s 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 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 ...

. The

Rose Hill Mansion Rose Hill Mansion is a historic house museum on New York State Route 96A in Fayette, New York. Built in 1837 on a site overlooking Seneca Lake, it is one of the nation's finest examples of monumental residential Greek Revival architecture. Th ...

is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

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 , 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 navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

system. New York state routes 89, 96, 96A and

414 __NOTOC__ Year 414 ( CDXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Constans (or, less frequently, year 1167 ...

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 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 2010, there were 3,929 people, 1,535 households, and 1,114 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 71.2 people per square mile (27.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.7%

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 ...

, 0.6%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.0%

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 ...

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

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 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 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, 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 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 $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 t ...

, 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 34.1 per square mile (13.2/km²). 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 Seneca Lake State Park is a state park located in Seneca County, New York in the United States. The park is at the north end of Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. The park is south of and between Geneva and Waterloo. Description Seneca Lak ...

– 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. *

– 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

*Peter Whitmer Sr., a prominent early

Latter Day Saint 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 Jo ...

, one of the first six members of the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. The

Peter Whitmer log home Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

was rebuilt in 1979-1980 by the LDS Church. * Red Jacket, "Saguwatha" ("the keeper awake"), the

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

chief was born here. *

Robert Seldon Duncanson Robert Seldon Duncanson (1821 – December 21, 1872) was a 19th-century American landscapist of European and African ancestry. Inspired by famous American landscape artists like Thomas Cole, Duncanson created renowned landscape paintings and is ...

, Hudson River School artist *

Robert S. Rose Robert Selden Rose (February 24, 1774 – November 24, 1835) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative (1823–1827) from New York (state), New York. Early life and education Born in Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst ...

, former US Congressman

References

External links

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