Locke 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 Cayuga County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 1,877 at the 2020 census. The town was named after

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

, an English

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, and is the birthplace of

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...

, 13th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. Locke is on the southern border of Cayuga County and is southeast of Auburn.

History

Locke was in the

Central New York Military Tract The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly of bounty land set aside in Central New York to compensate New York's soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War. Establishment ...

, used to pay soldiers of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. The first settlers arrived in 1790. They found evidence of earlier Native American occupants in the form of ruined villages and burial grounds. The town of Locke was formed in 1802 from the town of

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, then known as "Milton". Part of Locke was used in 1817 to form the town of Groton (now in Tompkins County). Another division of Locke in 1831 formed the town of Summerhill. A devastating fire in 1912 destroyed approximately thirty buildings in Locke village. A second devastating fire occurred on April 10, 1975, destroying eleven buildings and causing approximately $650,000 in damage. The fire was a result of a gasoline tanker losing its brakes while descending State Route 90 and crashing into the bank at the intersection of State Route 90 and State Route 38.

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 , or 0.43%, is water. North-south New York State Route 38 intersects east-west New York State Route 90 in Locke village. The Owasco Inlet is a stream flowing northward through the town into

Owasco Lake Owasco Lake is the sixth largest and third easternmost of the Finger Lakes of New York in the United States. History Owasco Lake's name may have been derived from the Iroquois word ''dwas-co'', meaning ''bridge on the water''. The name may al ...

. Hemlock Creek joins the Owasco Inlet at Locke village. The town is in the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

region of New York.

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 2000, there were 1,900 people, 704 households, and 539 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 760 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.26%

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 ...

, 0.26%

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 ...

, 0.42% Native American, 0.42% Asian, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.42% of the population were

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. There were 704 households, out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% 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, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,885, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $28,793 versus $22,188 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 $16,580. 8.9% of the population and 7.0% of families 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 10.8% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Communities and locations in Locke

*Centerville – A historic location north of Locke village. *Chipman Corners – A

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 ...

in the southeast of the town on County Road 161 (Chipman Corners Road). * Fillmore Glen State Park – A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

partly in Locke at the northern town line. *Grisamore Farms – A popular location for fresh apples, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, pumpkins, edible and ornamental plants. *Locke (formerly "Milan") – A hamlet near the center of the town at the junction of NY-38 and NY-90 and the confluence of Owasco Inlet and Hemlock Creek. *Satterly Corners – A location north of Shaw Corners on County Road 54 (Toll Gate Road). *Shaw Corners – A location east of Locke village on NY-90. *Toll Gate Corners – A hamlet at the northern town line near the state park.

References

External links

Town of Locke official website

* {{authority control Towns in Cayuga County, New York Towns in New York (state) *