Marcellus 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 ...

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA. History The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...

, New York, United States. The population was 6,210 at the 2010 census. The town was probably named after

Marcus Claudius Marcellus Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC), five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roma ...

, a Roman general, by a clerk interested in the

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

. The

Marcellus Formation The Marcellus Formation or the Marcellus Shale is a Middle Devonian age unit of sedimentary rock found in eastern North America. Named for a distinctive outcrop near the village of Marcellus, New York, in the United States, it extends throughou ...

is a vast geological layer of shale spanning Pennsylvania, West Virginia and parts of other states and Ontario, which is named for an outcropping in or near Marcellus. The Town of Marcellus contains a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

also named Marcellus. The town and village are southwest of Syracuse.

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 32.7 square miles (84.6 km²), of which 32.5 square miles (84.3 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km²) (0.40%) is water.

US Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

is an east–west highway through the southern part of the town.

New York State Route 175 New York State Route 175 (NY 175) is an east–west state highway located entirely within Onondaga County, New York, in the United States. The route begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 20 (US 20) east of the village of Ska ...

is an east–west highway and intersects

New York State Route 174 New York State Route 174 (NY 174) is a state highway in Onondaga County, located in Central New York, in the United States. The highway is long and passes through mostly rural regions. Route 174 begins at an intersection with NY ...

at Marcellus village. Marcellus is at the eastern end of the

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

District and is at the northern end of

Otisco Lake Otisco Lake is the easternmost of New York's eleven Finger Lakes. The lake is located in Onondaga County, southwest of the city of Syracuse. History Otisco Lake's name may have been derived from the Iroquois name for the lake's outlet, Nine M ...

. High hills, deep valleys, lake and streams, make the town remarkably scenic. Nine Mile Creek is a noted trout stream where New York State provides several access areas
Marcellus Park
which was once an Onondaga County Park, was taken over by the Town of Marcellus in 1993. The village o
Marcellus
is one of 15 villages in Onondaga County. Baltimore Woods Nature Cente

is nearby.

History

The territory was part of the lands of the

Onondaga tribe The Onondaga people ( Onondaga: , ''Hill Place people'') are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois (''Haudenosaunee'') Confederacy in northeast North America. Their traditional homeland is in and around present-day Onondaga ...

. Marcellus was a named township in the former

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 Th ...

. It was first settled by outsiders ''circa'' 1794. The town was formed in 1794; the Town of Geddes was removed in 1798. The township of Camillus was taken off in 1799. Otisco was removed in 1806. In 1830, the western part of the town was used for the new Town of Skaneateles. Marcellus regained territory in 1840 from Spafford and Otisco. The

Tefft-Steadman House The Tefft-Steadman House in Marcellus, New York is a Greek Revival-style house that was designed by major architect Minard Lafever. (Or is it just from one of his pattern books?) It was built in 1835, apparently faithfully implementing a design ...

was 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 ...

in 2007.

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 6,319 people, 2,378 households, and 1,773 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 194.1 people per square mile (75.0/km²). There were 2,488 housing units at an average density of 76.4 per square mile (29.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.31%

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 ...

, 0.41%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.30% Native American, 0.22%

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 ...

, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.06% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.68% 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 0.84% of the population. There were 2,378 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.14. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $51,881, and the median income for a family was $58,188. Males had a median income of $40,541 versus $32,234 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 $25,628. About 2.5% of families and 3.2% 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 3.9% of those under age 18 and 0.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities in the Town of Marcellus

* Clintonville – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town on US-20. * Marcellus – The Village of Marcellus is at the junction of NY-174 and NY-175. * Marcellus Falls – A

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 ...

north of Marcellus village on NY-174, located at the northern town line. * Marietta – A hamlet north of Otisco Lake on NY-174. * Pumpkin Hollow – A valley at the eastern town line. * Rose Hill – A hamlet west of Marietta. * Shamrock A hamlet near the western town line, west of Marietta. * Thorn Hill – A hamlet southwest of Marietta by the southern town line. * Sage Meadows- A hamlet near the northeastern town line.

References

External links

Weekly Newspaper

Marcellus Town & Village Web Site

USGenWeb Page: ''Marcellus, Onondaga County, New York''

{{authority control Syracuse metropolitan area Towns in Onondaga County, New York