Naples 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 Ontario 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 2,417 at the 2020 census. The Town of Naples contains a village, also called

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. The town is located in the southwestern corner of Ontario County. It is located 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. The annual Naples Grape Festival is held in September, and the area is known for its wineries and

grape pie Grape pie is a type of fruit pie made from Concord grape and is part of harvest time traditions in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. It is particularly sought after at the Naples Grape Festival, and can be found at various ...

History and other information

Naples was part of the

Phelps and Gorham Purchase The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the sale, in 1788, of a portion of a large tract of land in western New York State owned by the Seneca nation of the Iroquois Confederacy to a syndicate of land developers led by Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gor ...

. The town was established in 1789 along with Ontario County, on the old Native American village Nundawao, and settlement began the following year. The town was also part of the Underground Railroad, with old houses still having hiding spots to this day. The town, known in 1789 as "Watkinstown" (after Captains Nathan and William Watkins, Revolutionary War veterans and early settlers) and in 1796, they called the town "Middletown". And then, finally, the town was given the name "Naples" in 1808. Naples was not quickly settled due to its rough terrain. Part of the new town was used to form the Town of Italy in 1815, and another part was used to form part of the Town of Springwater in 1816. Grapes, first planted in the 1860s, led to the modern

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

industry of the town and also led to the annual grape festival which began in 1961, one of which was broadcast on the World Food Network. The village is home to St. Januarius Catholic Church, a unique architectural design by James Johnson. With the local grape industry as inspiration, much of the church was designed with grapes in mind. The Widmer's Winery produces

Manischewitz Manischewitz (; ) is a brand of kosher products founded in 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and best known for its Matzah, matzo and kosher wine. It became a public corporation in 1923 but remained under family control until January 1991, when it was ...

wine. Naples Academy was founded in 1860. The main building of the current Academy was built during the New Deal program during the Great Depression by one of the public works programs set out by FDR. The school district currently serves grades Pre-K through 12, with grades Pre-K through 6 being in the Elementary School and grades 7 through 12 in the Jr/Sr High School across the street.

Notable people

* Myron Holley Clark (1806-1892), New York governor and Prohibitionist. * Meghan Musnicki (b. 1983), Olympic Athlete *

Lyman H. Smith Lyman Herbert Smith Jr. (January 10, 1918 – November 3, 1996) was an American attorney and justice of the New York Supreme Court. He was a County, Family, and Surrogate Courts judge in Yates County, New York from 1964 to 1973. Before that, he w ...

(1918–1996), justice on the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

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 39.5 square miles (102.3 km²), all land. The very hilly land, once thought to be nearly worthless, was sold to the original settlers for twelve cents an acre (which is $ in dollars). The western town line is the border of Livingston County, and the southern town line is the border of Steuben County. The east town line is the border of Yates County.

New York State Route 21 New York State Route 21 (NY 21) is a state highway extending for about through the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 417 in the village of Andover, ...

and

New York State Route 245 New York State Route 245 (NY 245) is a state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at NY 21 in Naples. The northern terminus is at NY 5, U.S. Route ...

intersect at Naples village. New York State Route 53 is a north-south highway in the south part of Naples. The town is southwest of

Canandaigua Lake Canandaigua Lake is the fourth largest of the Finger Lakes in the U.S. state of New York. The City of Canandaigua is located at the northern end of the lake and the village of Naples is several miles south of the southern end. It is the wes ...

, one of the

. Naples Creek flows past the village to a lake known by locals as the Digger. Grimes Glen is a hiking trail near the Village of Naples. It features numerous waterfalls. Grimes Glen officially became a public park in 2008. Grimes Glen Park Facilities

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 2,441 people, 986 households, and 674 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,112 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.91%

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 ...

, 0.25%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 1.02% 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 0.66% of the population. There were 986 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% 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, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,813, and the median income for a family was $42,566. Males had a median income of $34,508 versus $23,333 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 $17,944. About 8.9% of families and 10.5% 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 12.9% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Naples

*Garlinghouse – 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 west part of the town. *High Tor

Wildlife Management Area A wildlife management area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife. New Zealand There are 11 wildlife management areas in New Zealand: * Horsham Downs Wildlife Ma ...

– A conservation area partly in the east of Naples. *Hunt Hollow – A hamlet in the northwest corner of the town on County Road 36. *

– The Village of Naples, on NY-21. *Semans Corners – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town, west of Woodville. * Woodville – A hamlet at the northeast corner of the town at the foot of Canandaigua lake on NY-21.

References

External links

Official website

Naples NY Historical Society

{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Ontario County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1789 establishments in New York (state)