Phelps is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 1,989 at the 2010 census. The village is named after an original proprietor, Oliver Phelps. The Village of Phelps is near the center of the Town of Phelps and is north 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 ...

. A Sauerkraut Festival is held every August.

History

The community was first settled around 1793, one of the first locations in the town. The village was incorporated in 1855 as "Phelps," having been earlier known as "Vienna." The village had also been mockingly called "Woodpecker City," possibly to mock the villagers, who seemed always busy. The First Baptist Church of Phelps, St. John's Episcopal Church, Phelps Town Hall, and Dr. John Quincy Howe 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 ...

. While Phelps, New York was still known as Vienna, it was the basis for the naming of

Vienna, Virginia Vienna () is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Vienna has a population of 16,473. Significantly more people live in ZIP codes with the Vienna postal addresses (22180, 22181, ...

Geography

Phelps is located at (42.958396, -77.062297). 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 village has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²), all land. Phelps is south of the New York State Thruway ( Interstate 90). New York State Route 96 is an east–west highway passing through the village. The New York State Thruway passes north of the village. Flint Creek flows through the village to the Canandaigua Outlet. Phelps is in the Finger Lakes District and is north of Seneca Lake.

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 1,969 people, 791 households, and 521 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 877 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.48%

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 ...

, 0.15%

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 ...

, 0.05% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 0.66% 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 1.22% of the population. There were 791 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.9% 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 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $40,758, and the median income for a family was $48,207. Males had a median income of $32,984 versus $24,076 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 village was $20,257. About 3.9% of families and 6.1% 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 9.6% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Town and Village of Phelps

{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Rochester metropolitan area, New York Populated places established in 1793 Villages in Ontario County, New York 1793 establishments in New York (state)