Seneca 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 Ontario 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 2,658 at the 2020 census. The town is named after a group of local natives. The Town of Seneca is on the southern border of the county and is southwest of the City of Geneva. The Town of West Seneca in Erie County added "west" to its name to avoid confusion with the Town of Seneca.

History

The region was the locale of the

Seneca tribe The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west w ...

, a member of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

, and the sites of many important villages are in the town or the surrounding area;

Kanadaseaga Kanadaseaga (aka Kanadesaga or Kanatasaka or Kanadasaga or Canasadego or Ganûndase?'ge? or Seneca Castle or Canadasaga), was a major village, perhaps a capital, of the Seneca nation of the Iroquois Confederacy in west-central New York State, United ...

is one. The area was part of the

Phelps and Gorham Purchase The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of of land in what is now western New York State from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $1,000,000 ( £300,000), to be paid in three annual installments, and the pre-emptive right to th ...

. Settlement commenced around 1790, the year after the county was formed. A "District of Seneca" was created judicially in 1789 at the time the county was established, but its extent and subdivisions are not clearly known. The town was finally organized in 1793. In 1872, the northeast part of the town was used to form the Town of Geneva, taking with it most of the historic Seneca communities and sites. The Levi Barden Cobblestone Farmhouse,

Thomas Barron House The Thomas Barron House is a historic house located at 1160 Canandaigua Road in Seneca, Ontario County, New York. Description and history It was constructed in 1848 by Thomas Barron, and is a distinct example of vernacular, Greek Revival styl ...

, and

Rippey Cobblestone Farmhouse Rippey Cobblestone Farmhouse is a historic home located at Phelps in Ontario County, New York. It was constructed in 1854 and is an example of a Greek Revival / Italianate style, cobblestone domestic architecture. The house consists of a two-sto ...

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 ...

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 , all land. The southern town line is the border of Yates County. The town is located in 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 ...

region and is northwest of Seneca Lake. Conjoined

U.S. 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. S ...

and

New York State Route 5 New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syr ...

pass across the town.

New York State Route 14A New York State Route 14A (NY 14A) is a north–south state highway located in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 14 in the Schuyler County town of Reading to an int ...

is a north-south highway in the town.

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 20 ...

is an east-west highway in the town. NY-14A and NY245 are briefly conjoined near the eastern town line.

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 2,731 people, 967 households, and 781 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 54.1 people per square mile (20.9/km²). There were 1,032 housing units at an average density of 20.5 per square mile (7.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.84%

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 ...

, 0.48%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.26%

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 ...

, 0.48% 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 0.81% 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 1.50% of the population. There were 967 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.7% 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, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $48,007, and the median income for a family was $51,705. Males had a median income of $31,301 versus $27,146 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 $19,165. About 2.0% of families and 3.5% 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 t ...

, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Seneca

*Flint (formerly "Flint Creek") – 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 ...

on US-20/NY-5 at Flint Creek. *Flint Creek – An important stream in the town. *

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

(formerly "Halls Corners") – A hamlet in the south part of the town on Route NY-14A. *Pierson Corners – A location at the junction of County Roads 4 and 20 at the north town line in the northwest part of the town. *Seneca – A historical location northeast of Hall. *Seneca Castle – A hamlet in the northern part of the town on County Road 4. It was formerly known as "Castleton." *

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

(formerly "Stanleys Corners") – A hamlet on NY-245 near the center of the town.

References

External links

Town of Seneca, NY

{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Ontario County, New York