Sodus 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 Wayne 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 8,384 at the 2010 census. The town takes its name from a native word for the bay in the eastern part of the town: "Assorodus," meaning "silvery water." The Town of Sodus is on the north border of the county and is midway between Rochester and

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

History

The Town of Sodus was formed in 1789 from the older "District of Sodus" while still part of Ontario County. The town's Adam territory was substantially reduced by the formation of newer towns in the county: Williamson (1802) and

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

(1811). The town contains a village also named Sodus and another named Sodus Point. Sodus Point was settled around 1794 because of a road constructed from

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

, but the first settlers did not arrive at the Village of Sodus until about 1809. In 1813, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

attacked and burned the village of Sodus Point. A

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

was erected in 1825 to mark the shoreline. Members of the

Shakers The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a Millenarianism, millenarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian sect founded in England and then organized in the Unit ...

settled in the early town, but moved away, when they believed Sodus was becoming too worldly. Sodus claims to be the birthplace of

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...

, a holiday established by the efforts of Sodus Center native Edward C. Delano. A Heluva Good! Country Store was located near the hamlet of Wallington.Heluva Good! Country Store Information
Retrieved January 19, 2015. The cheese packaging plant in Sodus and the Heluva Good! Country Store both closed on June 26, 2015.Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, NY) - ''Heluva Good! plant, store in Wayne Co. to close'' by David Andreatta (April 19, 2015)
Retrieved April 19, 2015. The company is a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

of HP Hood LLC, headquartered in

Lynnfield, Massachusetts Lynnfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 13,000. Lynnfield initially consisted of two distinct villages with a single governing body. Lynnfield Center had a mostly agricultura ...

. The Preston-Gaylord Cobblestone Farmhouse was 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 ...

in 2009.

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 69.4 square miles (179.6 km²), of which 67.4 square miles (174.6 km²) is land and 1.9 square miles (5.0 km²) (2.78%) is water. The northern border of Sodus is

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

Sodus Bay Sodus Bay is a bay on the south shore of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. Sodus Bay is located in Wayne County, New York, United States. Most of the bay is in the Town of Huron; however, the western part is in the Town of Sodus. Sodus ...

, a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

of Lake Ontario is partly in the town. Sodus is a town on the northern boundary of the United States, and Canada is on the opposite shore of Lake Ontario.

New York State Route 14 New York State Route 14 (NY 14) is a state highway located in western New York in the United States. Along with New York State Route 19, NY 19, it is one of two routes to transect the state in a north–south fashion between ...

intersects

New York State Route 104 New York State Route 104 (NY 104) is a east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it foll ...

south of Alton, and New York State Route 88 runs south from Sodus village. Sodus is also known for its rural landscape and its many apple orchards.

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 2010, there were 8,384 people, 3,325 households, and 2,189 families residing in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was 84.8%

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 ...

, 8.5%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 3.1% from other races, and 2.9% 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 6.2% of the population. There were 3,325 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 20, 5.1% from 20 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $46,896, and the median income for a family was $56,128. Males had a median income of $42,735 versus $37,267 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 $23,898. About 11.4% of families and 14.9% 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 23.6% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 4,158 housing units at an average density of ; a total of 20.0% of housing units were vacant. There were 3,325 occupied housing units in the town, of which 2,585 were owner-occupied units (77.7%), while 740 were renter-occupied (22.3%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 14.8%. ''NOTE: It is common for resort communities to have higher than normal vacant house counts. Many are vacation homes which are seasonal and not regularly occupied.''

Notable people

John Ashbery John Lawrence Ashbery (July 28, 1927 – September 3, 2017) was an American poet and art critic. Ashbery is considered the most influential American poet of his time. Oxford University literary critic John Bayley wrote that Ashbery "sounded, in ...

(1927–2017), poet *

Gordon Granger Gordon Granger (November 6, 1821 – January 10, 1876) was a career U.S. Army officer, and a Union (American Civil War), Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga. Granger is best re ...

(1821–1876), Union Army General * Byram Green (1786–1865), US Congressman * Ellen Sergeant Rude (1838–1916), writer, poet, and temperance advocate * Eliphalet Stone (1825–1905), Wisconsin state legislator * Alexander B. Williams (b. 1815), Sodus Town Supervisor and state legislator

Communities and locations in the Town of Sodus

* Alton — A hamlet near the east town line on NY-14. Alasa Farms was listed on the

in 2009. * Beechwood State Park — A former Girl Scout camp along the Lake Ontario shore, now owned by New York State and operated by the Town of Sodus. *Bootleggers Point — A location on the Lake Ontario shore in the west part of the town. *Joy — A hamlet south of Sodus village at the junction of County Road 229 and Main Street. * Sodus — The Village of Sodus is near the town center at the north end of NY-88. * Sodus Center — A hamlet southeast of Sodus village at the junction of County Roads 240 and 241. The Red Brick Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. * Sodus Point — The Village of Sodus Point is on County Road 101 (Lake Road) on the shore of Lake Ontario. *South Sodus — A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town on NY-14. *Thorntons Corner — A hamlet in the south part of the town at the junction of County Roads 242 and 243. *Thornton Point — A

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

in Sodus Bay. * Wallington — A hamlet southeast of Sodus village on NY-104. The Walling Cobblestone Tavern and Wallington Cobblestone Schoolhouse District No. 8 were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. * Williamson-Sodus Airport — A general aviation

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

in the western part of the town, south of NY-104.

References

External links

Historical summary of the Town of Sodus, NYSodus Chamber of Commerce websiteSodus, New York websiteHeluva Good!
{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Wayne County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1789 establishments in New York (state)