Springwater 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 Livingston 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 2,439 at the 2010 census. Springwater is in the southeast part of the county.

History

The first settlers arrived around 1807. The town was established in 1816 from the towns of

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

and

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. (Naples is a town in Ontario County.) In 1866, a serious conflict between landowners and

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

s resulted in the wholesale eviction of many people who were not living on their own land.

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 , of which , or 0.03%, are water. The south town line is the border of Steuben County, and the east town line and part of the north town line is the border of Ontario County. The southernmost part of

Hemlock Lake Hemlock Lake is one of the minor Finger Lakes. It is mostly located in Livingston County, New York, south of Rochester, with a portion overlapping into Ontario County. Hemlock is a translation of the Seneca name for the lake, ''O-neh-da Te-car ...

, one of the smaller

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 ...

, is in the north part of the town. The Springwater Valley through the center of the town terminates at the lake, and includes many streams that feed into Hemlock Lake, including Springwater Creek and Lime Kiln Creek. Hemlock Lake is part of the

Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...

watershed.

New York State Route 15 New York State Route 15 (NY 15) is a north–south state highway located in western New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is officially at Interstate 390 (I-390) exit 3 south of the village of Wayl ...

and

New York State Route 15A New York State Route 15A (NY 15A) is a north–south state highway located in the western portion of New York in the United States. It serves as an easterly alternate route of NY 15, beginning in the Livingston County town of S ...

join at Springwater village. From 1854 to 1956 Springwater was served by the New York (

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

Main Line of the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...

. The portion through Springwater was removed in 1956 by order of the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...

in order to promote highway transportation. The headwaters of the

Cohocton River The Cohocton River, sometimes referred to as the Conhocton River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Chemung River in western New York ...

, which flows southward from the town and is part of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

watershed, are located in the eastern side of the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

(

Clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

) * Conesus; Canadice;

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

* Cohocton; Wayland *

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 2,322 people, 873 households, and 636 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 43.6 people per square mile (16.8/km²). There were 1,001 housing units at an average density of 18.8 per square mile (7.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.60%

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 ...

, 0.43%

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 ...

, 0.60% Native American, 0.47%

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 ...

, 0.30%

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 ...

, 0.22% 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 1.38% 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 0.47% of the population. There were 873 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% 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, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,059, and the median income for a family was $49,716. Males had a median income of $36,633 versus $22,472 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 $17,783. About 5.2% of families and 9.4% 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 11.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

John Samuel Rowell John Samuel Rowell (April 1, 1825 – October 21, 1907) was a noted agricultural inventor and pioneer manufacturer. Born in Springwater, New York, and living his adult life in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, he held more than 40 patents for farm machinery ...

(1825–1907), agricultural inventor and manufacturing industrialist *

Emily Maria Scott Emily Maria Scott (''née'' Spafard; August 27, 1832 – April 9, 1915) was an American artist. The New York Watercolor Club, and the Pen and Brush Club were formed in her studio. She was also a writer of magazine articles. She served as presid ...

(1832–1915), artist

Communities and locations in the Town of Springwater

*East Springwater – A former community in the northeast part of the town. *Liberty Pole – A hamlet northwest of Springwater village and south of Websters Crossing. * Springwater Hamlet – The hamlet and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

of Springwater is at the junction of NY-15 and NY-15A. *Tabors Corners – A location in the northeast part of the town. * Websters Crossing – A hamlet and census-designated place in the northwest corner of the north town on NY-15.

References

External links

*
Brief early history of Springwater, NY
{{Coord, 42, 38, 14, N, 77, 35, 45, W, type:city_region:US-NY, display=title Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Livingston County, New York