Webster 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 the northeastern corner of
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, located along Lake Ontario's southern shore. As of 2022, the population was 752,035, according to Census Bureau estimates. Its county seat and largest city is Rochester. The county is ...
, United States. The town is named after orator and statesman
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...
. The population was 45,327 at the 2020 census,
up from 42,641 in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. The town contains a village also named
Webster. It is located in the
Rochester Metropolitan Area.
History
On July 25, 1837, orator and statesman Daniel Webster spoke to a gathering of
Whigs in nearby
Rochester about the economy. Whig farmers from North Penfield, who were part of Webster's audience, were so impressed by his eloquence that when they petitioned the state legislature for separate town status from
Penfield, they chose to name it in his honor. On February 6, 1840, the northern part of Penfield was officially established as the town of Webster, with a population of 2,235.
Webster has its own museum dedicated to sharing the town's history with its citizens. The museum has many permanent historical displays and also features changing displays for different times of the year.
Geography
The town of Webster is bordered on the north by
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 ...
, on the east by the towns of
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
and
Walworth
Walworth ( ) is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross.
Major streets in Walworth include the ...
in
Wayne County, on the west by
Irondequoit Bay
Irondequoit Bay is a large body of water located in northeastern Monroe County, New York. The bay, roughly wide and in length, is fed by Irondequoit Creek to the south and flows into Lake Ontario at its northern end. On average, the surface of ...
and the town of
Irondequoit, and on the south by the town of
Penfield.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.85%, are water.
Irondequoit Bay, an inlet of Lake Ontario, contains most of the water area within the town.
Webster Park covers of the town's land along the Lake Ontario waterfront.
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 45,327 people, 19,432 households, and 12,483 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 20,132 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the town was 89.2%
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 ...
, 2.9%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.0%
Native American, 3.2%
Asian, and 3.6% 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 4.2% of the population.
Among the 19,432 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% 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 ...
, 7.0% were cohabitating unmarried couples, 13.9% had a male householder with no spouse/partner present, and 29.2% had a female householder with no spouse/partner present. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.1 years as of 2021. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males.
In 2021, the median income for a household in the town was $81,345,
and the median income for a family was $108,065.
Males had a median income of $52,494 versus $33,943 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 $43,896. About 3.0% of families and 5.3% 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 5.0% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Webster's public schools are under the direction of the
Webster Central School District
The Webster Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 8,800 students in the town and village of Webster and portions of Penfield in Monroe County and portions of Ontario and Walworth in ...
(K-12). While all of its middle schools (Spry, Willink) and high schools (
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
,
Schroeder __NOTOC__
Schroeder is a North German (from Schröder) occupational name for a cloth cutter or tailor, from an agent derivative of Middle Low German , "to cut". The same term was occasionally used to denote a gristmiller as well as a shoemaker, wh ...
) are situated in the town of Webster, only five of its seven elementary schools (DeWitt Road, Klem North, Klem South, Schlegel Road, State Road) are.
Additionally, there are several privately run schools:
*Hillside Children's Center Halpern Education Center (grades 6–12), secular
*Lakeside Alpha (grades 3–12),
Christian Brethren
The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They originated in Ireland before spread ...
*Rochester Christian School (grades pre-K–8), Calvinist
*St. Rita School (grades pre-K–6), operated by the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
The Diocese of Rochester () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the Upstate region of New York State in the United States.
The bishop of the diocese is currently Salvatore Matano. The metropolitan for the diocese is the archbish ...
*Webster Early Learning Center (grades pre-K–1), secular
*Webster Montessori School (elementary), ¾ mile south of the town line in Penfield, serves students in the Webster school district
Sports community
On May 15, 2005, Webster was awarded the title of "Number 1 Sportstown in New York" by Sports Illustrated. SI Publisher David Morris said that "Webster's commitment to finding creative and resourceful ways to enhance sports for the well-being of its community fits perfectly with the principles of our Sportstown program, as well as the overall mission of our anniversary celebration."
Webster is part of the section V (Five) New York State Public High School Athletic Association along with the rest of Monroe County, Wayne, Livingston, Yates, Seneca, Steuben, Wyoming, Genesee, Orleans and Allegany.
The Webster Schroeder High School football team has won three New York State Championships in Class AA (a designation based on number of students). At one point, they had a winning streak of 31 games. In the USA Today High School football Super 25, Schroeder was, at one time, ranked #21 in the nation. At least five Webster players have gone on to play Division 1 college football at Syracuse, Michigan and Colgate, among others.
In March 2008, the Webster Thomas High School hockey team, in only its sixth year of competition, won the New York State Championship in Division II, beating Thousand Islands by a score of 5-2. The Webster Thomas soccer team also has won the sectional title 3 years in a row and went on to the state finals in 2007. The soccer team has produced two division 1 soccer athletes both attending Colgate University. The men's lacrosse team won a sectional title in 2009 and has produced many division 1 athletes under Coach Rob Ruller. The women's Lacrosse team has also won a section V title in 2007.
Webster's sports facilities include two lighted stadiums, a hockey/soccer complex, an indoor track and an Olympic-size indoor pool.
Webster has several sports clubs including the Webster Cyclones (youth hockey), Webster Lacrosse Club, and Webster Soccer Association. The annual Webster Lakefront Classic, run by the Webster Soccer Association, is one of the largest soccer tournaments in the Greater Rochester area and takes place annually on Father's Day weekend.
Webster is also home to a summer collegiate wood bat team, the Lake Ontario Ridgemen. The Ridgemen play in the
New York Collegiate Baseball League
The New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1978 and sanctioned by the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball, National Amateur Baseball Federation and Major League Baseball. Each ...
. Their home games are played at Basket Road Stadium. The Ridgemen are run by an organization called
Athletes in Action
Athletes in Action (AIA) is an American sports organization founded in 1966. It is the sports ministry of Cru Ministries, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ.
History
Athletes in Action was started in 1966 by Dave Hannah."Fact Sheet: ...
.
In 2014, the Webster Schroeder hockey team won the NYSPHSAA State Championship, beating
Beekmantown by a score of 2–0.
Public safety
The Webster Police Department protects the citizens of Webster as a New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Council agency. Dennis Kohlmeier is the current Chief of the Department. It consists of around thirty sworn officers.
Fire protection is covered by two agencies. On the west side of town, the West Webster Fire District provides fire protection. It is an all-volunteer department. Fire stations are located on Gravel Road, Backus Road, and Plank Road in Penfield.
The east of town, including the village, are protected by the North East Joint Fire District (Webster F.D.) It is an all-volunteer department, as it has been for over one hundred years. Fire stations located on South Avenue in the village, Phillips Road in the town and Plank Road in Penfield.
Ambulance service for the Town is provided by Webster EMS
North East Quadrant Advanced Life Support Inc.provides ALS care for all patients in need. Webster and West Webster fire departments provide EMS separate from ambulance depending on the severity of the call.
Homicides
On December 7, 2011, 15-year-old Michael Pilato poured gasoline over his house in Webster and set it on fire, killing his father and two brothers (16 and 12 years old) as his mother and teenage sister escaped with injuries. In June 2013, Pilato was convicted of second-degree murder, attempted murder, murder by arson, and arson; he was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.

During the predawn hours of December 24, 2012, 62-year-old William Spengler ambushed volunteer firefighters from the West Webster Fire Department, shooting and killing two and seriously wounding two others as they arrived to put out a car fire on Lake Road. Investigators later determined the fire was started by Spengler. Ultimately seven homes were destroyed because fire fighters were unable to extinguish the flames until the scene was made safe by law enforcement. Volunteer fire fighters Mike Chiapperini (also a lieutenant with the Webster Police Department) and Tomasz Kaczowka died at the scene. Theodore Scardino and Joseph Hofstetter remained hospitalized with serious injuries.
John Ritter, a policeman from nearby
Greece, New York
Greece is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. A contiguous suburb of Rochester, it is the largest town by population in Monroe County and the second-largest municipality by population in the county, behind only the city of Roche ...
, happened to be in the area, and was injured by
shrapnel.
Spengler had armed himself with three guns: a .38-caliber
revolver
A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
, a
12-gauge
The gauge (in American English or more commonly referred to as bore in British English) of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the inner diameter (bore diameter) and other necessary parameters to define in general a smoothbore barr ...
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...
, and a .223-caliber
Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single round each time the trigger is pulled while automatically loading the next cartridge. These rifles were developed Pre-World War II, and were used throughout World War II. Rifles ...
outfitted with a
flash suppressor
A flash suppressor, also known as a flash guard, flash eliminator, flash hider, or flash cone, is a device attached to the muzzle (firearms), muzzle of a rifle that reduces its Muzzle flash, visible signature while firing by cooling or dispersin ...
.
Spengler had served 17 years in jail for manslaughter, having been convicted in 1981 of beating his 92-year-old grandmother to death with a hammer in 1980. He shot and killed himself as a SWAT team approached. Later, human remains believed to be those of his elder sister, with whom he had feuded, were found in his house. On December 28, 2012, 24 year-old Dawn Nguyen of
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
, was arrested and charged in connection with furnishing Spengler with certain weapons in his arsenal which were used in the ambush. In September 2014, she was convicted and sentenced to 8 years in prison. The
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...
subsequently included a "Webster provision" in a
gun control
Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians.
Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
law passed in the wake of the
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Newtown Public Schools, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people. The victims were 20 children bet ...
, mandating
life without parole
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...
for murderers of emergency personnel.
Notable people
*
Elma Bellini, New York Supreme Court justice
*
Joseph L. Biehler, U.S. Army major general
*
Brian Bliss, soccer player, coach, and front office executive
*
Paul Buchheit
Paul T. Buchheit (born November 7, 1977) is an American computer engineer and entrepreneur who created the email service Gmail. He developed the original prototype of Google AdSense as part of his work on Gmail. He also suggested Google's former ...
, lead developer of
Gmail
Gmail is the email service provided by Google. it had 1.5 billion active user (computing), users worldwide, making it the largest email service in the world. It also provides a webmail interface, accessible through a web browser, and is also ...
and originator of the
Google
Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
motto "Don't be Evil"
*
Grant Catalino
Grant Catalino is an American lacrosse player from Webster, New York. He is an attackman for the Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse. He played college lacrosse for the University of Maryland Terrapins.
Catalino grew up in Webster, a ...
,
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001 Major League Lacrosse season, 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This w ...
player (
New York Lizards
The New York Lizards, originally the Long Island Lizards, were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) team based in Hempstead, New York, located on Long Island. They are original members of the MLL. They lost the league's inaugural game on June 7, 2001 to ...
)
*
Philo Dunning, member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...
*
Eugene K. Felt, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
*
Susan Gibney
Susan Gibney (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress.
Early life and education
Gibney was born in Manhattan Beach, California. She moved to Webster, New York, at a young age and graduated in 1979 from Herbert W. Schroeder High School ...
, actress
*
Gregor Gillespie, professional mixed martial artist
*
Lou Gramm
Louis Andrew Grammatico (born May 2, 1950), known professionally as Lou Gramm, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as co-founder and original frontman of the rock band Foreigner from 1976 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2003, ...
, born Louis Andrew Grammatico; songwriter and lead singer of the rock band
Foreigner
*
Kara Lynn Joyce
Kara Lynn Joyce (born October 25, 1985), is an American former competition swimmer and four-time Olympic silver medalist. She competed as a member of the United States Olympic Team at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Early years
Joyce was bor ...
, swimmer,
US National Team; medalist in the
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
and
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
*
Pat Kelly, player for the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
and
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
*
Brian King, director of the
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
's
Center for Tobacco Products The Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) was established by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a result of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act signed by President Obama in June 2009.
The FDA center was responsible for ...
*
Brian Kozlowski
Brian Scott Kozlowski (born October 4, 1970) is an American former professional football tight end. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1993. He played college football at Connecticut.
Early life
As a ...
, player for the NFL
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
*
Richard Leone
Richard Carl Leone (April 30, 1940 - July 16, 2015) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as New Jersey State Treasurer from 1974 to 1977 and as Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. Leone a ...
, New Jersey
Democratic Party politician; New Jersey State Treasurer
*
Edward Tsang Lu,
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...
astronaut (also resided on the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
)
*
Joe Whelan, distance runner
*
Wendy O. Williams, punk rock singer (
The Plasmatics
The Plasmatics were an American punk rock and heavy metal band formed by Rod Swenson and Wendy O. Williams in New York City in 1978. They were a controversial group known for chaotic, destructive live shows and outrageous theatrics. These inc ...
)
Communities and locations
*Avalon Estates – a neighborhood development located off Phillips Road
*Lake Road – a neighborhood also known as Fieldcrest located on Webster's east side. It runs along the town's northeastern Lake Ontario shoreline.
*Forest Lawn – a neighborhood in the northwest part of the town, on the shore of Lake Ontario
*Gallant Fox – a neighborhood at the end of Webster Road near Hedges Nine Mile Point Restaurant and Bar and Mama Lor’s Restaurant
*Glen Edith – a location on the west side of the town, on the shore of Irondequoit Bay
*Oakmonte – a large neighborhood in the central-southern part of the town consisting of private homes, apartments, and town homes
*Parkwood – a smaller neighborhood with its main entrance off Klem Road and directly across from Klem North Elementary School. A community park shares its name.
*
Union Hill – a hamlet on the
Wayne County line at the intersection of NY-404 and Ridge Road
*
Webster village, located in the center of the town
*West Webster – a hamlet at the intersection of Ridge and Gravel Road
See also
*
Webster Public Library
References
Further reading
*Dunn, Esther. ''Webster Through the Years''. Webster, NY: Webster Town Board, 1971.
External links
*
Webster Chamber of CommerceThe Webster Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster (Town), New York
Rochester metropolitan area, New York
Towns in Monroe County, New York
Towns in New York (state)
Ukrainian communities in the United States
1840 establishments in New York (state)
Populated places established in 1840