York 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 or ...

in western 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. Its population was 3,397 at the 2010 census. The

Abbey of the Genesee The Abbey of the Genesee is a community of more than two dozen contemplative monks located near Piffard in the town of York, New York. They are a member of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as the Trappists. They we ...

in the town's

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Den ...

of Piffard is locally famous due to the production of Monks' Bread.

History

In 1722, the

Tuscarora people The Tuscarora (in Tuscarora ''Skarù:ręˀ'', "hemp gatherers" or "Shirt-Wearing People") are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government of the Iroquoian family, with members today in New York, USA, and Ontario, Canada. They ...

moved north to join other

Iroquoian The Iroquoian languages are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, all surviving Iroquoian la ...

natives, the League of the Iroquois, and settled near modern Piffard. The town was first settled by Europeans around 1800. The town was formed in 1819 from parts of the towns of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...

and

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...

before the establishment of Livingston County. More territory was added from the town of Covington in 1823.

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...

was found in 1883 near modern Retsof, leading to the formation of the New York Rock Salt Company. Further discoveries were made subsequently by the Empire Salt Company and American Rock Salt. The

Linwood Linwood may refer to: Places Many of the place names for Linwood come from the presence of linden trees. Australia * Linwood, South Australia * Linnwood, Guildford, 11-35 Byron Road, Guildford, New South Wales Canada * Linwood, Ontario * Linwood ...

estate was added to 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 ...

in 1997.

Notable people

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

, US president * Moses Hayden, US congressman * John Chandler Holloway, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and state senator * James Laird, former US congressman from Nebraska; born in Fowlerville * Joseph Marron, optical engineer * Donald Stewart, former Wisconsin State Assemblyman

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 0.02%, are water. The west town line borders Genesee and Wyoming Counties. New York State Route 36 (north-south) intersects

New York State Route 63 New York State Route 63 (NY 63) is a state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. It extends for in a generally southeast–northwest direction from an intersection with NY 15 and NY 21 in the village ...

(east-west) at Greigsville.

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. ...

passes along the northern town line.

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 s ...

) *

* Avon; Geneseo *

* Covington;

Pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,219 people, 1,181 households, and 881 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 RosenberPop ...

was 65.6 people per square mile (25.3/km²). There were 1,231 housing units at an average density of 25.1 per square mile (9.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.42%

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 ...

, 1.06%

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 enslav ...

, 0.09% Native American, 0.56% Asian, and 0.87% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties form ...

or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population. There were 1,181 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.12. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,229, and the median income for a family was $50,136. Males had a median income of $34,048 versus $20,430 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 $19,796. About 1.2% of families and 1.8% 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 none of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of York

– A

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

north of Piffard. *Allens Corners – A location near the west town line. *Bows Corners – A location southwest of York hamlet. *Craigs – A hamlet in the western part of the town, west of York hamlet. * Fowlerville – A 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 ...

in the northeast part of the town of York. The name comes from Wells Fowler, an early settler. *Fraser – A hamlet near the north town line on US-20. * Greigsville – A hamlet and census-designated place on Routes NY-36 and NY-63. *Greigsville Station – A location south of Greigsville. *Inverness – A location in the northwest part of the town, west of Fowlerville. *

– A hamlet and census-designated place along the west town line. *McMillans Corners – A location west of York hamlet. * Piffard (formerly Piffardinia) – A hamlet and census-designated place on NY-63, north of Geneseo. The name is from early settler David Piffard. Westerly, a historic home, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. * Retsof – A hamlet and census-designated place south of the center of the town. Retsof was named for William Foster, Jr., 1885 president of the Empire Salt Co., spelled backwards. *Retsof Corners – A location south of Retsof on NY-63. *Rippeys Corners – A location east of Wadsworth. *Roots Corners – A location south of York hamlet. *The Forks – A location south of York hamlet. *Toggletown – A hamlet at the north town line. *Tryons Corners – A location in the southwest part of the town. * Wadsworth – A hamlet and census-designated place near the south town line on NY-36. *Walkers Corners – A location southwest of York hamlet. *

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

– A hamlet and census-designated place, also known as York Hamlet, in the central part of the town on NY-36.

References

External links

*
Brief early history of York, NY

Town historical links
{{authority control Towns in New York (state) Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Livingston County, New York