Pembroke 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 o ...

in Genesee County,

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...

, United States. The population was 4,292 at the 2010 census. The town is named for a

in west

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Pembroke lies on the west border of Genesee County, west of Batavia.

History

Pembroke was first settled in 1804 by David Goss.
History of Pembroke, NY
From Our County and Its People a Descriptive and Biographical Record of Genesee County New York'', Edited by Safforf E. North. The Boston History Company, 1899. Pembroke was established from part of the town of Batavia in 1812.

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 th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.02% is water. The

New York State Thruway , direction_a = South , terminus_a = {{Jct, state=NY, I, 95 at the The Bronx, Bronx–Yonkers, New York City line , junction = {{plainlist, * {{jct, state=NY, I, 287, Parkway, Saw Mill, NY, 119 in Elmsford, New York, Elmsford * {{jct, state=NY, ...

( Interstate 90) passes through Pembroke, 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, Syra ...

intersects New York State Route 77 in the town. Tonawanda Creek and its tributary Murder Creek flow through the town. The west town line is the border of Erie County.

Adjacent cities and towns

* Erie County, Town of Alden - west * Erie County, Town of Newstead - west * Town of Alabama - north * Town of Oakfield - northeast * Town of Batavia - east * Town of Alexander - southeast * Town of Darien - south * Village of Corfu- lies at south part of town bordering Town of Darien

Major highways in the town of Pembroke

* Interstate 90 (

), runs east–west through the town from Newstead to Batavia. There is a service area on the Thruway (eastbound) named for Pembroke. *

(Main St.), east–west highway that passes through the center of town from Newstead to Batavia. * New York State Route 33 (Genesee St.), east–west highway through the town from the Darien town line to the Batavia town line. * New York State Route 77 (Alleghany Rd.), north–south highway that runs through the center of town from Corfu to Alabama.

Notable places

The Western New York National Cemetery is located in Pembroke. As of 2016, the first burial is expected to take place by the end of the decade.

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 4,530 people, 1,660 households, and 1,228 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 108.6 people per square mile (41.9/km²). There were 1,776 housing units at an average density of 42.6 per square mile (16.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.12%

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 ...

, 0.38%

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 ...

, 0.35% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 0.86% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population. There were 1,660 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.16. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,266, and the median income for a family was $46,495. Males had a median income of $32,487 versus $25,046 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 $17,148. About 2.6% of families and 4.8% 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 ...

, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Pembroke

*Brick House Corners – 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 ...

at the intersection of NY-5 and NY-77. Toll plaza 48A of the New York Thruway is located north of the intersection. *Cookville – A location now marked by the Pembroke service area on the New York State Thruway in the east part of the town. *

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

– The village of Corfu lies on the south border of the town. Initially called "Long's Corners", the village is at the intersection of NY-33 and NY-77. *East Pembroke – A hamlet on NY-5, is located between Pembroke Center and Batavia. * Indian Falls – This hamlet, located by a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

on Tonawanda Creek, is the birthplace of Ely S. Parker. NY-77 passes through the community. *North Pembroke – A hamlet on Tonawanda Creek in the northeast corner of the town. *Pembroke – A hamlet on NY-5 near the border with Erie County. In its early days it was called "Richville",Pembroke (Interesting Facts)
/ref> and is now composed of houses and commercial buildings (some closed) scattered along Main Street. The only intersection is where Lake Road crosses. Two small factories on the east end of the village are

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

-related. One is Kutters Cheese Factory. *Pembroke Center – A location on NY-5 between Pembroke and East Pembroke. It is also called "Frog Hollow", where the first settler David Goss built the Old White Tavern, the first public house in the township.

References

External links

Town of Pembroke official website
{{authority control Towns in Genesee County, New York