Arcadia 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, United States. The population was 14,244 at the 2010 census. The Town of Arcadia is on the south border of the county and is east 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 ...

. The primary postal district covering the Town of Arcadia is ZIP Code 14513 for Newark.United States Postal Service (Newark, New York Post Office)
Retrieved June 3, 2015.

History

The town was first settled ''circa'' 1791. The Town of Arcadia was formed from the Town of Lyons in 1825. An asylum for the mentally disabled was established in Arcadia in 1789. Hydesville, New York was a hamlet in the Town of Arcadia. It no longer exists, but was the hometown of the spiritualist Fox Sisters. In 1957, the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society acquired Zurich Bog for conservation. The town is part of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.National Park Service - Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Brochure, New York
Retrieved January 21, 2015.

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 , of which is land and (0.19%) is water. The

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

passes across the town and through the Village of Newark. The east end of "the Wide Waters," a wide part of the canal, is in the town. The terrain contains many drumlins from past glaciation as well as the Zurich Bog. The southern town line is the border of Ontario County.

New York State Route 31 New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York (state), New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with New York State Route 104, NY ...

(east-west) intersects New York State Route 88 in Newark, just south of the Erie Canal.

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 14,244 people, 5,792 households, and 3,632 families residing in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was 89.3%

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 ...

, 4.6%

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, 0.5% 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 ...

, 2.2% 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 6.8% of the population. There were 5,792 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% 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, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 20, 5.9% from 20 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,993, and the median income for a family was $54,415. Males had a median income of $38,636 versus $33,172 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 $22,331. About 12.2% of families and 15.0% 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 22.3% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 6,194 housing units at an average density of . 6.5% of housing units were vacant. There were 5,792 occupied housing units in the town. 3,798 were owner-occupied units (65.6%), while 1,994 were renter-occupied (34.4%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 6.3%.

Communities and locations in the Town of Arcadia

*Arcadia — The former community of Arcadia is now part of the Village of Newark. *Austin — A hamlet containing the "Maple Ridge" and bordering with the town of Sodus. Along Maple Ridge Road and Austin Road. *Brantling Hill — A large drumlin in the northeast corner of the town. It is the location of a ski slope. * Fairville — A hamlet near the town's center along state Route 88. *Fairville Station — A hamlet northeast of Newark along Fairville Station Road, Heidenreich Road Coleman Hill Road and Arcadia Zurich Norris Road. *Hydesville — A

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. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

north of Newark village on Hydesville Road and Parker Road. The hamlet is called the birthplace of Modern Spiritualism, due to the events of natives Kate and Margaret Fox. * Marbletown — A hamlet on Marbletown Road (County Road 336), Miller Road and Silver Hill Road near the south town line. *Minsteed — A hamlet in the northwest corner of the town, on Martin Road, Skinner Road, and Minsteed Road. * Mud Mills — A hamlet northeast of Newark on Welcher Road (County Road 234.), Mud Mills Road, and Sleight Road. * Newark — The Village of Newark, located on the Erie Canal and the intersection of NY-31 and NY-88. *Stebbins Corner — A location west of Hydesville on Tellier Road (County Road 225.) *Whitings Corners — A hamlet just north of Newark, southwest of Mud Mills, and east of Hydesville. *Zurich — A location in the northeast corner of the town on Zurich Road (County Road 237), Bramer Road, Lembke Road, Deneef Road and Layton Street Road. Has a portion in the town of Lyons. * Zurich Bog — A

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

west of Zurich is the lowest point in the town and a registered national landmark. It is also known as "Mud Pond," an open body of water within the bog. It was called "Big Swamp" to the early settlers and "Bottomless Pit" to natives. The swamp is about three miles long and a mile wide.

Notable people

* Electa Amanda Wright Johnson (1838-1929), philanthropist, writer

References

External links

Town of Arcadia (official website)

Newark-Arcadia Historical Society & Museum

Bergen Swamp Preservation Society

{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Wayne County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1825 establishments in New York (state)