DeWitt 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 Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,074. The town is named after major Moses DeWitt, a judge and soldier. An eastern

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of Syracuse, DeWitt also is the site of most of the campus and all of the academic buildings of Le Moyne College.

History

DeWitt was part of the Central New York Military Tract. The first settlers arrived around 1789. The original

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, ...

progressed through the town in 1825. DeWitt was formed in 1835 from the Town of Manlius and was named in honor of Moses DeWitt, a major in the militia, a county judge, and one of the first settlers of the county.

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 (0.15%) is water.

Highways

Interstate 481 is the major highway in DeWitt crossing the center of the town and turning northward along the eastern side of DeWitt. I-481 intersects Interstate 690 in the eastern part of the town and Interstate 90 ( New York State Thruway) in the northern part of the town. New York State Route 92 conjoined with

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, Sy ...

intersects I-481 in the east part of DeWitt. New York State Route 91 has its northern terminus at New York State Route 173, which crosses the southern part of the town at Jamesville. New York State Route 298 crosses the northern part of the town, while New York State Route 290 crosses the middle portion of the town. Other state routes of note include New York State Route 598 in the extreme northwest portion of the town and New York State Route 635, which straddles the western town boundary with the City of Syracuse. Glacial2j

Bodies of water

Natural

bodies of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more ra ...

in the Town of DeWitt include: * Butternut Creek flows from south of Jamesville Reservoir, under the Erie Canal, and north and east to Limestone Creek, which in turn flows into Chittenango Creek, and ultimately into Oneida Lake * Meadow Brook, a tributary of Butternut Creek, flows east from Syracuse to DeWitt * Glacier Lake at Clark Reservation State Park * Ley Creek (South Branch) flows north and west from near Erie Boulevard in DeWitt, ultimately to Onondaga Lake

Erie Canal

The Long Level section of the Old Erie Canal runs through DeWitt, which in turn is part of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

Demographics

As of the 2000

United States Census The United States census (plural censuses or census) is a census that is legally mandated by the Constitution of the United States. It takes place every ten years. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790 United States ce ...

, there were 24,071 people, 10,068 households, and 6,503 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 10,694 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 89.70%

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 ...

, 4.89%

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 ...

, 2.98% Asian, 0.56% Native American, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 1.58% 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 1.35% of the population. There were 10,068 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.94. The age distribution was as follows: 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $46,759, and the median income for a family was $60,325. Males had a median income of $45,926 versus $29,797 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 $29,198. About 4.7% of families and 7.2% 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 9.4% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over. As of July 2009, the population was 24,422, up 1.5% from 2000, with the average household income at $57,273. The average condo value in 2009 was $142,735.

Government

Officials in the Town of DeWitt are elected at-large. Current offices are: *Town Supervisor (two-year term of office) *Town Clerk (two-year term of office) *Six Town Councilors (four-year term of office) *Two Town Justices (four-year term of office) *Town Highway Superintendent (two-year term of office) The Town Hall is located at 5400 Butternut Drive, East Syracuse, NY 13057-8510.

Economy

* Aspen Dental has its headquarters in the town,Terms of Use Agreement
"
Archive
. Aspen Dental. Retrieved on September 23, 1012. " Aspen Dental Management, Inc. and the Aspen Dental Management, Inc. logo are trademarks of Aspen Dental Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation having its principle offices at 281 Sanders Creek Parkway, East Syracuse, New York. All other marks are property of their respective owners."Zoning Map
"
Archive
Town of DeWitt. Retrieved on September 23, 2012. near East Syracuse *

Carrier Corporation Carrier Global Corporation is an American multinational heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, and fire and security equipment corporation based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Carrier was founded in 1915 as an indep ...

has an engineering and design center, known locally as Carrier Campus, located in DeWitt * Hanson Aggregates owns and operates the Jamesville Quarry

Notable people

* Jim Boeheim, head basketball coach at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

from 1976 to 2023 * Elizabeth Bunnell Read, journalist and suffragist

Communities and places

Village * East Syracuse – A village east of the Eastwood neighborhood of the City of Syracuse. Hamlets * Collamer (formerly "Brittons Settlement") – A hamlet in the northeastern part of DeWitt on NY-298. * DeWitt (formerly "Youngsville" and "Orville") – The hamlet of DeWitt ( ]) is near the town center on NY-5. * Franklin Park – A suburban hamlet in the northwestern part of DeWitt. * Lyndon Corners – A hamlet in the eastern portion of town. * Jamesville, New York, Jamesville – A hamlet in the south of DeWitt on NY-173. * Oot Park – A hamlet by the eastern town line. Other * DeWitt Acres – A residential neighborhood next to ShoppingTown Mall. * Hancock Field Air National Guard Base – A

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

base home to the New York Air National Guard's

174th Attack Wing The 174th Attack Wing (174 ATKW) is a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, New York. The 174th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gaine ...

(174 ATW), and the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron (274 ASOS). * Messina Springs – A small community near East Syracuse, settled in the early 19th century. * Morehouse Flats – An early community located north of Jamesville. * Onondaga County Department of Correction – A jail located east of Jamesville on NY-173. *

Syracuse Hancock International Airport Syracuse Hancock International Airport is a joint civil–military airport northeast of downtown Syracuse, New York. Operated by the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority, it is located off Interstate 81, near Mattydale. The main terminal comp ...

– Half the airport is in the northwestern section of DeWitt.

Visitor attractions

;National historic sites * Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor * Dr. John Ives House * Saint Mark's Church, Jamesville * Southwood Two-Teacher School, Jamesville ;State parks and historic sites * Clark Reservation State Park – a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

south of Syracuse * Old Erie Canal State Historic Park – a linear state historic park, part of the New York State Canalway Trail, originating near the Town offices in central DeWitt, continuing on to Rome, New York; includes: *
Cedar Bay Park
***The Town of DeWitt has hosted Erie Canal Day, an annual celebration with entertainment games, music, and refreshments at Cedar Bay Park since 1968. DeWitt-Fiddlers-Green

;Municipal parks * Butternut Creek Recreation and Nature Trail – a 67-acre, partially developed area off of Kinne Road, near Wegmans * Fiddlers Green Park – a small, developing park in the hamlet of Jamesville * Maxwell Park – a 105-acre park in East Syracuse * Ryder Park and Recreation Area – a 12-acre park next to DeWitt Town Hall"Town of DeWitt Parks," ''Town of DeWitt Newsletter'', Winter 2015, p.8 *

Willis Carrier Willis Haviland Carrier (November 26, 1876 – October 7, 1950) was an American engineer, best known for inventing modern air conditioning. Carrier invented the first electrical air conditioning unit in 1902. In 1915, he founded Carrier Corpora ...

Recreation Center and Park – a 22-acre park next to Carrier Campus ;Other * Community Library of DeWitt and Jamesville – the public library that serves the Town of DeWitt as part of the Onondaga County Public Library System * Drumlins Country Club – owned by

, operates two 18-hole golf courses, one private and one public

Education

;

School district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

s: * Jamesville-DeWitt (JD) School District, headquartered in DeWitt, serves portions of the Town * East Syracuse-Minoa (ESM) School District, headquartered in the Town of Manlius,Home
" East Syracuse-Minoa Central School District. Retrieved on September 23, 2012. "407 Fremont Road. East Syracuse, NY 13057" serves portions of the Town of DeWitt * North Syracuse Central School District * Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District ;Other Other schools in the Town of DeWitt include: * Bishop Grimes Junior/Senior High School * Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) * Le Moyne College * Manlius Pebble Hill School (MPH) * Syracuse Hebrew Day School (SHDS)

References

External links

Town of DeWitt official website
{{authority control Syracuse metropolitan area 1835 establishments in New York (state) Towns in Onondaga County, New York Towns in New York (state)