Geneseo 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 Livingston County in the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

region of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester Metropolitan Area. The population of the town was 10,483 at the 2010 census. The English name "Geneseo" is an

anglicization Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English languag ...

of the Seneca name for the earlier Seneca town there, ''Jo’néhsiyoh'', meaning "Good sand there." The village of Geneseo lies within the western portion of the town. The village and town are known today mainly as the home of the State University of New York at Geneseo.

History

Pre-revolution

Near Geneseo was the largest Seneca village, Jo’néhsiyoh, a center of power for the

Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

Confederacy. It was also the confederacy's "bread basket", with orchards, vineyards, and fields of maize and vegetables. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, the Seneca joined the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and the Tories against the colonists who were fighting for independence. The alliance's raids from the west were a major threat to the American cause, and General Washington sent the

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign) was a United States military campaign under the command of General John Sullivan (general), John Sullivan duri ...

to neutralize the Haudenosaunee. As Sullivan's army approached Geneseo with their "

scorched earth A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...

" policy, the Senecas repeatedly fell back. However, a large Seneca party ambushed one of Sullivan's scouting parties, carried them as prisoners to Geneseo and tortured them to death. When Sullivan's troops arrived and found the savagely mutilated bodies, they became enraged and destroyed anything that could support the Haudenosaunee. No longer able to raid from Geneseo and the surrounding area, about 5,000 Seneca fled to British-held

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara, also known as Old Fort Niagara, is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great L ...

, where they spent one of the coldest winters on record, with much loss of life, in camps outside the fort with only the small amount of supplies the British could spare.

Post-revolution

The town was established in 1789, before the formation of Livingston County. The colonists' settlement of Geneseo began shortly after James and William Wadsworth arrived in 1790. The brothers came to the Genesee Valley from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

as agents of their uncle, Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth, to care for and sell the land he purchased. The Wadsworths were part of the negotiations of the Treaty of Big Tree between Robert Morris and the Senecas at the site of Geneseo in 1797. Geneseo, as well as nearby Mount Morris, was part of the Morris Reserve that Morris held back from his sale of much of western New York to the Holland Land Company. Geneseo was the birthplace of Eliza Emily Chappell Porter in 1807, a nurse, teacher, school builder, and

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

operative during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Geneseo was also the birthplace, in 1851, of the swindler Ferdinand Ward. Geneseo was a background for tales of the law and small town life by Arthur C. Train, who lived and practiced law in the town for many years before the First World War. He gave it the name of “Pottsville”, and often used it as one of the settings for his stories of the Yankee lawyer, Ephraim Tutt. The village of Geneseo became the county seat of Livingston County in 1821 and was incorporated in 1832. The State Normal School, now

SUNY Geneseo The State University of New York College at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State College or, colloquially, "Geneseo") is a public liberal arts college in Geneseo (village), New York, Geneseo, New York (state), New York. It is New York's public ho ...

, opened in 1871. In 1991, the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

designated large parts of the village a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. The botanist Albert Francis Blakeslee (1874–1954) was born in Geneseo.

Present day

The valley of the Genesee River is wide and fertile, with some of the best agricultural land in New York, but it was very prone to flooding, and Geneseo suffered several bad floods until the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

' construction of the Mount Morris Dam upstream of the community in the 1950s. Agriculture is now a large contributor to Geneseo's economy. Geneseo is also used by many as a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for jobs in Rochester, to the north. The village of Geneseo is governed by a mayor and four trustees. The town can be roughly divided into three geographies: the village has a small-town atmosphere, much of Route 20A is commercialized, and the majority of the town's area is farmland. One of the main issues faced by the community today is

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

. The increasing presence of

big-box store A big-box store, a hyperstore, a supercenter, a superstore, or a megastore is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The ...

s on Route 20A has been welcomed by some residents, who appreciate the convenience of nearby retailers, and discouraged by others, who oppose the suburbanization of the small town. The Geneseo Airport (D52) is a general aviation airport west of the village, on the Wadsworth farm. It was established during July 1969, and is used for approximately 20 aircraft operations each day. Since 1980, it has hosted groups restoring and operating historic military aircraft—originally the National Warplane Museum, and now the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum. An

airshow An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without which they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air ...

is held annually on the field, during the second weekend in July. The Association for the Preservation of Geneseo (APOG) is a civic organization dedicated to preserving, improving, and restoring the places of civic, architectural, and historic interest to Geneseo and to educate members of the community to their architectural and historical heritage. Additional aims and purposes are to encourage others to contribute their knowledge, advice, and financial assistance. Sweet Briar and the Wadsworth Fort Site are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Education

The Geneseo Central School District encompasses Geneseo and Groveland, and consists of Geneseo Central School, which graduates approximately 75 students each year. The school mascot is the Blue Devils and wear blue and white, with a gray accent color. Past accent colors included red and black. In 1933, the school moved to its own building on School Street and in 1963 added a wing. In 1974 it moved into a new building at its present location on Avon Road.

is inside the village of Geneseo. There are approximately 5,000 undergraduate students.

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 an area of , of which are land and , or 2.65%, are water. The

Genesee River The Genesee River ( ) is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. The river contains several waterfalls in New York at Letchworth State Park and Roch ...

defines the western town line, and Conesus Lake is on part of the eastern town line.

Interstate 390 Interstate 390 (I-390) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within New York (state), New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Southern Tier Expressway (Interstate 86 in New Yor ...

and U.S. Route 20A pass through the town, along with State Routes 39, 63, and 256.

Adjacent towns and areas

(

Clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions or senses of rotation. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands relative to the observer: from the top to the right, then down and then to ...

) * Avon *

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

; Conesus * Groveland *

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

;

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

Climate

Geneseo has a mild climate; summers typically bring temperatures between , while winters average .

Communities

The town includes a number of

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 ...

s on the western shore of Conesus Lake. From north to south along NY 256 (West Lake Road), they are: Conesus Lake panorama

* Sleggs Landing * Eagle Point * Sacketts Harbor * Wadsworth Cove * Long Point * Long Point Cove * Cottonwood Cove All of the listed hamlets are part of the larger Conesus Lake

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,654 people, 2,523 households, and 1,303 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,698 housing units at an average density of . The town's racial makeup was 93.91%

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 ...

, 1.48%

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 ...

, 0.11% Native American, 2.61% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.69% from other races, and 1.15% 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 residents of any race were 2.19% of the population. There were 2,523 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.4% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.92. 11.9% of the town's population was under age of 18, 51.3% was from age 18 to 24, 15.2% was from age 25 to 44, 13.2% was from age 45 to 64, and 8.5% were age 65 or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 72.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.4 males. The town's

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $40,660, and the median family income was $62,206. Males had a median income of $42,218 versus $25,969 for females. The town's per capita income was $15,303. About 8.7% of families and 29.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under the age of 18 and 5.5% ages 65 or older.

References

External links

Town and Village of Geneseo official website

Wadsworth Library

Geneseo Central School District

Association for the Preservation of Geneseo
{{authority control New York (state) populated places on the Genesee River Rochester metropolitan area, New York Populated places established in 1789 Towns in Livingston County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1789 establishments in New York (state) Iroquois populated places