Lyons 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 and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Wayne County, New York Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 91,283. The county seat is Lyons. The name honors General Anthony Wayne, an American Revolutionary War hero and American sta ...

, United States. The population was 5,682 at the 2010 census. It is named after

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, France.Lyons, New York -- ''History of Lyons''
, Retrieved January 18, 2015. The Town of Lyons is in the south-central part of the county and contains 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 ...

also named Lyons, formerly a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

. It is located on 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, ...

History

The area was part of the Pulteney Estate. Settlement began ''circa'' 1789. The region was originally known as "The Forks." The Town of Lyons was formed from the Town of Sodus in 1811. The

was completed as far as Lyons by 1821. In 1825, the size of the town was reduced upon the formation of the Town of Arcadia.

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 37.6 square miles (97.4 km²), of which 37.5 square miles (97.1 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km²) (0.32%) is water. New York State Route 14 and

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 ...

intersect in the hamlet of Lyons.

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 5,682 people, 2,206 households, and 1,389 families residing in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was 87.1%

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 ...

, 8.1%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 1.7% from other races, and 2.5% 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 4.7% of the population. There were 2,206 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 20, 6.2% from 20 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,198, and the median income for a family was $53,430. Males had a median income of $40,883 versus $30,914 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 $21,016. About 14.9% of families and 21.3% 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 36.2% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 2,458 housing units at an average density of ; a total of 10.3% of housing units were vacant. There were 2,206 occupied housing units in the town, of which 1,443 were owner-occupied units (65.4%), while 763 were renter-occupied (34.6%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 12.0%.

Economy

H.G. Hotchkiss moved his Hotchkiss Essential Oil Company to Lyons in 1841, where it became an important business in the local economy.

Arts and culture

The Dipper Dredge No. 3 and Towar–Ennis Farmhouse and Barn Complex 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 ...

. Remnants of the former Enlarged

Lock 56 (also called the Poorhouse Lock) are located along Dry Dock Road near the current Lock 28A and dry docks complex west of Lyons, just off N.Y. Route 31. It was a double-chamber lock built in 1842, and had a lift of 10.12 feet (3.08 m) to the west. The lock was abandoned around 1911.The Erie Canal (Lock 56 - Poorhouse Lock)
Retrieved January 20, 2015. Lyons is part of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Erie Canal Lock 28A is located just west of the bridge on Dry Dock Road, off N.Y. Route 31. It was built around 1913, and has a lift of 19.5 feet (5.85 m) to the west.NY Canals (Index of Locks)
, Retrieved January 30, 2015. The dry docks complex is adjacent to the lock, operated by the New York State Canal Corporation.

Notable people

* Michael Bastian, fashion designer * Jim Boeheim,

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 ...

basketball coach * Willard H. Brownson Rear Admiral, Superintendent of the US Naval Academy from 1902-1905 * John H. Camp, former US Congressman * Ann Collins, equine artist * William Dorsheimer,

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...

and U.S. Congressman * Birgitta Moran Farmer, miniaturist * Cordelia A. Greene, physician * Mel Hall,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player imprisoned for sexual assault against minors * Bob Hartman, guitarist and founding member of the Christian rock band Petra * John M. Holley, former US Congressman * Vashti McCollum, advocate of removal of religious education from public schools, was born in Lyons. * William Patterson, former US Congressman * Myron Charles Taylor, U.S. Special Envoy to the Vatican under Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. CEO of United States Steel Corporation. * Mildred F. Taylor, NYS Assemblywoman.

Communities and locations in the Town of Lyons

* Alloway — A

in the south part of the town on NY-14. * Lyons — The hamlet of Lyons at the intersection of NY-31 and NY-14 along the Erie Canal, formerly an incorporated village. *Pilgrimport — A hamlet by the east town line on County Road 244 at the old route of the Erie Canal. *Slaterville — A railroad district community located south of NY-31 which is now part of the hamlet of Lyons. *Zurich — A hamlet at the town line in the northwest part of the town on County Road 237.

References

External links

Lyons, New York website

Lyons Heritage Society

Lyons Fire Department
{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Wayne County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1811 establishments in New York (state)