Lysander 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 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. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 23,074. The town was named after

Lysander Lysander (; ; 454 BC – 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an end. He then played ...

, a

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

n military leader, by a clerk interested in the

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. Lying to the northwest of Syracuse, much of the town is suburban in character.

History

The town was part of the former

Central New York Military Tract The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly of bounty land set aside in Central New York to compensate New York's soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War. Establishment ...

. It was first settled by outsiders ''circa'' 1797. The Town of Lysander was formed in 1794 from the northern townships of the Military Tract. Lysander was later reduced by the creation of the Towns of

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

(1806) and

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

(1807). Lysander was reduced again on the formation of Oswego County in 1816.

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 (4.18%) is water. The northern town line is the border of Oswego County and the western town boundary is the border of Cayuga County. The southern town line is defined by 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, ...

- Seneca River complex. Cross Lake is located on the western border of Lysander. The Oswego River marks part of the eastern town line. The Oswego, Seneca, and Oneida Rivers join at the eastern town line. New York State Route 370, West Genesee Road, is an east-west highway in the southern part of Lysander. New York State Route 48 is a highway in the center of the town.

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 ...

intersects NY-370 in the southeastern part of Lysander. New York State Route 690 is a major highway leading out of the southern part of Lysander.

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 2000, there were 19,285 people, 7,139 households, and 5,404 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 7,448 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.89%

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 ...

, 0.73%

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 ...

, 0.29% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 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 ...

, 0.24% from other races, and 0.82% 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 0.78% of the population. There were 7,139 households, out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% 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, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.12. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $59,128, and the median income for a family was $67,539. Males had a median income of $47,057 versus $29,164 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 $26,187. About 2.5% of families and 3.8% 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 3.5% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over. Lysanderapartments.jpg, Apartments in Lysander just outside Baldwinsville SinglefamilyhomesLysander.JPG, Neighborhood in eastern Lysander Lysanderlargehouses.JPG, Single family homes in Lysander Farmlandlysander.JPG, Farmland in Lysander Lysanderview.jpg, Lysander countryside in the spring Lysanderhomes3.jpg, Neighborhood in Radisson planned community newhousingdevlysander.JPG, New homes just outside Baldwinsville lysanderhomeconstruction.JPG, New home under construction in Lysander

Communities and locations in the Town of Lysander

* Baird Corners – 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 ...

in the northwestern part of the town on Plainville Rd, a continuation of Oswego County Road 8 * Baldwinsville – The northern part of the Village of Baldwinsville is in the south part of the town, and is divided by the Seneca River/Erie Canal. * Belgium – A hamlet by the eastern town line on NY-31. * Cold Springs – A hamlet in the southeastern part of town on NY-370. * Jacksonville – A hamlet in the northern part of the town. * Jack's Reef – A hamlet in the southwestern section of town along the Seneca River. This hamlet is trisected with the towns of Lysander, Elbridge and Van Buren. * Hortontown – A farm in the central part of the town. * Lamson – A hamlet in the northern part of the town. * Little Utica – A hamlet in the northern section of the town. * Lysander – The hamlet of Lysander near the western town line on Plainville Rd, a continuation of Oswego County Road 8 * Beaver Lake – A

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

west of Hortontown. * Plainville – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town on NY-370. * Radisson – A hamlet and planned community in the eastern part of the town. * Red Rock – A hamlet in the southeastern part of town along the Seneca River/Erie Canal. * Seneca Estates – An upscale neighborhood of approximately 120 homes adjacent to Rt. 370 and the Seneca River, west of the Village of Baldwinsville. The only neighborhood in the town with its own private marina, boat launch, fuel station and head pump-out facility. * West Phoenix – A hamlet in the northeastern corner of Lysander. * Wrights Corners – A location east of Lamson, located on NY-48.

Notable people

* Esther Baker Steele (1835–1911), educator, author, traveler, philanthropist

References

External links

Town of Lysander official website

{{authority control Syracuse metropolitan area Towns in Onondaga County, New York Towns in New York (state)