Macedon 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 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. The population was 9,148 at the 2010 census. The Town of Macedon is named after the birthplace of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

, in Ancient Macedonia. It is located in the southwest corner of Wayne 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

Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...

, formerly an incorporated

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 ...

. The town is east of Rochester and west of Syracuse.

Etymology

Macedon took its name from the

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

Kingdom of

. The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

Macedon is derived itself from the

adjective μακεδνός (''makednós''), meaning "tall", possibly descriptive of the inhabitants of Macedon.Liddell and Scott 1940. It has the same root as the adjective μακρός (''makros''), meaning "long" or "tall" in Ancient Greek. The name is originally believed to have meant either "highlanders", "the tall ones", or "high grown men".; ; Eugene N. Borza writes that the "highlanders" or "Makedones" of the mountainous regions of western Macedonia are derived from northwest Greek stock; they were akin both to those who at an earlier time may have migrated south to become the historical "Dorians".

History

Prior to early settlement, the area in and around Macedon was home to the

Seneca Nation The Seneca ( ; ) are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois Leag ...

, a tribe member in the

Iroquois League The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of Native Americans and First Nations peopl ...

. The town land was acquired for settlement in 1788 from the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

as part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The first settlers, Webb and Hannah Harwood, arrived in 1789.
Brief History of Macedon - Office of the County Historian The construction and completion of 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, ...

from 1817 to 1825 brought many new settlers to the area. The town of Macedon was incorporated during the canal construction in 1823, from what had been the western half of the Town of

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

. The opening of the Erie Canal led to the forming of new port communities like Wayneport and the Village of Macedon, with the latter centered on Lock 30. Remnants of the former Enlarged

Lock 60 (also called the Lower Macedon Lock) are located along the canal trail off Quaker Road, just east of the Village of Macedon. It was built in 1841 as a single-chamber lock, but doubled in 1874. The lock had a lift of to the west. It was abandoned in 1914. The site is currently maintained as a park.The Erie Canal (Lock 60 - Lower Macedon Lock)
Retrieved January 21, 2015. Nearby are the remains of Erie Canal Change Bridge #39 (also called Gallup's Bridge), located just west of the intersection of O'Neil and Quaker roads. A change bridge allowed

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, Working animal, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mod ...

s to switch from one side of the canal to the other. The bridge was constructed in 1881 and had an iron lattice truss with a wooden floor. Only the foundations are still in place.The Erie Canal (Change Bridge #39 - Gallup's Bridge)
Retrieved Jan. 21. 2015. The Macedon Academy, open from 1841 to 1902, set a standard for education excellence of the era. The academy provided an intermediate level of education, between the district school level and college. Part of Company B, 160th New York Volunteer Infantry, was raised in Macedon during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. At the time, the town had a population of only a little over 2,500. The J. and E. Baker Cobblestone Farmstead and Charles Bullis House 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 ...

. The town is part of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

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 (0.44%) is water. Macedon is bordered by the towns of

Walworth Walworth ( ) is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the ...

to the north,

to the east, Farmington ( Ontario County) to the south, and Perinton ( Monroe County) to the west. An East-West auxiliary branch of NY 31, New York State Route 31F and New York State Route 350 intersect east–west

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 ...

at Macedon hamlet.

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,Macedon 2010 Demographic Profile Data
- American FactFinder there were 9,148 people, 3,650 households, and 2,583 families residing in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was 95.9%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.6% 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 1.44% of the population. There were 3,650 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% 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, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 20, 4.7% from 20 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $76,146, and the median income for a family was $85,181. Males had a median income of $64,392 versus $41,594 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 $29,551. About 1.0% of families and 2.7% 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 2.3% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 3,381 housing units at an average density of ; a total of 6.0% of housing units were vacant. There were 3,650 occupied housing units in the town, of which 2,831 were owner-occupied units (77.6%), while 819 were renter-occupied (22.4%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 10.8%.

Education

The only schools in Macedon are Palmyra-Macedon Intermediate School, which is part of the Palmyra-Macedon Central School District and the Gananda Central School District, serving households on the western edge of Macedon. The Macedon Public Library serves the public as a repository for books, magazines, CDs, and videos that may be loaned out or viewed. The library also offers free computer and internet access on site. The library is also home to the Bullis Estate Library, a large collection of rare books, personal journals, and letters from the Victorian era family.

Business

Most of the businesses in the town are concentrated in four areas. Small specialty shops and boutiques are available in the old village on Main Street and near Canandaigua Road. The West Wayne plaza on Route 31 between what was the Village of Macedon and the Village of Palmyra also has a selection of shops and restaurants. To the west,

Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and i ...

and

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

Superstores, and the surrounding area near Wayneport has grown more attractive to other businesses and developers. Newer businesses in the area include The Purple Painted Lady®, Macedon Family Chiropractic, Twisted Rail Brewing, and Cherry Creek Siding & Windows L.L.C. The fourth area surrounds the Gananda planned community offering daily services and offices. Macedon is also home to the American regional headquarters of New Delhi-based Jindal Films.

Communities and locations in the Town of Macedon

*Cator Corners — A location north of Macedon hamlet on NY-31F. *Huddle — A

by the north town line on County Road 208. * Gananda — A "master planned community" and Title VII new town that is partially located in Macedon, along the north town line, between NY 350 and Hance Road *

— The hamlet of Macedon, located in the south part of the town on NY-31 and the Erie Canal. It was formerly an incorporated village. * Macedon Center — A location northwest of Macedon hamlet, located on NY-31F. *North Macedon — A location north of Macedon hamlet on Route 31F. *Walworth Station — A location by the junction of County Roads 208 and 209 in the east part of the town. *Wayneport — A hamlet in the southeast part of the town is located on the Erie Canal and County Road 306. It was formerly called "West Macedon."Brief History of Macedon - Office of the County Historian
/ref> *Yellow Mills — A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, west of Village of Palmyra on NY-31.

Notable person

* John L. Bullis — decorated American soldier and real estate entrepreneur

References

External links

Town of Macedon, NY

Historical summary of the Town of Macedon, NY

Macedon Historical Society
{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Wayne County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1823 establishments in New York (state)