Mount Morris 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, New York, United States. The population was 4,465 at the 2010 census. The town and village were named after Robert Morris, an 18th Century slave trader and Founding Father of the United States. The town of Mount Morris has a village also called Mount Morris. The town is on the western border of the county and is home to part of Letchworth State Park.

History

The region was first settled by Europeans ''circa'' 1784. It was first known as "Allens Hill", then as "Richmond Hill". The town was formed from the town of

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 ...

in 1818. The former Genesee Valley Canal passed through the town. In 1952 Mount Morris Dam was finished on 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 ...

for flood control.

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 are land and , or 0.21%, are water. The northwest town line is defined by the

. The southwestern half of the town line following the Genesee is the border of Wyoming County. New York State Route 36 and New York State Route 408 intersect in Mount Morris village.

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 ...

passes near the east town line.

Adjacent towns and areas

( Clockwise) *

* Groveland; West Sparta * Nunda;

Portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

* Castile

Climate

Mount Morris has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb''). The average temperature throughout the year is , with the highest average temperature in July being , and January being the coldest month with an average temperature of . The annual precipitation is . Extreme temperatures range from on January 15, 1957, to on July 4, 1897.

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 4,567 people, 1,783 households, and 1,132 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,925 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.05%

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 ...

, 0.92%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 1.93% from other races, and 1.16% 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 4.49% of the population. There were 1,783 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% 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, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 28.7% 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 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,813, and the median income for a family was $38,015. Males had a median income of $31,940 versus $20,625 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 $15,871. About 11.1% of families and 13.1% 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 19.0% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and Locations in the Town of Mount Morris

*Brooks Grove – 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 southwest part of the town on Route 408. The name is from the founder, General Micah Brooks. *Deyuitga'oh ("Where the Valley Widens") – A native village once located near where the Mount Morris Dam is currently situated. * Letchworth 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 ...

on the west border of the town. * Mount Morris – The village of Mount Morris near the northern border of the town. * Mount Morris Dam – A dam northwest of Mount Morris village. *Ridge – A hamlet southwest of Mount Morris village on NY-408. *River Road Forks – A location west of Brooks Grove. This location has also been called "River Road". * Tuscarora – A hamlet and

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 ...

in the southeast part of the town. *Union Corners – A hamlet on the town line east of Tuscarora.

Notable people

* Ross Barnes, one of the early stars of the National Association and National League; born in Mount Morris * Francis Bellamy, author of the Pledge of Allegiance; born in Mount Morris * Gus Ganakas, basketball head coach at Michigan State in 1970s; born in Mount Morris * George Hastings, US congressman * Sarah Hopkins Bradford, writer and historian; born in Mount Morris * Joe La Barbera, Jazz drummer. * Mary Seymour Howell, suffragette; born and died in Mount Morris * Mary Jemison, the "White Woman of the Genesee" * Marie Boening Kendall, painter * James M. Mead, US congressman *Major General William Augustus Mills (1777–1844), who served during defense of Niagara frontier in War of 1812 * Charles Gilbert Peterson, contractor * Gilbert Peterson, contractor * John Wesley Powell, a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

and explorer; born in Mount Morris * Annie Rockfellow, architect

References

External links

*
Brief history of Mt. Morris, NY
{{authority control New York (state) populated places on the Genesee River Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Livingston County, New York Towns in New York (state)