Seneca Falls 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 Seneca 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 9,027 at the 2020 census. The Town of Seneca Falls contains the former village also called Seneca Falls. The town is east of

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, in the northern part of 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 ...

District. Seneca Falls is a historic location along a branch 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, ...

and is the birthplace of women's rights, where the 1848 women's rights convention was held. Many also believe it to have been the inspiration for the fictional town of " Bedford Falls", portrayed in filmmaker

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

's classic 1946 film '' It's a Wonderful Life''.

History

The region is the former realm of the Cayuga tribe, who were visited by

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

missionaries during the 17th century. Cayuga villages were attacked and destroyed by 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 ...

of 1779 in retaliation for plundering and killing new colonists. The region became part of the Central New York Military Tract, reserved for veterans, after the conclusion of 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 ...

. A

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

was completed in 1818 allowing transit between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake. This canal was connected to the

in 1828. The town was established in 1829 from part of the Town of Junius. The community of Seneca Falls in the town set itself apart by incorporating as a village in 1831. The Seneca Falls Convention held July 19–20, 1848, was the first women's rights convention organized by women explicitly for the purpose of discussing women's rights as such. On March 16, 2010, the people of the Village of Seneca Falls voted to dissolve the village into the Town of Seneca Falls, effective in 2012. Goulds Pumps, a leading manufacturer of pumps, is headquartered in Seneca Falls.

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 , comprising 11.81%, is water. The east town line is partly defined by Cayuga Lake. The Seneca River/ Cayuga-Seneca Canal passes across the town. More recently, efforts are underway to complete a scenic trail along the historic canal. The eastern section of the town is part of Montezuma Marsh, an extensive wetland at the north end of Cayuga Lake. Conjoined US Route 20 and

NY-5 New York's 5th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives, represented by Democrat Gregory Meeks. The district is located in Queens. A plurality of the district's population is African-Am ...

form an east–west highway across the town. New York State Route 89 is a north–south highway by the shore of Cayuga Lake. New York State Route 414 is also a north–south highway, but has an east–west orientation while conjoined with US-20 and NY-5. New York State Route 318 intersects US-20/NY-5 in the northeast corner of the town.

Demographics

As of 2010 Seneca Falls had a population of 9,040. The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was 93.6% non-Hispanic white, 1.3% African-American, 0.4% Native American, 0.3% Indian, 1.3% other Asian, 0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race, 1.4% from two or more races, 1.0% Puerto Rican and 0.7% other Hispanics. 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 9,347 people, 3,796 households, and 2,440 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.86%

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 ...

, 0.87%

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 ...

, 0.22% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 1.23% 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 1.33% of the population. There were 3,796 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91. The town's population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,245, and the median income for a family was $48,565. Males had a median income of $36,631 versus $25,094 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 $18,462. About 9.7% of families and 13.2% 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 14.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations

* Bridgeport – A lakeside

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 ...

east of Seneca Falls CDP on NY-89. * Cayuga Lake 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 shore of Cayuga Lake. * Finger Lakes Regional Airport (0G7) – A general aviation

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

southeast of Seneca Falls CDP. * Halsey Corner – A location in the northeast corner of the town on US-20/NY-5. * Lehigh Valley Junction – A hamlet north of Seneca Falls CDP. *

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, encompassing part of the Montezuma Swamp at the north end of Cayuga Lake. The 10,004-acre (40.48 km2) preserve is composed ...

– A federal conservation area partly in the eastern end of the town. * Montezuma Wildlife Management Area – A state conservation area in the east of the town. * Nichols Corner – A location on the north town line on NY-318. * Seneca Falls – The CDP of Seneca Falls at US-20/NY-5 and NY-414, formerly an incorporated village.

Schools

Public schools

Seneca Falls Central School District

The public school system for Seneca Falls and its nearby villages is provided by the Seneca Falls Central School District. This district has four schools. The current superintendent is Michelle Reed. * Frank M. Knight Elementary School is a public school which handles grades K-2 in the Seneca Falls Central School District. It has an enrollment of about 300 students. The current principal is Janet Clendenen. * Elizabeth Cady Stanton School is a public school which handles grades 3–5. It has an enrollment of about 300 students. The current principal is Amy Hibbard. * Seneca Falls Middle School is a public school which handles grades 6–8. Enrollment is around 350 students. The current principal is Kevin Rhinehart. * Mynderse Academy is a public school which handles grades 9–12. The enrollment is around 511 students as of 2006. The current principal is Faith Lewis.

Private schools

* Finger Lakes Christian School (FLCS) is a private

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Pre-K through 12th grade school in Seneca Falls. Established in 1990, the school enrolls approximately 100 students.

Colleges

* Northeast College of Health Sciences Moving from Long Island, New York, in the fall of 1991, then known as New York Chiropractic College (NYCC), opened at this site after purchasing the vacant Eisenhower College campus from the state, who controlled the closed campus. The college is known to be one of the best chiropractic colleges in the country.

Transportation

New York State Route 5 New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Sy ...

and U.S. Route 20 run east–west through the town. The

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

operated daily passenger train service on its Auburn Road division between Syracuse and Rochester until 1958, making a station stop at Seneca Falls.New York Central October 10, 1958, timetable

References

External links

Town of Seneca Falls

Seneca Falls Area News and Links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seneca Falls (Town), New York Populated places established in 1828 Towns in Seneca County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1828 establishments in New York (state)