Sodus Point is 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 ...

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 900 at the 2010 census. However, the last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 822. The name is derived from a nearby body of water,

Sodus Bay Sodus Bay is a bay on the south shore of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. Sodus Bay is located in Wayne County, New York, United States. Most of the bay is in the Town of Huron; however, the western part is in the Town of Sodus. Sodus ...

. It is considered to be within the larger Rochester metropolitan area. The Village of Sodus Point is in the northeastern part of the Town of Sodus. This is a lakeside community surrounded on three sides by water.

History

In 1794, the village was the site of the first European-American settlement in Sodus town. Before 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 ...

, the area for centuries was the territory of the

Onondaga Nation The Onondaga people (Onontaerrhonon, Onondaga: , "People of the Hills") are one of the five original nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy in the Northeastern Woodlands. Their historical homelands are in and around present-day Ono ...

. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, the village was burned by a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

raiding party, leaving all but one building demolished. The village was rebuilt. The area became an important port on Lake Ontario in the 19th Century. As the Erie Canal shifted state transportation patterns, the village's function as a port declined. In the later 19th century, it became a popular vacation resort, especially for people from Chicago and other cities during the summers. Sodus Point was incorporated in 1957. The schooner ''Lotus'',

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

, and Sodus Point Light 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 ...

. Writer Elizabeth F. Ellet was a native of the town.

Geography

Sodus Point is located at (43.269332, -76.987608). 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 village has a total area of , of which is land and 0.67% is water. The village is on the shore of

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

on a point of land on the northwest edge of

, an arm of Lake Ontario. The name "Sodus" reportedly is derived from a native word meaning "gleam on the water." Another possible origin is the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

"Land of Silver Waters." County Road 101 (Lake Road/Lake Avenue) leads into the village from the west.

New York State Route 14 New York State Route 14 (NY 14) is a state highway located in western New York in the United States. Along with New York State Route 19, NY 19, it is one of two routes to transect the state in a north–south fashion between ...

has its northern terminus at the village.

Demographics

2010 U.S. Federal Census

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 900 people, 425 households, and 258 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . The racial makeup of the village was 93%

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 ...

, 3%

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 ...

, 0.3% Asian, 0.1%

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% from other races, and 2.6% 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 3.3% of the population. There were 425 households, out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% 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, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.59. In the village, the population was spread out, with 15.2% under the age of 18, 65.2% from 18 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. The median income for a household in the village was $59,583, and the median income for a family was $61,000. Males had a median income of $40,605 versus $31,435 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 village was $30,199. About 6.8% of families and 8.2% 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 22% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 U.S. Federal Census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,160 people, 491 households, and 327 families living in the village. The

was . There were 886 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.95%

, 1.55%

, 0.17% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.55% of the population. There were 491 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were

living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.83. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $39,914, and the median income for a family was $44,600. Males had a median income of $38,667 versus $25,521 for females. The

for the village was $22,642. About 8.2% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the

, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Housing (2010 U.S. Federal Census)

There were 754 housing units at an average density of ; a total of 43.6% of housing units were vacant. There were 425 occupied housing units in the village, of which 325 were owner-occupied units (76.5%), while 100 were renter-occupied (23.5%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 34.0%. ''NOTE: It is common for resort communities to have higher than normal vacant house counts. Many are vacation homes which are seasonal and not regularly occupied.''

References

External links

*
Sodus Bay Lighthouse MuseumHistoric Sodus Point
* * {{authority control 1858 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1858 Villages in Wayne County, New York Rochester metropolitan area, New York Villages in New York (state) Populated places on Lake Ontario in the United States