Sparta 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 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 1,624 at the 2010 census. Sparta is in the southeast part of the county and is north of Dansville.

History

The area was first settled ''circa'' 1794. Sparta was established in 1789 before the establishment of Livingston County. Eventually, Sparta was diminished by the removal of land for other towns, including Springwater (1816), West Sparta (1846), and Groveland (1856). Sparta also received territory from other towns: Dansville (in Steuben County) (1822) and Groveland (1856).

Notable people

Daniel Shays Daniel Shays (August 1747 – September 29, 1825) was an American soldier, revolutionary and farmer famous for allegedly leading Shays' Rebellion, a populist uprising against controversial debt collection and tax policies that took place in Mass ...

, leader of

Shays' Rebellion Shays's Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes on both in ...

, lived his later life here

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 of , all land. A small part of the south town line is the border of Steuben County. New York State Route 255 (now decommissioned) joined

New York State Route 256 New York State Route 256 (NY 256) is a north–south state highway located within Livingston County, New York, in the United States. It extends for across mostly rural terrain from an intersection with New York State Route 63, NY ...

in Sparta.

New York State Route 63 New York State Route 63 (NY 63) is a state highway in the western part of New York (state), New York in the United States. It extends for in a generally southeast–northwest direction from an intersection with New York State Route 15 ...

is a north-south highway in the western part of the town. Conesus Inlet, flowing toward

Conesus Lake Conesus Lake is located in Livingston County, New York. Conesus Lake is one of New York's twelve Finger Lakes. It is located off Interstate 390 about south of Interstate 90. Description Conesus Lake is long, with a maximum depth of . I ...

, is in the northwest part of the town.

Adjacent towns and areas

(

Clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions or senses of rotation. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands relative to the observer: from the top to the right, then down and then to ...

) * Groveland; Conesus * Springwater * Wayland; North Dansville * West Sparta

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 1,627 people, 595 households, and 462 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 627 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.62%

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 ...

, 0.68%

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 ...

, 0.43% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 1.17% 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 0.43% of the population. There were 595 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% 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, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,155, and the median income for a family was $48,333. Males had a median income of $35,938 versus $23,693 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 $17,947. About 8.0% of families and 10.2% 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 15.5% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Sparta

* Groveland Station – 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 ...

partially located in the northwest corner of the town. *Reed Corners – A hamlet in the south part of the town. * Scottsburg – A hamlet and census-designated place in the northwest part of the town on NY-256. It was formerly named "Scottsburgh" after a family of early settlers, Matthew and William Scott. This community is near the first settlement in the town. *Sparta Center – A location in the center of the town. *White Bridge – A location in the southwest part of the town on NY-63, near Dansville.

References

External links

* * * {{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Livingston County, New York Towns in New York (state)