Warsaw 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 Wyoming County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 5,316 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately 37 miles east southeast of Buffalo and approximately 37 miles southwest of Rochester. The town may have been named after

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. The Town of Warsaw is centrally located in the county and contains a village, also called

. The village is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Wyoming County.

History

The Town of Warsaw was founded in 1803 from the Town of Batavia (in Genesee County). In 1812, part of Warsaw was used to form the new town of Town of Middlebury. Again in 1814, Warsaw was reduced to form the Town of Gainesville.

Abolitionism

In the decades before 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 ...

, Warsaw was a center of abolitionist sentiment and activity. Warsaw's local anti-slavery society was formed in 1833, the same year as the

American Anti-Slavery Society The American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS) was an Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist society in the United States. AASS formed in 1833 in response to the nullification crisis and the failures of existing anti-slavery organizations, ...

. Several homes and churches are documented to have participated in the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. In November 1839 the anti-slavery Liberty Party was formed in a meeting at Warsaw's Presbyterian Church. The area sent abolitionists Seth M. Gates and Augustus Frank to serve in the United States Congress. An anti-slavery newspaper called ''The American Citizen'' was published in Warsaw.

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 0.1 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.14%) is water.

Oatka Creek Oatka Creek ( ) is the third longest tributary of the Genesee River, located entirely in the Western New York region of the U.S. state of New York. From southern Wyoming County, New York, Wyoming County, it flows to the Genesee near Scottsville, ...

flows northward through the Wyoming Valley in the town. U.S. Route 20A crosses the town.

Climate

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 5,423 people, 2,113 households, and 1,354 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,232 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.29%

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 ...

, 0.39%

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 ...

, 0.31% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.98% 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 0.68% of the population. There were 2,113 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% 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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,699, and the median income for a family was $42,647. Males had a median income of $31,672 versus $21,691 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 $17,279. About 8.5% of families and 10.6% 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 17.4% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Town of Warsaw is governed by a town council elected by popular vote.

Communities and locations in the Town of Warsaw

*East Warsaw – a community east of the village * Monument Circle Historic District – is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. *Newburg – 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 ...

near the south town line on Route 19 *Oatka – a hamlet southeast of Warsaw village *Perry - Warsaw Municipal Airport ( 01G ) – a general aviation airport east of the village of Warsaw on Route 20A *Pierce Corners – a settlement in the northwest part of the town *Rock Glen – a hamlet south of Warsaw village on Route 19 * Seth M. Gates House – a historic house in Warsaw *South Warsaw – a hamlet south of Warsaw on Route 19 *Thompsons Crossing – a hamlet in the northwest part of the town *

– village of Warsaw on Route 20A

Education

Most of the town is in Warsaw Central School District. Other parts of the town are in Wyoming Central School District, Perry Central School District, and

Letchworth Central School District Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2021 census was 33,990. Letchworth ...

Notable people

* James C. Adamson, former NASA astronaut and retired Colonel of the United States Army * Edward J. Boomer, former Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Earl Alonzo Brininstool, cowboy poet *

Barber Conable Barber Benjamin Conable Jr. (November 2, 1922 – November 30, 2003) was a U.S. Congressman from New York and former president of the World Bank Group. Biography Conable was born in Warsaw, New York on November 2, 1922. Conable was an Eagle Scou ...

(1922 – 2003) - Ten-term United States Congressman and later World Bank President. *

Ice Box Chamberlain Elton P. "Ice Box" Chamberlain (November 5, 1867September 22, 1929) was an American professional baseball player. He played in the major leagues as a right-handed pitcher during 1886–1896. In several seasons, Chamberlain finished in his leagu ...

, former MLB pitcher * Ben Doller, poet, writer *

James Rood Doolittle James Rood Doolittle Sr. (January 3, 1815July 27, 1897) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin for 12 years as a United States senator, from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1869. During ...

(January 3, 1815 – July 27, 1897), U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, District Attorney of Wyoming County, NY; Colonel of the New York State Militia; *

Sydney Nettleton Fisher Sydney Nettleton Fisher (August 8, 1906 – December 10, 1987) was an American historian of the Middle East. Life Fisher was born in Warsaw, New York. He studied at Oberlin College, gaining an economics degree in 1928 and an M. A. degree in histo ...

, Middle East historian * Jabez G. Fitch, U.S. Marshal for Vermont * Augustus Frank (1826 – 1895) was a United States Representative from New York during the American Civil War * Merrill Edwards Gates, ninth President of Rutgers College (now

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

), sixth President of

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

* Seth M. Gates, former US Congressman * Lester H. Humphrey, former New York State Senator * Andrew J. Lorish (November 8, 1832–August 11, 1897), a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient for his actions in the

, died in Warsaw, New York. *

John Warwick Montgomery John Warwick Montgomery (October 18, 1931 – September 25, 2024) was an American-born lawyer, academic, Lutheran theologian, and author. From 2014 to 2017, he was Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University, Wisconsin ...

(born 1931) - Emeritus Professor of Law and Humanities, writer, lecturer, and public debater in the field of Christian apologetics * William Patterson, former US Congressman * Diann Roffe, former World Cup alpine ski racer * Martin Smallwood, former football coach *

Zera Luther Tanner Zera Luther Tanner (December 5, 1835 – December 16, 1906), sometimes spelled Zero, was an American naval officer, inventor, and oceanographer. Tanner invented a depth sounding system, wrote several books on hydrography and retired as a commande ...

, former naval commander, inventor

References

External links

City-Data.com

ePodunk
{{authority control Towns in Wyoming County, New York Towns in New York (state) Populated places established in 1803 1803 establishments in New York (state)