Williamson 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 ...

on the south 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 ...

in the northwest part of 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 6,984 at the time of the 2010 census. The town is named after Charles Williamson, a land agent of the Pulteney Estate. Its primary ZIP code is 14589, and

telephone exchange A telephone exchange, telephone switch, or central office is a central component of a telecommunications system in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or in large enterprises. It facilitates the establishment of communication circuits ...

s 589 and 904 in

area code 315 Area codes 315 and 680 are telephone area codes of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the north- central area of the U.S. state of New York. Area code 315 was installed as one of the original North American area codes in 1947, while ar ...

. The town has 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 ...

(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 ...

), also called Williamson. Government offices for the town are located there.

History

The area around Pultneyville — a

on the town's Lake Ontario shore – was a frequent meeting ground for Iroquois people. In 1788, the area became part of the

Phelps and Gorham Purchase The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the sale, in 1788, of a portion of a large tract of land in western New York State owned by the Seneca nation of the Iroquois Confederacy to a syndicate of land developers led by Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gor ...

, a tract of land sold to Oliver Phelps and

Nathaniel Gorham Nathaniel Gorham (May 27, 1738 – June 11, 1796; sometimes spelled ''Nathanial'') was an American Founding Father, merchant, and politician from Massachusetts. He was a delegate from the Bay Colony to the Continental Congress and for six months ...

by the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. The first white settler, Daniel Russell, built a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...

in Pultneyville in 1794. This hamlet briefly enjoyed prominence as one of the few ports in the area until the opening 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, ...

in the southern part of the county in 1823. It did continue to be an important

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

port, however, well into the 19th century. Williamson was created in 1802 from the Town of Sodus and originally was much larger than its present-day borders. Later, other towns were created from parts of Williamson, including:

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

in 1807 and Marion in 1825. Until relatively recently, Williamson was a dry town. In 1814, 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 ...

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 ...

troops landed in Pultneyville, and an agreement was made with the villagers allowing the invaders to seize some stores without resistance, but a dispute broke out and weapons fire began on both sides. A few citizens were killed or wounded and two were taken prisoner as the British fled. In 2002, Williamson celebrated the bicentennial of its founding with celebrations and festivals throughout the year.

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 (0.06%) is water. Williamson encompasses the hamlets of Williamson, Pultneyville and East Williamson. The nearest

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

is the city of Rochester, which lies to the west. The town of Williamson does not have an incorporated village. In 1980, the northern terminus of New York State Route 21 (NY 21) was moved southward from the intersection with Lake Road in Pultneyville to its present location at the intersection with NY 104, in Williamson, about north of the town's business district. NY 104 is an important east–west highway in

western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

, and NY 21 is a north–south highway used by many to access the

New York State Thruway The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...

(

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mou ...

Adjacent towns and areas

The town is bordered on the north by

, on the east by the Town of Sodus, on the south by the Town of Marion and on the west by the Town of Ontario.

Landmarks and events

A number of local points of interest are considered popular landmarks by residents and visitors alike. Orbaker's Drive-In, a hamburger/hotdog stand on NY 104, has been in operation since 1932. With its red and white color theme, summer employment there is considered a

rite of passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of social status, status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisa ...

for the town's teenagers. Another noted eatery is the Candy Kitchen, located on West Main Street in the business district. Opened in 1890 and known as "Nick's", it has been owned and operated by four generations of the Boosalis family. Its chocolate candies, Greek dishes and fountain drinks are popular among its patrons. Williamson has played host to the annual Williamson Apple Blossom Festival since 1960. Celebrating the town's (and region's) heritage of apple farming, this event is held in May at the height of the blooms. The week-long celebration begins with the selection of the local festival queen and her court and culminates with a carnival, popular 5k race, parade and "fly-in" breakfast at the local airport.

Government services

Williamson is governed by a Town Supervisor and a four-person Town Board. Anthony Verno is currently the Town Supervisor and also serves on the Wayne County Board of Supervisors. The Williamson Central School District provides the public education services to the town's residents through its Elementary School, Middle School and

High School A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. The School District was designed and built by Dr. K. Slater.

Economy

Williamson is primarily a rural agricultural town, but since the 1960s, the growth of Rochester-area companies such as

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (, ) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox was the pioneer of the photocopier market, beginning with the introduc ...

and

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

, have added

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

aspects to the town. Recognized nationally for its fruit-growing – especially apple tarts, peach pies, and cherry cokes – local agriculture also includes

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

. It is also home of a

Mott's Mott's ( ) is an American company involved primarily in producing apple-based products, particularly juices and apple sauce, sauces. The company was founded in 1842 by Samuel R. Mott of Madison, New York, Bouckville, New York (state), New Yo ...

plant, employing roughly 300 people, which made national headlines when the unionized employees went on strike for roughly four months in 2010.

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 2010, there were 6,984 people, 2,773 households, and 1,980 families residing in the town. 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 town was 92.4%

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 ...

, 3.3%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 1.8% from other races, and 1.8% 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 3.9% of the population. There were 2,773 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 20, 4.3% from 20 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...

for a household in the town was $57,804, and the median income for a family was $67,184. Males had a median income of $63,401 as compared to $40,788 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 $30,651. About 5.7% of families and 11.1% 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 17.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 3,121 housing units at an average density of ; a total of 11.2% of housing units were vacant. There were 2,773 occupied housing units in the town, of which 2,229 were owner-occupied units (80.4%), while 544 were renter-occupied (19.6%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 9.5%.

Prohibition never ended

On January 16, 1920, Williamson became "dry" along with the rest of the United States when the Eighteenth Amendment to the

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

took effect. Unlike the rest of the country, however,

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

was not completely repealed in Williamson in 1933; this didn't occur until more than six decades later, in 1996. While consumption of

alcoholic beverages Drinks containing alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered non-alcoholic. Many societies have a di ...

in private homes was permitted in Williamson after the Twenty-first Amendment ended Prohibition, the sales of such beverages were illegal within the town. In 1996 residents of the town voted to liberalize the laws and the sales of

wine cooler A wine cooler is an alcoholic drink, alcoholic beverage made from wine and fruit juice, often in combination with a carbonated beverage and sugar. History Wine coolers were first marketed in California in 1976, with the introduction of Californ ...

s and

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

were permitted in the town's grocery stores. Prior to this change, town residents purchased these beverages in neighboring towns, such as Sodus and

. It wasn't until after the turn of the century, in 2004, that voters again loosened the regulations and allowed alcohol service in restaurants, as well as permitting

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

licenses for farms and the opening of

liquor store A liquor store is a retail business that predominantly sells prepackaged alcoholic beverages, including liquors (typically in bottles), wine or beer, usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom ...

s. Bars and taverns were banned until 2004."Dry Town Puts Drink To A Vote"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. November 1, 2004. Last accessed October 31, 2006. Today, the town only bans beer sales at race tracks, outdoor athletic fields and sports stadia where admission is charged.Boyle, Daniel; , New York State Liquor Authority; September 19, 2007; retrieved March 22, 2012.

Communities and locations in the Town of Williamson

* East Williamson – A

near the east town line on Ridge Road ( County Route 103 or CR 103). * Pultneyville – A hamlet on the shore of Lake Ontario on at the junction of CR 101 and CR 120. It was once an important port on Lake Ontario until railroad development lessened its importance. The community is named after Sir William Pulteney, one of the principal investors who owned part of Western New York. *Salmon Creek – A stream flowing northward into Lake Ontario through Pultneyville. *Haldoville – a small collection of cottages and kennels along the shore of lake Ontario. * Williamson – The hamlet of Williamson is located on Ridge Road near the center of the town. * Williamson–Sodus Airport – A

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

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 ...

servicing the town and the area is located just east of the east town line in Sodus, south of NY 104.

References

External links

US Census Bureau (2000) Town of Williamson websiteWilliamson-Pultneyville Historical SocietyWilliamson Free Public Library websiteWilliamson WikiSpencer Speedway
{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Wayne County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1802 establishments in New York (state)