York 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 western Livingston County, New York, United States. Its population was 3,182 at the 2020 census. The Abbey of the Genesee in the town's

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 ...

of Piffard is locally famous due to the production of Monks' Bread.

History

In 1722, the

Tuscarora people The Tuscarora (in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora ''Skarù:ręˀ'') are an indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands in Canada and the United States. They are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian Native Americans in the United States, Native Amer ...

moved north to join other

Iroquoian The Iroquoian languages () are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, almost all surviving I ...

natives, the League of the Iroquois, and settled near modern Piffard. The town was first settled by Europeans around 1800. The town was formed in 1819 from parts of the towns of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

and

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the forested region in the central and western Scottish Highlands, particularly stretching through parts of what are now Lochaber, Badenoch, Strathspey, and possibly as ...

before the establishment of Livingston County. More territory was added from the town of Covington in 1823.

Salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

was found in 1883 near modern Retsof, leading to the formation of the New York Rock Salt Company. Further discoveries were made subsequently by the Empire Salt Company and American Rock Salt. The Linwood Gardens estate was added to 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 ...

in 1997.

Notable people

* Chester A. Arthur, US president, lived in York Centre as a child * Charles Cameron, American diplomat, born in York * Nassos Daphnis, Greek American artist and horticulturist, visited York every year between the 1940s-1980s to hybridize tree peonies at the Linwood Gardens estate * Moses Hayden, US congressman * John Chandler Holloway, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and state senator * James Laird, former US congressman from Nebraska; born in Fowlerville * Joseph Marron, optical engineer * Donald Stewart, former Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Annie Fraser Tallent, a writer and white pioneer of the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

, was born in York * Catherine Young, a politician and former state senator

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 , or 0.02%, are water. The west town line borders Genesee and Wyoming Counties. New York State Route 36 (north-south) intersects New York State Route 63 (east-west) at Greigsville. U.S. Route 20 passes along the northern town line.

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 ...

) *

* Avon; Geneseo *

* Covington; Pavilion

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 3,219 people, 1,181 households, and 881 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,231 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.42%

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 ...

, 1.06%

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 ...

, 0.09% Native American, 0.56% Asian, and 0.87% 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 0.84% of the population. There were 1,181 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.12. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,229, and the median income for a family was $50,136. Males had a median income of $34,048 versus $20,430 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 $19,796. About 1.2% of families and 1.8% 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 none of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of York

* Abbey of the Genesee – A

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

north of Piffard. *Allens Corners – A location near the west town line. *Bows Corners – A location southwest of York hamlet. *Craigs – A hamlet in the western part of the town, west of York hamlet. * Fowlerville – 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 ...

in the northeast part of the town of York. The name comes from Wells Fowler, an early settler. *Fraser – A hamlet near the north town line on US-20. * Greigsville – A hamlet and census-designated place on Routes NY-36 and NY-63. *Greigsville Station – A location south of Greigsville. *Inverness – A location in the northwest part of the town, west of Fowlerville. * Linwood – A hamlet and census-designated place along the west town line. *McMillans Corners – A location west of York hamlet. * Piffard (formerly Piffardinia) – A hamlet and census-designated place on NY-63, north of Geneseo. The name is from early settler David Piffard. Westerly, a historic home, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. * Retsof – A hamlet and census-designated place south of the center of the town. Retsof was named for William Foster, Jr., 1885 president of the Empire Salt Co., spelled backwards. *Retsof Corners – A location south of Retsof on NY-63. *Rippeys Corners – A location east of Wadsworth. *Roots Corners – A location south of York hamlet. *The Forks – A location south of York hamlet. *Toggletown – A hamlet at the north town line. *Tryons Corners – A location in the southwest part of the town. * Wadsworth – A hamlet and census-designated place near the south town line on NY-36. *Walkers Corners – A location southwest of York hamlet. *

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

– A hamlet and census-designated place, also known as York Hamlet, in the central part of the town on NY-36.

References

External links

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