Ontario, New York
Encyclopedia
Ontario is a town in the northwest corner of Wayne County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 9,778 at the 2000 census, and 10,136 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Great Lake on its northern border.
who arrived in 1806. He built a small log cabin that had to hold his nine children, wife and himself. Heavy timber and swamps made life difficult for the first settlers.
The town of Ontario was created in 1807 as the "Town of Freetown" from a part of the town of Williamson
. Soon after, the name was changed to Ontario. Part of Ontario was used to form the town of Walworth
in 1829.
In 1811 iron
ore was discovered and a thriving smelting operation arose that lasted until past the end of the century.
In 1874, the Lake Ontario Shore Railroad (now the R., W. & O.) was opened.
On June 1, 1970, the Robert E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant
started commercial operation on the shore of Lake Ontario within the town, just past the Monroe County
line.
, the town has a total area of 32.3 square miles (83.7 km²), of which, 32.2 square miles (83.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.37%) is water.
The north town boundary is Lake Ontario
, and the west town line is the border of Monroe County
. The town is east of the City of Rochester.
New York State Route 104
is an east-west highway that intersects north-south highway New York State Route 350
at Ontario Center.
of 2000, there were 9,778 people, 3,617 households, and 2,698 families residing in the town. The population density
was 303.5 people per square mile (117.2/km²). There were 3,814 housing units at an average density of 118.4 per square mile (45.7/km²).
There were 3,617 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,399, and the median income for a family was $61,281. Males had a median income of $41,771 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,511. About 3.1% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Wayne County, New York
Wayne County is a county located in the US state of New York. It is part of the Rochester, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area and lies on the south shore of Lake Ontario, forming part of the northern border of the United States with Canada. The name honors General Anthony Wayne, an American...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 9,778 at the 2000 census, and 10,136 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Great Lake on its northern border.
History
The first settler was Freeman HopkinsFreeman Hopkins
Freeman Hopkins was a Quaker and the first settler of Ontario, New York. He and his wife Martha Patterson, daughter of Charles Patterson and Martha Hall, came to Ontario in the Spring of 1806 from Rhode Island. In 1807 the town of Ontario was founded from a part of the neighboring town of...
who arrived in 1806. He built a small log cabin that had to hold his nine children, wife and himself. Heavy timber and swamps made life difficult for the first settlers.
The town of Ontario was created in 1807 as the "Town of Freetown" from a part of the town of Williamson
Williamson, New York
Williamson is an Upstate New York town in the northwest part of Wayne County, New York, U.S. on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The population was 6,777 at the time of the 2000 census. The town is named after Charles Williamson, a land agent of the Pultney Estate...
. Soon after, the name was changed to Ontario. Part of Ontario was used to form the town of Walworth
Walworth, New York
Walworth is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 8,402 at the 2000 census. The name comes from Reuben Walworth, a state official.The Town of Walworth is on the west border of the county and is east of Rochester, NY....
in 1829.
In 1811 iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
ore was discovered and a thriving smelting operation arose that lasted until past the end of the century.
In 1874, the Lake Ontario Shore Railroad (now the R., W. & O.) was opened.
On June 1, 1970, the Robert E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant
Ginna Nuclear Generating Station
The Robert Emmett Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, commonly known as Ginna , is a nuclear power plant located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, in the town of Ontario, Wayne County, New York, approximately east of Rochester, New York. It is a single unit Westinghouse 2-Loop pressurized water...
started commercial operation on the shore of Lake Ontario within the town, just past the Monroe County
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
line.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 32.3 square miles (83.7 km²), of which, 32.2 square miles (83.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.37%) is water.
The north town boundary is Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, and the west town line is the border of Monroe County
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
. The town is east of the City of Rochester.
New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104 is a long east–west state highway in Upstate New York, United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to that of the southern shoreline of Lake...
is an east-west highway that intersects north-south highway New York State Route 350
New York State Route 350
New York State Route 350 is a north–south state highway in western Wayne County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 31 and NY 31F in the village of Macedon to a junction with NY 104 in the town of Ontario...
at Ontario Center.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 9,778 people, 3,617 households, and 2,698 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 303.5 people per square mile (117.2/km²). There were 3,814 housing units at an average density of 118.4 per square mile (45.7/km²).
There were 3,617 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,399, and the median income for a family was $61,281. Males had a median income of $41,771 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $22,511. About 3.1% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Ontario
- Bear Creek — A lakeside hamlet on County Road 101 that was once the port for loading iron ore from the county.
- Fruitland — A location west of Ontario Center on NY-104.
- Furnaceville — A hamlet near the east county line on County Road 110, where one of the last major iron furnaces was located (1825 – 1887).
- Ginna Nuclear Generating StationGinna Nuclear Generating StationThe Robert Emmett Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, commonly known as Ginna , is a nuclear power plant located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, in the town of Ontario, Wayne County, New York, approximately east of Rochester, New York. It is a single unit Westinghouse 2-Loop pressurized water...
— A nuclear powerNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
generator on the shore of Lake Ontario. - Lakeside — A hamlet on Route 104, north of Fruitland on County Road 102. In spite of its name, it is not located on the shore of a lake.
- Ontario — The hamlet of Ontario is on NY-104 and County Road 110 in the southeastern part of the town. It was first settled around 1807. The Brick Church Corners historic districtHistoric district (United States)In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973. - Ontario Center — A hamlet by the NY-104 and NY-350 junction. The First Presbyterian Church of Ontario CenterFirst Presbyterian Church of Ontario CenterFirst Presbyterian Church of Ontario Center is a historic Presbyterian church located at Ontario Center in Wayne County, New York. It was built in 1914 and is a Tudor Revival style concrete block church cast to resemble rusticated masonry. It is roughly square in plan and topped by a cross gable...
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. - Ontario-on-the-Lake — A lakeside hamlet in the northwest corner of the town on County Road 101.
- Union Hill — A hamlet by the west town line on NY-104.
Nearby towns
- WebsterWebster (town), New YorkWebster is a town in the northeast corner of Monroe County, New York, United States. The town is named after orator and statesman Daniel Webster. The population was 42,641 at the 2010 census....
- WilliamsonWilliamson, New YorkWilliamson is an Upstate New York town in the northwest part of Wayne County, New York, U.S. on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The population was 6,777 at the time of the 2000 census. The town is named after Charles Williamson, a land agent of the Pultney Estate...
- WalworthWalworth, New YorkWalworth is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 8,402 at the 2000 census. The name comes from Reuben Walworth, a state official.The Town of Walworth is on the west border of the county and is east of Rochester, NY....