Penn Yan is a
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
in
Yates CountyYates County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 24,621. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county....
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
USAThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,219 at the 2000 census. It is the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of
Yates CountyYates County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 24,621. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county....
. The name is an invention of the early settlers for their community. It is derived from the shortening of "Pennsylvania Yankee".
The
Village of Penn Yan is primarily in the
Town of MiloMilo is a town in Yates County, New York, USA. The population was 7,026 at the 2000 census.The Town of Milo is on the east border of the county and borders Penn Yan, New York.- History :...
, but a small section is in the
Town of BentonBenton is a town in Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 2,640 at the 2000 census. The town is named after an early resident.The Town of Benton is located in the northeast part of the county...
.
Penn Yan Airport is south of the village.
Penn Yan is located at and lies at the north end of the east branch of
Keuka LakeKeuka Lake is an unusual member of the Finger Lakes because it is Y-shaped instead of long and narrow. Because of its shape, it was referred to in the past as Crooked Lake...
, one of the
Finger LakesThe Finger Lakes are a chain of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York that are a popular tourist destination. The lakes mainly are linear in shape, each lake oriented on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in America. Both are...
.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the village has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km
2), of which, 2.3 square miles (5.9 km
2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km
2) of it (2.58%) is water.
The first frame dwelling at Penn Yan was built in 1799.
Penn Yan is a
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
in
Yates CountyYates County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 24,621. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county....
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
USAThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,219 at the 2000 census. It is the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of
Yates CountyYates County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 24,621. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county....
. The name is an invention of the early settlers for their community. It is derived from the shortening of "Pennsylvania Yankee".
The
Village of Penn Yan is primarily in the
Town of MiloMilo is a town in Yates County, New York, USA. The population was 7,026 at the 2000 census.The Town of Milo is on the east border of the county and borders Penn Yan, New York.- History :...
, but a small section is in the
Town of BentonBenton is a town in Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 2,640 at the 2000 census. The town is named after an early resident.The Town of Benton is located in the northeast part of the county...
.
Penn Yan Airport is south of the village.
Geography
Penn Yan is located at and lies at the north end of the east branch of
Keuka LakeKeuka Lake is an unusual member of the Finger Lakes because it is Y-shaped instead of long and narrow. Because of its shape, it was referred to in the past as Crooked Lake...
, one of the
Finger LakesThe Finger Lakes are a chain of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York that are a popular tourist destination. The lakes mainly are linear in shape, each lake oriented on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in America. Both are...
.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the village has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km
2), of which, 2.3 square miles (5.9 km
2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km
2) of it (2.58%) is water.
History
The first frame dwelling at Penn Yan was built in 1799. The village became the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
in 1823, when Yates county was created, and was incorporated in 1833.
The first settlers were chiefly followers of
Jemima WilkinsonJemima Wilkinson was a charismatic American evangelist who preached total sexual abstinence and the Ten Commandments to her congregation of "Universal Friends." Her family were strict Quakers, most of her views were from her upbringing in the Quaker religion.As a young woman, she was plagued by a...
(1753-1819), a religious enthusiast, born in
Cumberland TownshipCumberland is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, incorporated in 1746. The population was 31,840 at the 2000 census.-History:...
,
Providence County, Rhode IslandProvidence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of 2000, the population was 621,602. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Providence County, in the city of Cranston . It is the 93rd most populous county in the United States.-History:Providence County...
, who asserted that she had received a divine commission. Wilkinson preached in
Rhode IslandRhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
,
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, and
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
. Obtaining a large tract (which was called Jerusalem in 1789) in the present Yates county, she founded in 1788 the village of Hopeton on the outlet of
Keuka LakeKeuka Lake is an unusual member of the Finger Lakes because it is Y-shaped instead of long and narrow. Because of its shape, it was referred to in the past as Crooked Lake...
about a mile from Seneca Lake. Many followers settled there, and she herself lived there after 1790. Some of her followers left her before 1800, and then the community gradually broke up.
The name of the village is said to have been contrived from the first syllables of " Pennsylvania " and " Yankee," as most of the early settlers were Pennsylvanians and
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
ers (or
Yankees).
Many
AmishThe various Amish or Amish Mennonite church fellowships are Christian religious denominations that form a very traditional subgrouping of Mennonite churches. They are best known for their simple living, plain dress and resistance to the adoption of many modern conveniences...
and
MennoniteThe Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
families are recent arrivals to the area. Beginning in 1974, many Mennonite families moved to Yates County from Lancaster County, PA, seeking cheaper farmland.
The village was the western terminus of the former
Crooked Lake CanalThe Crooked Lake Canal was a former canal in New York, USA. The canal linked two Finger Lakes: Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake. The name refers to the unusual shape of Keuka Lake, which was formerly called "Crooked Lake."...
.
famous people include tony collins,nfl player
brett queener, pro lacrosse player
Demographics
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 5,219 people, 2,141 households, and 1,261 families residing in the village. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 2,299.7 people per square mile (887.7/km
2). There were 2,299 housing units at an average density of 1,013.1/sq mi (391.0/km
2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.15% White, 0.67% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.
There were 2,141 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $29,278, and the median income for a family was $39,087. Males had a median income of $30,692 versus $19,263 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the village was $15,848. About 9.7% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
External links