Clay, New York
Encyclopedia
Clay is a town
in Onondaga County
, New York
, USA
. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 58,805, making it Syracuse's largest suburb
. The town was named after Henry Clay
, statesman.
The Town of Clay is northwest of Syracuse
. It is the largest town in the county and contains part of the Village of North Syracuse
, New York. It contains the major retail strip of Syracuse's northwesterly suburbs, along NY-31
, including the Great Northern Mall
.
. The town was first settled by outsiders around 1791 and was previously known as West Cicero, NY.
The Town of Clay was formed in 1827 from the Town of Cicero
, one of the original townships of the military tract.
Most famous son: actor Richard Gere
.
, the town has a total area of 48.8 square miles (126.4 km²), of which, 48 square miles (124.3 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (1.60%) is water.
The north town line is the border of Oswego County, New York
, marked by the Oneida River
. The Seneca River
marks the west town line. Both these rivers join into the Oswego River
near the community of Three Rivers. The renovated Erie Canal
follows the rivers around the border of Clay.
New York State Route 31
is an east-west highway through the town. New York State Route 481
intersects NY-31 west of Euclid.
Clay is north of Onondaga Lake
.
of 2000, there were 58,805 people, 22,294 households, and 15,940 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,224.9 people per square mile (472.9/km²). There were 23,398 housing units at an average density of 487.4 per square mile (188.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.13% White, 3.50% African American, 0.47% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races
, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population.
There were 22,294 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,412, and the median income for a family was $57,493. Males had a median income of $40,387 versus $27,996 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,011. About 4.1% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
and Clay Fire Department
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Onondaga County
Onondaga County, New York
Onondaga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 467,026. The county seat is Syracuse.Onondaga County is part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 58,805, making it Syracuse's largest suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
. The town was named after Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, statesman.
The Town of Clay is northwest of Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. It is the largest town in the county and contains part of the Village of North Syracuse
North Syracuse, New York
North Syracuse is a village in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,863 at the 2000 census.The Village of North Syracuse is partly in the Town of Cicero, but is primarily within the Town of Clay. North Syracuse is north of the City of Syracuse.- History :The village was...
, New York. It contains the major retail strip of Syracuse's northwesterly suburbs, along NY-31
New York State Route 31
New York State Route 31 is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 104 in the city of Niagara Falls. Its eastern terminus is at a traffic circle with NY 26 in Vernon...
, including the Great Northern Mall
Great Northern Mall
The Great Northern Mall is a regional shopping mall located in the Syracuse suburb of Clay, New York.In addition to its 80 stores, a food court, and a 10-screen Regal Cinemas multiplex, the mall is the pre-eminent shopping center for Syracuse's northern suburbs and Oswego County...
.
History
Clay was within the Central New York Military TractCentral New York Military Tract
The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly two million acres of bounty land set aside to compensate New York’s soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War....
. The town was first settled by outsiders around 1791 and was previously known as West Cicero, NY.
The Town of Clay was formed in 1827 from the Town of Cicero
Cicero, New York
Cicero is a town in Onondaga County, New York, USA. The population was 27,982 at the 2000 census. The name of the town was assigned by a clerk interested in the classics, honoring Cicero, a Roman statesman....
, one of the original townships of the military tract.
Most famous son: actor Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
.
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 48.8 square miles (126.4 km²), of which, 48 square miles (124.3 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (1.60%) is water.
The north town line is the border of Oswego County, New York
Oswego County, New York
Oswego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 Census, the estimated population was 122,109. The City of Oswego and the Village of Pulaski serve as the dual county seats in a two shire system of government...
, marked by the Oneida River
Oneida River
The Oneida River in central New York state flows from Oneida Lake to its confluence with the Seneca and Oswego rivers. The Oswego empties the water of the other two rivers into Lake Ontario....
. The Seneca River
Seneca River (New York)
The Seneca River in central New York flows from west to east, from Seneca Lake, through the Montezuma Marsh at the north end of Cayuga Lake to the Seneca's confluence with the Oneida and Oswego rivers at the Three Rivers area north of Syracuse. Much of the river has been channelized to form part...
marks the west town line. Both these rivers join into the Oswego River
Oswego River (New York)
The Oswego River is a river in upstate New York in the United States. This river is the second-largest river flowing into Lake Ontario. James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Pathfinder, or The Inland Sea is set in the Oswego River valley...
near the community of Three Rivers. The renovated Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
follows the rivers around the border of Clay.
New York State Route 31
New York State Route 31 is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 104 in the city of Niagara Falls. Its eastern terminus is at a traffic circle with NY 26 in Vernon...
is an east-west highway through the town. New York State Route 481
New York State Route 481
New York State Route 481 is a state highway in Central New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with Interstate 81 in North Syracuse, where the highway continues southeastward as I-481. Its northern terminus is located at an intersection...
intersects NY-31 west of Euclid.
Clay is north of Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake is a lake in Central New York located northwest of Syracuse, New York. The southeastern end of the lake and the southwestern shore abut industrial areas and expressways; the northeastern shore and northwestern end border a series of parks and museums. Although it is near the Finger...
.
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 58,805 people, 22,294 households, and 15,940 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 1,224.9 people per square mile (472.9/km²). There were 23,398 housing units at an average density of 487.4 per square mile (188.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.13% White, 3.50% African American, 0.47% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population.
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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,412, and the median income for a family was $57,493. Males had a median income of $40,387 versus $27,996 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 $22,011. About 4.1% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Clay
- Bayberry – a suburban residential community in the town.
- Belgium – A hamlet on NY-31 near the west town line.
- Cherry Estates – A hamlet near the east town line.
- Clay – The hamlet of Clay is located on NY-31.
- Elmcrest – A hamlet in the southwest part of Clay.
- Euclid – a hamlet in the northern part of the town on NY-31.
- Fairway East - A sprawling subdivision linking Morgan Rd. with Soule Rd. There are many streets and approximately 500 homes.
- Gatewood – a neighborhood in the eastern part of the town off of Maple Road. Consists of three streets and 72 houses
- Great Northern MallGreat Northern MallThe Great Northern Mall is a regional shopping mall located in the Syracuse suburb of Clay, New York.In addition to its 80 stores, a food court, and a 10-screen Regal Cinemas multiplex, the mall is the pre-eminent shopping center for Syracuse's northern suburbs and Oswego County...
– A Large Regional Mall at the junction of NY-31 and NY-481.
- Kimbrook – a suburban residential community.
- Lawton Valley Hunt --a very large (and still-growing) housing development between Caughdenoy Rd, NY-31, and Lawton Rd.
- Lynelle Meadows-- a suburban residential community.
- Moyers Corners – A hamlet on NY-31 near the west town line, east of Belgium.
- North SyracuseNorth Syracuse, New YorkNorth Syracuse is a village in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,863 at the 2000 census.The Village of North Syracuse is partly in the Town of Cicero, but is primarily within the Town of Clay. North Syracuse is north of the City of Syracuse.- History :The village was...
– The Village of North Syracuse is mostly within the town. - Rodger Corner – A hamlet south of Clay village.
- Three Rivers – A hamlet at the west town line at the junction of the Oneida, Oswego, and Seneca Rivers.
- Woodard – A hamlet in the southwest part of Clay.
- Youngs – A hamlet north of Clay village.
Fire departments
Parts of Clay are covered by Moyers Corners Fire DepartmentMoyers Corners Fire Department
The Moyers Corners Fire Department, also known as MCFD or The Corners, has a ISO 3 Rating and is a 100% volunteer department located in the densely populated northern division of Onondaga County, New York. It provides fire, rescue and emergency medical services within the Town of Clay, New York...
and Clay Fire Department