Greece (town), New York
Encyclopedia
Greece is a town
in Monroe County
, New York
, United States
. As of the 2010 United States census, the town had a total population of 96,095. The town motto is "Discover the Promise."
The Town of Greece is in the northern part of the county and borders the City of Rochester
on the east, the town of Gates
on the south, the towns of Parma
and Ogden
on the west, and Lake Ontario
on the north. The town is a contiguous suburb
of Rochester. The area known as Charlotte
, on the eastern border, was formerly part of the town until it was annexed by the City of Rochester in 1916.
and was previously called Northampton. The name "Greece" was selected because of the contemporary struggle of Greece
for independence from the Ottoman Empire
.
The region that the town now occupies was originally settled by the Algonquian
and Iroquois
Native Americans
in the 14th century. European settlers began to arrive in the area in the 1790s.
Supervisor Donald J. Riley was one of the longest serving leaders of Greece, serving some seventeen years from 1972 to 1989, and later went on to become CEO of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. He was succeeded by Roger Boily (1989–1997) and John Auberger (1998–present).
According to the Morgan Quitno Awards
, Greece was rated the ninth overall safest city in America and the sixth safest city with a population of 75,000 to 99,999.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 51.4 square miles (133.0 km²), of which, 47.4 square miles (122.8 km²) of it is land and 3.9 square miles (10.2 km²) of it (7.65%) is water.
Major highways in the town include NY 390
and the Lake Ontario State Parkway
. As that suggests, the town borders Lake Ontario
.
of 2000, there were 94,141 people, 36,995 households, and 25,748 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,985.0 people per square mile (766.4/km²). There were 38,315 housing units at an average density of 807.9 per square mile (311.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.37% White, 2.88% Black or African American
, 0.24% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races
, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population.
There were 36,995 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,355, and the median income for a family was $57,102. Males had a median income of $41,563 versus $29,864 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,614. About 3.6% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
There are twelve elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools in the Greece Central School District
, educating approximately 13,000 students. The post-elementary schools have Classical Greek names: Arcadia
, Athena
, Apollo
, Odyssey Academy
, and Olympia
. The school district's motto is "Student Learning is the Goal."
In Elementary schools 2 Schools are K-5; Pine Brook and West Ridge.
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 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....
, 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...
. As of the 2010 United States census, the town had a total population of 96,095. The town motto is "Discover the Promise."
The Town of Greece is in the northern part of the county and borders the City of Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
on the east, the town of Gates
Gates, New York
Gates is a town in Monroe County, New York. The town is named after General Horatio Gates. The population was 28,400 at the 2010 census. Gates-North Gates census-designated place is located within the town's boundaries....
on the south, the towns of Parma
Parma, New York
Parma is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 15,633 at the 2010 census.The Town of Parma, then in Genesee County, was organized in 1808, named after Parma in Italy.-Geography:...
and Ogden
Ogden, New York
Ogden is a town in Monroe County, New York, USA. The population was 19,856 at the 2010 census.The Erie Canal passes through the Town of Ogden.-Geography:...
on the west, and 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...
on the north. The town is a contiguous 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...
of Rochester. The area known as Charlotte
Charlotte, Rochester, New York
Charlotte is a neighborhood in Rochester, New York located at the mouth of the Genesee River along Lake Ontario. It is the home of the Port of Rochester and Charlotte High School.-Early Settlers:...
, on the eastern border, was formerly part of the town until it was annexed by the City of Rochester in 1916.
History
The Town of Greece was established in 1822 from part of the Town of GatesGates, New York
Gates is a town in Monroe County, New York. The town is named after General Horatio Gates. The population was 28,400 at the 2010 census. Gates-North Gates census-designated place is located within the town's boundaries....
and was previously called Northampton. The name "Greece" was selected because of the contemporary struggle of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
for independence from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
The region that the town now occupies was originally settled by the Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
and Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in the 14th century. European settlers began to arrive in the area in the 1790s.
Supervisor Donald J. Riley was one of the longest serving leaders of Greece, serving some seventeen years from 1972 to 1989, and later went on to become CEO of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. He was succeeded by Roger Boily (1989–1997) and John Auberger (1998–present).
According to the Morgan Quitno Awards
Morgan Quitno
Morgan Quitno Press is a research and publishing company based in Lawrence, Kansas, which compiles books with statistics of crime rates, health care, education, and other categories, ranking cities and states in the United States...
, Greece was rated the ninth overall safest city in America and the sixth safest city with a population of 75,000 to 99,999.
Geography
Greece is located at 43o 14' N latitude, 077o 42' W longitude.According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 51.4 square miles (133.0 km²), of which, 47.4 square miles (122.8 km²) of it is land and 3.9 square miles (10.2 km²) of it (7.65%) is water.
Major highways in the town include NY 390
New York State Route 390
New York State Route 390 is a north–south state highway located along the western edge of the city of Rochester, New York, in the United States. The route, a limited-access northward continuation of Interstate 390 , extends for from I-490 in Gates to the Lake Ontario State Parkway in...
and the Lake Ontario State Parkway
Lake Ontario State Parkway
The Lake Ontario State Parkway is a parkway along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in western New York in the United States. The western end of the highway is at a partial interchange within Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton, Orleans County. Its eastern terminus is at an intersection with...
. As that suggests, the town borders 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...
.
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 94,141 people, 36,995 households, and 25,748 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 1,985.0 people per square mile (766.4/km²). There were 38,315 housing units at an average density of 807.9 per square mile (311.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.37% White, 2.88% Black or African American
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...
, 0.24% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.87% 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 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population.
There were 36,995 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% 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, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,355, and the median income for a family was $57,102. Males had a median income of $41,563 versus $29,864 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 $22,614. About 3.6% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
School system
There are three school districts serving the Town of Greece: the Greece Central School District, the Hilton Central School District and the Spencerport Central School District.There are twelve elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools in the Greece Central School District
Greece Central School District
The Greece Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 14,000 students in the town of Greece in Monroe County with over 3,700 employees and an operating budget of $180 million ....
, educating approximately 13,000 students. The post-elementary schools have Classical Greek names: Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
, Athena
Greece Athena High School
Greece Athena High School is a part of the Greece Central School District serving students in grades 9-12 in Rochester, New York. First built in 1969, Athena is the largest - both in size and population - of the four high schools. A notable recent addition to the school is its state-of-the-art...
, Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, Odyssey Academy
Odyssey Academy
Odyssey Academy is a high/middle school in Greece, New York, United States. It is part of Greece Central School District. Odyssey maintains a population of slightly over 800 students, selected by random lottery from applicants across Greece, serving grades 6 - 12.Though Odyssey Academy is the...
, and Olympia
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
. The school district's motto is "Student Learning is the Goal."
In Elementary schools 2 Schools are K-5; Pine Brook and West Ridge.
Communities and locations in Greece
- Barnard—Community near Dewey Ave., Stone Road, and Maiden Lane.
- Braddock Bay—A bay off of Lake Ontario and a state park in the northwest section of the town, north of the Lake Ontario State Parkway on East Manitou Road.
- Braddock Heights—A community near Braddock Bay.
- Elmgrove—Area around Elmgrove Road.
- Grandview Heights—West side of Long Pond, off Lowden Point Road, just south of Edgemere Drive.
- Grand View Beach—Edgemere Drive west of Lowden Point Road, opposite Cranberry Pond.
- North Greece—Near Latta Road (Rt. 18) and North Greece Rd. (Zip Code 14468).
- West Greece—Near West Ridge Road (Rt. 104) and Manitou Road (Rt. 261); destination of the Route 14 bus.