LaFayette, New York
Encyclopedia
LaFayette is a town in Onondaga County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 4,833 at the 2000 census. The town is named after LaFayette
, a national hero of both France
and the United States
.
The Town of LaFayette is in the south part of the county and is south of Syracuse
, New York
.
, but was partly in an area reserved for members of the Onondaga tribe. The first settler arrived around 1797. Land was purchased from the Onondagas in 1817 and resold to settlers.
The Town
of LaFayette was formed in 1825 from parts of the Towns of Pompey
and Onondaga
after the Marquis de Lafayette famously toured the United States in 1824/1825
Every year, the town holds an Apple Festival over the Saturday and Sunday before Columbus day
. This is in part due to the fact that most of the agricultural land west of the town has historically held apple
orchards.
, the town has a total area of 39.6 square miles (102.6 km²), of which, 39.2 square miles (101.5 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (0.88%) is water.
North-south highways Interstate 81
and US Route 11 intersect US Route 20 by LaFayette hamlet
. New York State Route 11A
is a north-south highway in the town that parallels US-11.
of 2000, there were 4,833 people, 1,826 households, and 1,338 families residing in the town. The population density
was 123.1 people per square mile (47.5/km²). There were 1,925 housing units at an average density of 49.0 per square mile (18.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.28% White, 0.37% African American, 2.32% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races
, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.
There were 1,826 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,179, and the median income for a family was $60,523. Males had a median income of $40,341 versus $30,435 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,591. About 3.3% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,833 at the 2000 census. The town is named after LaFayette
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...
, a national hero of both France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Town of LaFayette is in the south part of the county and is south 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...
, 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...
.
History
The town is within the former 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....
, but was partly in an area reserved for members of the Onondaga tribe. The first settler arrived around 1797. Land was purchased from the Onondagas in 1817 and resold to settlers.
The Town
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...
of LaFayette was formed in 1825 from parts of the Towns of Pompey
Pompey, New York
Pompey is a town in the southeast part of Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,159 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the Roman general and political leader Pompey by a late 18th-century clerk interested in the Classics in the new federal republic.- History :The...
and Onondaga
Onondaga, New York
Onondaga is a town located in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the town had a population of 21,063. The town is named after the native Onondaga tribe, part of the Iroquois Confederacy....
after the Marquis de Lafayette famously toured the United States in 1824/1825
Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States (1824-25)
From July 1824 to September 1825, the last surviving French General of the Revolutionary War, the Marquis de Lafayette, made a famous tour of the 24 states in the United States...
Every year, the town holds an Apple Festival over the Saturday and Sunday before Columbus day
Columbus Day
Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday...
. This is in part due to the fact that most of the agricultural land west of the town has historically held apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
orchards.
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 39.6 square miles (102.6 km²), of which, 39.2 square miles (101.5 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (0.88%) is water.
North-south highways Interstate 81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
and US Route 11 intersect US Route 20 by LaFayette hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
. New York State Route 11A
New York State Route 11A
New York State Route 11A is a state highway in Onondaga County, New York, in the United States. As its numbering implies, NY 11A is a spur of U.S. Route 11. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 80 in Tully. Its northern terminus is at a junction...
is a north-south highway in the town that parallels US-11.
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 4,833 people, 1,826 households, and 1,338 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 123.1 people per square mile (47.5/km²). There were 1,925 housing units at an average density of 49.0 per square mile (18.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.28% White, 0.37% African American, 2.32% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.12% 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 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.
There were 1,826 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,179, and the median income for a family was $60,523. Males had a median income of $40,341 versus $30,435 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 $24,591. About 3.3% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and other locations in LaFayette
- Baileys Settlement – A hamlet west of Lafayette hamlet.
- Big Bend – A hamlet southeast of LaFayette hamlet on US-20.
- CardiffCardiff, New YorkCardiff, New York is a small hamlet in Onondaga County, New York, located south of Syracuse. It was the site of the William C. "Stub" Newell farm where the "Cardiff Giant", a famous hoax, was "discovered" on October 16, 1869....
– A hamlet west of LaFayette hamlet on US-20. - Collingwood – A hamlet southwest of Big Bend.
- LaFayette – The town's largest hamlet, located at the intersection of US-11 and US-20. Sometimes referred to as "the village", though it never was incorporated as such.
- Onativia – A hamlet east of LaFayette hamlet.
- Tully Valley – A location on NY-11A in the southwest part of LaFayette.
- Webb Hollow – A location on Webb Road, around the intersection with Shute Road, northwest of the LaFayette hamlet. It is so named for the hollow in the creek that runs alongside Webb Road, the true name of which is actually Webb Hollow Road.