Skaneateles (town), New York
Encyclopedia
Skaneateles (ˌskæniˈætləs, ˌskɪniˈætləs) is a town in Onondaga County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 7,323 at the 2000 census. The name is from the Iroquois "Indian" tribe term for the adjacent lake: "long lake." The town is on the western border of the county and includes a village, also called Skaneateles
. Both town and village are southwest of Syracuse, New York
.
. The town of Skaneateles was formed in 1830 from the town of Marcellus
. Early turnpikes facilitated development, as mentioned in the article about the village of Skaneateles. The town was noted for participation in reform movements prior to the Civil War
.
The utopia
n Skaneateles Community
in 1843 acquired and successfully operated a large farm and developed small industries, but ultimately failed because of internal difficulties, as well as external concern about its unorthodox social practices. Locally it was sometimes called "No God," because of the atheistic views of members. The Skaneateles Community published a newspaper, the "Comunitist" [sic
] between 1844 and 1846, when the community dissolved. Buildings are extant, known as "Community Place," now serving a bed-and-breakfast function.
Some Skaneateles men volunteered for the ill-fated campaign (Patriot War, 1848) to liberate Canada
and were imprisoned by the British in Tasmania
. Quaker congregations were involved in abolition
activity. Underground Railroad
sites have been documented in the town of Skaneateles. Although the larger city of Syracuse nearby was known nationally as a center of abolition and Underground Railroad activity, Skaneateles was said (by Beauchamp, an early historian) to have "eclipsed Syracuse as an anti-slavery town."
, the town has a total area of 48.8 square miles (126.3 km²), of which, 42.7 square miles (110.5 km²) of it is land and 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²) of it (12.51%) is water.
of 2000, there were 7,323 people, 2,881 households, and 2,082 families residing in the town. The population density
was 171.7 people per square mile (66.3/km²). There were 3,233 housing units at an average density of 75.8 per square mile (29.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.99% White, 0.10% Black or African-American
, 0.10% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.04% from other races
, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 2,881 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $57,550, and the median income for a family was $69,023. Males had a median income of $51,621 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $28,624. About 1.8% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 3.7% 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 7,323 at the 2000 census. The name is from the Iroquois "Indian" tribe term for the adjacent lake: "long lake." The town is on the western border of the county and includes a village, also called Skaneateles
Skaneateles (village), New York
Skaneateles is a village in the town of Skaneateles, Onondaga County, New York, United States. The village is named from and located on the shores of Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. The village, as of the 2000 census, has a population of 2,616 residents. The main highway through the...
. Both town and village are southwest of Syracuse, New York
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...
.
History
The area was part of 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....
. The town of Skaneateles was formed in 1830 from the town of Marcellus
Marcellus (town), New York
Marcellus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,319 at the 2000 census. The town was probably named after Marcus Claudius Marcellus, a Roman general, by a clerk interested in the Classics....
. Early turnpikes facilitated development, as mentioned in the article about the village of Skaneateles. The town was noted for participation in reform movements prior to the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
The utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n Skaneateles Community
Skaneateles Community
Skaneateles Community was a utopian social experiment established in 1843 by the Society for Universal Inquiry and Reform in a farm near Mottville, in Skaneateles in Upstate New York. It was one of several communities established by the Society prior to the Civil War. It survived for three years....
in 1843 acquired and successfully operated a large farm and developed small industries, but ultimately failed because of internal difficulties, as well as external concern about its unorthodox social practices. Locally it was sometimes called "No God," because of the atheistic views of members. The Skaneateles Community published a newspaper, the "Comunitist" [sic
Sic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
] between 1844 and 1846, when the community dissolved. Buildings are extant, known as "Community Place," now serving a bed-and-breakfast function.
Some Skaneateles men volunteered for the ill-fated campaign (Patriot War, 1848) to liberate Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and were imprisoned by the British in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. Quaker congregations were involved in abolition
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
activity. Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
sites have been documented in the town of Skaneateles. Although the larger city of Syracuse nearby was known nationally as a center of abolition and Underground Railroad activity, Skaneateles was said (by Beauchamp, an early historian) to have "eclipsed Syracuse as an anti-slavery town."
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 (126.3 km²), of which, 42.7 square miles (110.5 km²) of it is land and 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²) of it (12.51%) is water.
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 7,323 people, 2,881 households, and 2,082 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 171.7 people per square mile (66.3/km²). There were 3,233 housing units at an average density of 75.8 per square mile (29.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.99% White, 0.10% 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...
, 0.10% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.04% 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 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 2,881 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $57,550, and the median income for a family was $69,023. Males had a median income of $51,621 versus $31,250 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 $28,624. About 1.8% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Skaneateles
- Highland Way – A neighborhood just east of Skaneateles, Onondaga Rd
- Jones Beach – A hamlet on the east shore of Skaneateles Lake on NY-41.
- Long Bridge – A hamlet at the north town line, north of Mottville.
- Mandana – A hamlet down the west side of the lake.
- MottvilleMottville, New YorkMottville is a hamlet in the Town of Skaneateles, New York, United States. Of note, a tornado touched down in Mottville on July 28, 2002.- History :...
– A hamlet two miles north of Skaneateles village on Jordan Street and north of Willow Glen. - Shepard SettlementShepard Settlement, New YorkShepard Settlement is a farming hamlet in the northeastern part of the Town of Skaneateles in Onondaga County, New York. Named for the first settlers, this was the second community founded in the Town of Skaneatles, after the Village of Skaneatles at the northern end of Skaneateles Lake...
– A farming hamlet. - SkaneatelesSkaneateles (village), New YorkSkaneateles is a village in the town of Skaneateles, Onondaga County, New York, United States. The village is named from and located on the shores of Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. The village, as of the 2000 census, has a population of 2,616 residents. The main highway through the...
– A village at the north end of Skaneateles Lake. - Thornton Grove – A lakeshore neighborhood on the west side of the lake south of Winding Way.
- Thornton Heights – A lakeshore neighborhood on the west side of the lake home of the Veggie Stand.
- Wicks Corners – A neighborhood on the west town line, northwest of Skaneateles village.
- Willow Glen – A neighborhood on Old Seneca Turnpike, located north of Skaneateles village.
- Winding Way – A neighborhood on the west shore of Skaneateles Lake.