Spafford, New York
Encyclopedia
Spafford is a town
in Onondaga County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 1,661 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Horatio Gates Spafford
, a writer and founder of the local library.
The Town of Spafford is in the southwest corner of the county and is southwest of Syracuse
.
.
The first settler arrived in 1794, the same year Onondaga County was established.
The Town of Spafford was formed in 1811 from parts of the Towns of Marcellus
, Sempronius
, and Tully
.
, the town has a total area of 39.2 square miles (101.5 km²), of which, 32.8 square miles (85 km²) of it is land and 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²) of it (16.31%) is water.
The west town line is the border of Cayuga County
, and the south town line is the border of Cortland County
. Part of the town lies between Skaneateles Lake
and Otisco Lake
, two of the Finger Lakes
.
Spafford's high terrain, between two of the Finger Lakes
, provides spectacular scenery, as suggested by photographs linked below. Spafford is largely rural, with only small hamlets, and retains many forested areas, some protected as public preserves.
New York State Route 41
is a north-south highway in the town. New York State Route 174
is a state highway in the northern part of Spafford.
, residential development is expanding into the town from adjacent Skaneateles
. As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,661 people, 631 households, and 485 families residing in the town. The population density
was 50.6 people per square mile (19.5/km²). There were 1,095 housing units at an average density of 33.4 per square mile (12.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.74% White, 0.06% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.18% Asian, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.
There were 631 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples
living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% 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 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,553, and the median income for a family was $61,250. Males had a median income of $41,515 versus $31,071 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,014. About 4.7% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,661 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Horatio Gates Spafford
Horatio Spafford
Horatio Gates Spafford was a prominent American lawyer, best known for penning the Christian hymn It Is Well With My Soul, following a family tragedy in which four of his daughters died....
, a writer and founder of the local library.
The Town of Spafford is in the southwest corner of the county and is southwest 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...
.
History
Spafford was 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....
.
The first settler arrived in 1794, the same year Onondaga County was established.
The Town of Spafford was formed in 1811 from parts of the Towns 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....
, Sempronius
Sempronius, New York
Sempronius is a town in Cayuga County, New York, USA. The population was 895 at the 2010 census. The town was named after a Roman military and political leader by a clerk interested in the classics....
, and Tully
Tully (town), New York
Tully is a town in Onondaga County, New York, USA. The population of the town was 2,709 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is derived from the Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. The town is on the county's south border, south of Syracuse....
.
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 39.2 square miles (101.5 km²), of which, 32.8 square miles (85 km²) of it is land and 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²) of it (16.31%) is water.
The west town line is the border of Cayuga County
Cayuga County, New York
Cayuga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named for one of the tribes of Indians in the Iroquois Confederation. Its county seat is Auburn.- History :...
, and the south town line is the border of Cortland County
Cortland County, New York
Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, named after Federico Van Cortlandt, president of the convention at Kingston that wrote the first New York State Constitution in 1777, and first lieutenant governor of the state. The county seat is Cortland...
. Part of the town lies between Skaneateles Lake
Skaneateles Lake
Skaneateles Lake is one of the Finger Lakes in central New York in the United States. The name Skaneateles means long lake in one of the local Iroquoian languages. The lake is sometimes referred to as "The Roof Garden of the Lakes" because its altitude is higher than the other Finger Lakes. It...
and Otisco Lake
Otisco Lake
Otisco Lake is one of the minor Finger Lakes, located at the eastern end of the Finger Lake District, southwest of Syracuse, New York.Otisco Lake is approximately six miles long. The outflow enters first Onondaga Lake via Nine Mile Creek and then Lake Ontario via the Seneca and Oswego Rivers...
, two of the Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
.
Spafford's high terrain, between two of the Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
, provides spectacular scenery, as suggested by photographs linked below. Spafford is largely rural, with only small hamlets, and retains many forested areas, some protected as public preserves.
New York State Route 41
New York State Route 41
New York State Route 41 is a north–south state highway in Central New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 in the town of Sanford. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 20 in the village of Skaneateles...
is a north-south highway in the town. New York State Route 174
New York State Route 174
New York State Route 174 is a state highway in Onondaga County, located in Central New York, United States. The highway is long and passes through mostly rural regions. Route 174 begins at an intersection with NY 41 in Borodino, a hamlet of Spafford...
is a state highway in the northern part of Spafford.
Demographics
Although situated in a remote corner of Onondaga County, somewhat isolated by two of the Finger LakesFinger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
, residential development is expanding into the town from adjacent Skaneateles
Skaneateles
Skaneateles may refer to, in the United States:* Skaneateles , New York, in Onondaga County* Skaneateles , New York, in Onondaga County* Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in New York State...
. As of the census
Census
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 1,661 people, 631 households, and 485 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 50.6 people per square mile (19.5/km²). There were 1,095 housing units at an average density of 33.4 per square mile (12.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.74% White, 0.06% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.18% Asian, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.
There were 631 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% 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, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% 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 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,553, and the median income for a family was $61,250. Males had a median income of $41,515 versus $31,071 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 $24,014. About 4.7% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Spafford
- BorodinoBorodino, New YorkBorodino is a hamlet located at the intersection of New York State Route 41 and New York State Route 174 in the Town of Spafford in Onondaga County, New York, near Skaneateles Lake. There is a boat launch into Skaneateles Lake for residents. There is a monument for veterans in the center of...
– The largest hamletHamlet (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...
in Spafford, located about 8 miles south of the Village of 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...
. - Borodino Landing – A hamlet west on Borodino, located on the shore of Skaneateles Lake south of Woodland.
- Edgewater Park – A small community surrounding Five Mile Point on the eastern lakeside, located on NY-41 in the northeast corner of the town.
- Gifford HillGifford HillGifford Hill is a hill located at the southern boundary of the Town of Spafford, New York in Onondaga County, New York, USA. It is a section of Spafford Forest. Not contiguous to the larger portion of the preserve, it does not provide public trails. Situated south of South Spafford, there is no...
– An elevation near the south town line, south of South Spafford. - Jenny Point – A location north of Willow Point on the lake shore.
- Pine Grove – A hamlet on the shore of Skaneateles Lake south of Borodino Landing.
- Ripley HillRipley HillRipley Hill straddles the divide between the Skaneateles Lake and Otisco Lake watersheds, it was once considered to be the highest point in Onondaga County, New York at 1,986 feet, but is now recognized to be slightly lower than the high point of Highland Forest County Park, Fellows Hill 2019 ft...
– An elevation in the south of Spafford alleged to be the highest point in Onondaga County. - South SpaffordSouth Spafford, New YorkNow merely a few buildings, South Spafford retains an old church, no longer in service for that purpose. The final pastor was Rev R. Bob Teachout. The last service was held in Oct 1996 The place is most notable for its scenic situation in the high, remote Coldbrook Valley of the Town of Spafford....
– A hamlet by the south town line. - Spafford – The hamlet of Spafford is on NY-41 in the south part of the town.
- Spafford Creek – A stream feeding Otisco Lake in the southeast part of the town.
- Spafford ForestSpafford ForestSpafford Forest is an Onondaga County preserve that provides trails for hiking and dirt biking. It is close to Ripley Hill.* *...
– An Onondaga County preserve with public trails. - Spafford Landing (formerly "Randalls Point") – located on the shore of Skaneateles Lake, southwest of Spafford village.
- Spafford ValleySpafford Valley, New YorkSpafford Valley is a hamlet in New York, in the Otisco Valley south of Otisco Lake. The hamlet is noted for "The Bucktail," a picturesque gorge with waterfalls....
– A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, northeast of Spafford village. - Ten Mile PointTen Mile Point, New YorkTen Mile Point is a scenic area on the shore of Skaneateles Lake, New York, a popular picnic spot for lake outings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is located at the mouth of a ravine on alluvium. Onandaga County Road 72 runs through it and is locally known as "10 Mile Point Road"...
– A location south of Pine Grove on the lake shore. - Willow Point – A projection into Skaneateles Lake southwest of Spafford village.
- Woodland – A lakeside hamlet south of Edgewater Park.