Sterling, New York
Encyclopedia
Sterling is a town in Cayuga County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 3,040 at the 2010 census. The town is named after "Lord Stirling", a general of the Revolutionary War. Sterling is the most northerly town in the county. It lies northwest of Syracuse, New York
.
used to pay soldiers of the American Revolution
. The first settler, Pierre Dumas or Peter DeMass, arrived in 1805.
Sterling was formed in 1812 from the town of Cato
.
Improvements made to Little Sodus Bay in the early 19th Century, allowed the town to have port facilities. As the use of the port declined, the town developed as a vacation and recreation location. The Sterling Renaissance Festival held during the summer, for almost thirty years, adds to the tourism of the town.
The Sterling District No. 5 Schoolhouse
and Sterling Grist Mill Complex
were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1985.
, the town has a total area of 47.1 square miles (122 km²), of which, 45.7 square miles (118.4 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it (3.16%) is water.
The north boundary of Sterling is Lake Ontario
, one of the Great Lakes
. Sterling is the only town in the county with access to the Great Lakes.
The western terminus of New York State Route 3
and northern terminus of New York State Route 38
are in the town. New York State Route 104
passes across the south part of Sterling, and New York State Route 104A
passes across the north.
of 2000, there were 3,432 people, 1,337 households, and 962 families residing in the town. The population density
was 75.2 people per square mile (29.0/km²). There were 1,922 housing units at an average density of 42.1 per square mile (16.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.46% White, 0.09% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.23% from other races
, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.
There were 1,337 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples
living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,061, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $34,205 versus $24,917 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,912. About 7.4% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.
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 :...
, 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 3,040 at the 2010 census. The town is named after "Lord Stirling", a general of the Revolutionary War. Sterling is the most northerly town in the county. It lies northwest 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 region was part of 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....
used to pay soldiers of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. The first settler, Pierre Dumas or Peter DeMass, arrived in 1805.
Sterling was formed in 1812 from the town of Cato
Cato (town), New York
Cato is a town in Cayuga County, New York, USA. The population was 2,537 at the 2010 census. The name was assigned by the surveyors of the Military Tract, and is one of many towns and villages bearing classical place names....
.
Improvements made to Little Sodus Bay in the early 19th Century, allowed the town to have port facilities. As the use of the port declined, the town developed as a vacation and recreation location. The Sterling Renaissance Festival held during the summer, for almost thirty years, adds to the tourism of the town.
The Sterling District No. 5 Schoolhouse
Sterling District No. 5 Schoolhouse
Sterling District No. 5 Schoolhouse is a historic school building located at Sterling in Cayuga County, New York. It was built about 1853 and is a two story hewn timber frame building with a front-facing gable roof, built above a mortared rubble stone foundation. It is rectangular in shape and...
and Sterling Grist Mill Complex
Sterling Grist Mill Complex
Sterling Grist Mill Complex is a historic grist mill complex located at Sterling in Cayuga County, New York. The complex consists of a frame mill building built about 1835, the rubble foundation of an 1859 tannery, and a dam and penstock built about 1900...
were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1985.
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 47.1 square miles (122 km²), of which, 45.7 square miles (118.4 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it (3.16%) is water.
The north boundary of Sterling is 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...
, one of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. Sterling is the only town in the county with access to the Great Lakes.
The western terminus of New York State Route 3
New York State Route 3
New York State Route 3 is a major east–west state highway in New York, United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canadian border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for between its western terminus at an intersection with NY 104A in the Cayuga...
and northern terminus of New York State Route 38
New York State Route 38
New York State Route 38 is a north–south state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with NY 96 in the town of Owego in Tioga County. The northern terminus is at a junction with NY 104A in the town of...
are in the town. New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104 is a long east–west state highway in Upstate New York, United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to that of the southern shoreline of Lake...
passes across the south part of Sterling, and New York State Route 104A
New York State Route 104A
New York State Route 104A is an east–west state highway in the central portion of New York in the United States. It serves as a northerly alternate route of NY 104, to which it connects at each end...
passes across the north.
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 3,432 people, 1,337 households, and 962 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 75.2 people per square mile (29.0/km²). There were 1,922 housing units at an average density of 42.1 per square mile (16.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.46% White, 0.09% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.23% 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 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.
There were 1,337 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,061, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $34,205 versus $24,917 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 $15,912. About 7.4% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Sterling
- Crockets (formerly "Sterling Valley Station") – A hamlet near the east town line, at the intersection of Route 104A and Route 3.
- Fair HavenFair Haven, New YorkFair Haven is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 884 at the 2000 census.The Village of Fair Haven is within the Town of Sterling and is northwest of Syracuse, New York...
– A village in the north part of the town. - Fair Haven State ParkFair Haven Beach State ParkFair Haven Beach State Park is on the shore of Lake Ontario. This park is in the Town of Sterling in Cayuga County, New York. The park is northeast of the Village of Fair Haven on the east side of Little Sodus Bay...
– A state parkState parkState parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
north of Fair Haven. - Fintches Corners – A hamlet centrally located in the town, on NY Route 38New York State Route 38New York State Route 38 is a north–south state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with NY 96 in the town of Owego in Tioga County. The northern terminus is at a junction with NY 104A in the town of...
. - Little Sodus Bay – A bayBayA bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
of Lake Ontario north of Fair Haven. The bay is so named to distinguish it from Sodus BaySodus BaySodus Bay is a bay on the south shore of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. Sodus Bay is located in Wayne County, New York, USA. Most of the bay is in the Town of Huron, but the western part is in the Town of Sodus....
to the west. - Martville – A location near the east town line on NY State Route 104.
- McKnight Corners – A location northeast of North Fair Haven.
- Moon Beach – A lakeside hamlet on Lake Ontario in the northeast part of the town.
- Nine Mile Creek – A streamStreamA stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
entering Lake Ontario in the northeast part of the town. - North Fair Haven – A location in the northeastern part of the village of Fair Haven on the east side of Little Sodus Bay.
- North Sterling – A hamlet northeast of Fair Haven on NY-104A.
- North Victory – A hamlet near the south town line at the intersection of Route 104 and Route 38.
- The Pond – A small lakeLakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
separated from Lake Ontario by a narrow ridge, located in Fair Haven State Park. - Sterling – A hamlet east of Fair Haven and on NY-38. Also known as "Sterling Center."
- Sterling Creek – A stream flowing into The Pond.
- Sterling Valley – A hamlet northeast of Fair Haven village, located on Route NY-104A north of its intersection with Route 3.
- Warwickshire – A fictional English village which exists for several weekends a year at the location of the Sterling Renaissance Festival.
- West Nine Mile Point – A projection into Lake Ontario northeast of Fair Haven.
- Whiting Corners – A location in the southwest part of the town.