Waterloo (village), New York
Encyclopedia
- Waterloo, New York redirects here. See also Waterloo (town), New YorkWaterloo (town), New YorkWaterloo is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 7,866 at the 2000 census. The town, as well as its major community, are named after Waterloo, Belgium. The current Town Supervisor is James Mooney and the current Town Clerk is Louise Van Nostrand.The Town of Waterloo...
Waterloo is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Seneca County
Seneca County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,342 people, 12,630 households, and 8,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile . There were 14,794 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
, 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 5,111 at the 2000 census. The village is named after the Waterloo
Waterloo, Belgium
Waterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where Napoleon was defeated. The current Town Supervisor is James Mooney and the current Town Clerk is Louise Van Nostrand
The Village of Waterloo is mostly in the Town of Waterloo
Waterloo (town), New York
Waterloo is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 7,866 at the 2000 census. The town, as well as its major community, are named after Waterloo, Belgium. The current Town Supervisor is James Mooney and the current Town Clerk is Louise Van Nostrand.The Town of Waterloo...
, but the part south of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal of the village is in the Town of Fayette
Fayette, New York
Fayette is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 3,643 at the 2000 census.The Town of Fayette is on the western border of the county and is southeast of Geneva, New York.- History :...
and a small portion in the south-east corner of the village is in the Town of Seneca Falls
Seneca Falls (village), New York
Seneca Falls is a village in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 6,861 at the 2000 census. The village is in the Town of Seneca Falls, east of Geneva, New York. On March 16, 2010, village residents voted to dissolve the village, a move that would take effect at the end of 2011...
. Waterloo is east of Geneva
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
and is located in between the two main Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area and second largest in volume. It is just under 40 miles long. Its average width is 1.7 miles , and it is at its widest point near Aurora...
.
History
The area was within the realm of the Cayuga nationCayuga nation
The Cayuga people was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee , a confederacy of American Indians in New York. The Cayuga homeland lay in the Finger Lakes region along Cayuga Lake, between their league neighbors, the Onondaga to the east and the Seneca to the west...
, one of several bands to form the Iroquois League. They were visited by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th Century. After the Sullivan Expedition
Sullivan Expedition
The Sullivan Expedition, also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, was an American campaign led by Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General James Clinton against Loyalists and the four nations of the Iroquois who had sided with the British in the American Revolutionary War.The...
of 1779 passed through the region, many natives left the area. The land then became part of the Central New York Military Tract
Central 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....
, reserved for veterans. The current site of the village was the location of the former Cayuga village "Skoiyase" ("flowing water"). The first new settler, Jabez Gorham, arrived on the site of the village around 1795. The early village was known as "New Hudson".
Because the original county seat in Ovid
Ovid (village), New York
Ovid is a village in and one of the two county seats of Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 612 at the 2000 census. The town was named by a clerk interested in the classics ....
was deemed too close to the south county line after land was lost from Seneca County, Waterloo became the county seat in 1819. A similar fate befell Waterloo, when much of the north of Seneca County was lost, leaving the village close to the northern county line. The outcome was that both villages were made joint county seats, even though some of the lost towns were later returned to the county. Seneca County remains a two-shire county, although nearly all government activity now occurs in Waterloo.
Planning for the Women's Rights Convention in 1848 in Seneca Falls
Seneca Falls (village), New York
Seneca Falls is a village in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 6,861 at the 2000 census. The village is in the Town of Seneca Falls, east of Geneva, New York. On March 16, 2010, village residents voted to dissolve the village, a move that would take effect at the end of 2011...
took place in Waterloo.
The Village of Waterloo was incorporated in 1824 and again in 1866, the same year it celebrated the first Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
. Waterloo was officially designated as the official birthplace of Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
; the Memorial Day Museum is in the town.
Geography
Waterloo is located at 42°54′13"N 76°51′34"W (42.903697, -76.859517).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 village has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (3.24%) is water.
The Seneca River
Seneca River (New York)
The Seneca River in central New York flows from west to east, from Seneca Lake, through the Montezuma Marsh at the north end of Cayuga Lake to the Seneca's confluence with the Oneida and Oswego rivers at the Three Rivers area north of Syracuse. Much of the river has been channelized to form part...
/Cayuga-Seneca Canal
Cayuga-Seneca Canal
The Cayuga–Seneca Canal is a canal in New York, USA. It is now part of the New York State Canal System.The Cayuga–Seneca Canal connects the Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake. It is approximately long.-History:...
pass through the village, linking the area to the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
system.
US Route 20, conjoined with New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
, intersects New York State Route 96
New York State Route 96
New York State Route 96 is a northwest–southeast state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 in the Southern Tier village of Owego, Tioga County. Its northern terminus is at a junction with...
in the village.
Just north east of Waterloo in Seneca Falls homes the largest active landfill in New York State; Seneca Meadows.
Notable natives
- Tom CoughlinTom CoughlinThomas Richard Coughlin is an American football coach who is currently head coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League . Coughlin has led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII. Coughlin was also the inaugural head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, serving from 1995–2002 and...
, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
' coach was born in Waterloo in 1946. - Charles E. StuartCharles E. StuartCharles Edward Stuart was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.-Biography:Stuart was born in New York, either near Waterloo, New York, or in Columbia County. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1832, and commenced practice in Waterloo...
, U.S. Representative and Senator from MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. - George Bradshaw Kelly, U.S. Representative for New York's 38th congressional districtNew York's 38th congressional districtThe 38th Congressional District of New York was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York. It was created in 1913 as a result of the 1910 Census. It was eliminated in 1983 as a result of the 1980 Census...
, from 1937 to 1939.
National Register of Historic Places listings in Waterloo
| Landmark name | Image | Date listed | Location | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William H. Burton House William H. Burton House William H. Burton House, also known as the National Memorial Day Museum, is a historic home located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. It consists of a -story, three-bay offset front entrance main block with two rear wings. The original 1830s Federal-style residence was modified to its... |
35 E. Main St. 42°54′16"N 76°51′41"W |
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| First Presbyterian Church First Presbyterian Church (Waterloo, New York) First Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. It was constructed in 1850 and is a monumental brick Romanesque Revival, edifice. The facade features a large rose window and two soaring, square, corner towers with octagonal spires... |
E. Main St., E of jct. with NY 96 New York State Route 96 New York State Route 96 is a northwest–southeast state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 in the Southern Tier village of Owego, Tioga County. Its northern terminus is at a junction with... 42°54′14"N 76°51′39"W |
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| Hunt House Hunt House (Waterloo, New York) Hunt House is a historic home located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. It was built about 1830 and is a two story brick dwelling with a distinctive pedimented portico supported by four Doric order columns. The home was renovated to its current appearance in the 1920s. The home is notable... |
401 E. Main St. 42°54′22"N 76°50′40"W |
Historic home, c. 1830. | ||
| M'Clintock House M'Clintock House M'Clintock House, also known as the Baptist Parsonage, is a historic home located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. It is a two story, Federal style brick dwelling built in 1833-1836. The home is notable as the residence of Quaker pharmacist Thomas M'Clintock and his wife Mary Ann from 1836... |
14 E. Williams 42°54′19"N 76°51′42"W |
Historic home, important to the first Women's Rights Convention. | ||
| Saint Paul's Church Saint Paul's Church (Waterloo, New York) Saint Paul's Church is a historic Episcopal church located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. It was constructed in 1863-1864 and is a masonry church built of local limestone in the Gothic Revival style. The 52 feet by 72 feet church features a tower with a stone spire and clock... |
101 E. Williams St. 42°54′20"N 76°51′35"W |
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| United Methodist Church United Methodist Church (Waterloo, New York) Waterloo United Methodist Church is a historic United Methodist church located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. It was constructed in 1895 and is a brick and stone church with vernacular Romanesque / Greek Revival style design and decorative detail... |
21 E. Williams St. 42°54′28"N 76°51′40"W |
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| U.S. Post Office U.S. Post Office (Waterloo, New York) US Post Office-Waterloo is a historic post office building located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. It was designed and built in 1924 and is one of a number of post offices in New York State designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, James A. Wetmore. It... |
2 E. Main St. 42°54′15"N 76°51′46"W |
|||
| Waterloo Library Waterloo Library Waterloo Library, also known as the Waterloo Library and Historical Society, is a historic library building located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. The second story of the two story frame structure contains a small theater.... |
31 Williams St. 42°54′20"N 76°51′40"W |
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| James Russell Webster House James Russell Webster House James Russell Webster House is a historic home located at Waterloo in Seneca County, New York. It is a temple front Greek Revival style residence. When built in 1850-1855 it featured a two story, three bay, side hall main block flanked by two symmetrical one story, three bay center hall wings... |
115 E. Main St. 42°54′23"N 76°51′33"W |
Historic home, c. 1850-1855. |
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 5,111 people, 1,939 households, and 1,285 families residing in the village. 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 2,439.3 people per square mile (939.7/km²). There were 2,050 housing units at an average density of 978.4 per square mile (376.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.61% White, 0.82% 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...
, 0.12% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.18% 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 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.
There were 1,939 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% 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, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $33,571, and the median income for a family was $41,725. Males had a median income of $34,911 versus $23,385 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 village was $16,538. About 7.2% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.