Walworth, New York

History

The town was first settled in 1799 when four brothers named Andrew, John, Samuel, and Daniel Millet left their homes in Connecticut, traveled west and became the first settlers in what is now the hamlet of Walworth. There they built crude log cabins, the first dwellings in Walworth.

Stephen and Daniel Douglas, also from Connecticut, located in this area in 1800. Stephen Douglas built the first frame house on the southwest corner of the present four corners of the hamlet of Walworth. Soon after, they gave their name to this growing community and for a number of years it was known as Douglas Corners.

The Town of Walworth was created on April 5, 1830, when it was separated from the Town of Ontario by an act of New York State Legislature dated April 20, 1829, the last town formed in Wayne County. (Laws of the State of New York, Chapter 196)

Theron Yeomans of Walworth introduced Holstein cattle to the United States and was the first president of the Holstein-Friesian Association of America. Susan Cleveland, sister of President Grover Cleveland, married into the Yeomans family.

In 1934, a freeze killed many of the town's orchards, leading to a sharp decline in fruit growing.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.9 sqmi, of which 33.8 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (0.12%) is water.

The Town of Walworth is bordered by the towns of Ontario to the north, Marion to the east, Macedon to the south, and Penfield (Monroe County) to the west.

New York State Route 350 and New York State Route 441 intersect in the town. New York State Route 286 is another east–west highway, paralleling and north of NY-441, also ending at NY-350.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 9,949 people, 3,356 households, and 2,694 families residing in the town. The population density was 278.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

There were 3,356 households, out of which 40.2% had people under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.4% under the age of 20, 3.6% from 20 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $76,146, and the median income for a family was $85,181. Males had a median income of $64,392 versus $41,594 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,551. About 1.0% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 3,486 housing units at an average density of 102.8 /sqmi; a total of 3.7% of housing units were vacant.

There were 3,356 occupied housing units in the town, of which 3,093 were owner-occupied units (92.2%), while 263 were renter-occupied (7.8%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 12.9%.

Communities and locations in the Town of Walworth

• Gananda — A planned community begun in 1971, located near the southern town line.
• Huddle — A hamlet by the southeast corner of the town on County Road 205 and south of Walworth hamlet.
• Lincoln — A hamlet on County Road 201 near the western town line.
• Walworth — The hamlet of Walworth is near the east town line on NY-441 and County Roads 205 and 207. It was once called "Douglass Corners" after two brothers who arrived in 1800 and built a tavern.
• West Walworth — A hamlet on County Road 204 near the western town line. It was settled circa 1805. Originally called Birch Bridge. Birthplace of Artist Charles Livingston Bull (1874–1932).

School districts

Walworth is served by Wayne Central, Gananda Central and Penfield Central school districts.

References

"Walworth--From Douglas Corners to Gananda" by John Traas

References

1. [http://www.co.wayne.ny.us/departments/historian/HistWalworth.htm Wayne County Office of County Historian - Town of Walworth History] {{Webarchive. link. (July 6, 2015 , Retrieved June 7, 2015.)
2. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
3. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
4. (October 25, 2007). "US Board on Geographic Names". [[United States Geological Survey]].
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates".
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.