Romulus, New York | |
|---|---|
 Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery (foreground) and Cayuga Lake (background) as seen from State Route 89 | |
  Romulus, New York Location within the state of New York Show map of New York Romulus, New York Romulus, New York (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:42°43′19″N76°50′26″W / 42.72194°N 76.84056°W /42.72194; -76.84056 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Seneca |
| Settled | 1789 |
| Established | March 5, 1794[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Supervisor | David Hayes |
| • Clerk | Jane C. Braunig[2] |
| • Court | Justice Kyle Collinsworth |
| Area | |
• Total | 51.38 sq mi (133.08 km2) |
| • Land | 37.79 sq mi (97.88 km2) |
| • Water | 13.59 sq mi (35.20 km2) |
| Elevation | 758 ft (231 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 3,203 |
• Estimate (2022)[5] | 2,610 |
| • Density | 84.7/sq mi (32.72/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 14541 |
| Area codes | 315,607 and680 |
| FIPS code | 36-63440 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979431 |
| Website | https://romulusny.gov/ |
Romulus is atown inSeneca County,New York, United States. The population was 3,203 at the 2020 census.[4] The town is named after the mythical founder ofRome,Romulus, a name assigned by a clerk with an interest in the classics.[citation needed] It is part of the Seneca Falls, NY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theRochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls Combined statistical area.
The town has ahamlet (andcensus-designated place), also calledRomulus. Government offices for the town are located in nearbyWillard.[6]
Romulus is home of the rareSeneca white deer, one of the largest populations of white deer in the world. They are located on the grounds of the formerSeneca Army Depot. It is now a private wildlife refuge and conservation center which offers scenic tours.[7]
Before theAmerican Revolution, this area was controlled by both theCayuga and theSeneca nations of theHaudenosaunee (Iroquois). FrenchJesuit missionaries visited the area in the 17th century. TheSullivan Expedition in 1779 destroyed native villages and drove many of the Native Americans away. Romulus contains the area ofKendaia (Apple Town), a formerIroquois (Seneca) village destroyed by the residents in anticipation of the arrival of theSullivan Expedition on September 5, 1779.
After the war, this town became part of theCentral New York Military Tract, land for veterans of the Revolution. Returning natives were provided with land at the north end of Cayuga Lake. This reservation was partly in the eastern side of modern Romulus. The first non-native settlers arrived around 1789.
The town was formed while still part ofOnondaga County in 1794. In 1800, part of Romulus was used to make the town ofFayette. The north part of Romulus was used to form the town ofVarick in 1830.
The town also contains the formerSeneca Army Depot (1941 - 1990s), built duringWorld War II and finally closed in 2001. It was a major employer for citizens of Romulus and surrounding parts of Seneca County.Seneca Army Airfield, located along N.Y. Route 96A, provided a longrunway for transport aircraft.
Willard State Hospital was converted to a state prison drug treatment center in 1995.
The town is home to theFive Points Correctional Facility, a New York state maximum security prison for men.
(Portions of a diary written by Henry McLafferty Jr (1819–1859) are available online from theRochesterPublic Library:Romulus Revisited: Extracts from the Diary of Henry McLafferty, Jr. 1856–1857).
The town lies betweenCayuga Lake andSeneca Lake at latitude 42° 45' 8" N. and longitude 76° 50' 2" W. at an altitude of 705 ft (214 m).
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 51.4 square miles (133 km2), of which 37.8 square miles (98 km2) is land and 13.6 square miles (35 km2) (26.45%) is water.
Romulus is in theFinger Lakes district of New York and lies betweenCayuga Lake andSeneca Lake.
New York State Route 89,New York State Route 96,New York State Route 96A, andNew York State Route 414 are all north-south highways in the town.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 3,698 | — | |
| 1830 | 2,089 | −43.5% | |
| 1840 | 2,235 | 7.0% | |
| 1850 | 2,050 | −8.3% | |
| 1860 | 2,170 | 5.9% | |
| 1870 | 2,223 | 2.4% | |
| 1880 | 2,765 | 24.4% | |
| 1890 | 2,852 | 3.1% | |
| 1900 | 2,895 | 1.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,803 | −3.2% | |
| 1920 | 2,754 | −1.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,856 | 3.7% | |
| 1940 | 2,865 | 0.3% | |
| 1950 | 4,263 | 48.8% | |
| 1960 | 3,509 | −17.7% | |
| 1970 | 4,284 | 22.1% | |
| 1980 | 2,464 | −42.5% | |
| 1990 | 2,532 | 2.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,036 | −19.6% | |
| 2010 | 4,316 | 112.0% | |
| 2020 | 3,203 | −25.8% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 2,610 | [5] | −18.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] | |||
As of thecensus[9] of 2010, there were 4,316 people, 821 households, and 576 families residing in the town. The population density was 114.2 inhabitants per square mile (44.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 66.5%white, 29.2%black orAfrican American, .5%Native American, .3%Asian, 2.8% fromother races, and .7% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 9.2% of the population.
There were 821 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% weremarried couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 22.2% 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 2.71 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.2% under the age of 20, 13.0% from 20 to 24, 39.6% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 264.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 324.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,705, and the median income for a family was $63,676. Males had a median income of $37,177 versus $30,313 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $13,396. About 3.8% of families and 6.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
There were 1,101 housing units at an average density of 29.1 per square mile (11.2/km2). 25.4% of housing units were vacant.
There were 821 occupied housing units in the town. 571 were owner-occupied units (69.5%), while 250 were renter-occupied (30.5%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 12.2%.[9]
NOTE: It is common for resort communities to have higher than normal vacant house counts. Many are vacation homes which are seasonal and not regularly occupied.
42°45′08″N76°50′01″W / 42.75222°N 76.83361°W /42.75222; -76.83361
Municipalities and communities ofSeneca County, New York,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| CDP | ||
| Hamlets | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
