Penfield, New York | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "A town of planned progress" | |
 Location inMonroe County and the state ofNew York | |
.svg) Location of New York in the United States | |
| Coordinates:43°09′40″N77°26′48″W / 43.16111°N 77.44667°W /43.16111; -77.44667 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Monroe |
| Established | March 30, 1810; 215 years ago (1810-03-30)[1] |
| Government | |
| • Town supervisor | Jeff Leenhouts (R; 2024-present) |
| Area | |
• Total | 37.88 sq mi (98.1 km2) |
| • Land | 37.24 sq mi (96.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.64 sq mi (1.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 512 ft (156 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 39,438 |
• Estimate (2023)[4] | 38,274 |
| • Density | 1,027.8/sq mi (396.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | |
| Area code | 585 |
| FIPS code | 36-055-57144 |
| Website | www |
Penfield is atown inMonroe County,New York, United States. The population was 39,438 at the 2020 census,[3] up from 36,242 in2010.
The town was incorporated in 1810 by the proprietorDaniel Penfield, a veteran of theRevolutionary War who purchased the town lands in 1795 and moved to the area in 1809. Penfield is asuburb ofRochester. The town sits alongIrondequoit Creek, which in the town's early days fueled its economy with mills.
The lands that now constitute the town of Penfield were part of the hunting grounds of theSeneca people, a member of theHaudenosaunee tribes. There is no evidence of Seneca settlements within Penfield, but the town does include the place now called "Indian Landing". From this landing on the shores ofIrondequoit Bay, trails and water routes went throughout the region and beyond. This included a water route with only twoportages leading from theGreat Lakes to theGulf of Mexico.
Following theAmerican Revolution, the lands that became Penfield were included in thePhelps and Gorham Purchase. After passing through several hands, Townships 13 and 14 of Range IV of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase were acquired by Daniel Penfield in several transactions during the course of 1795. Penfield's house still stands at 1784 Penfield Road.[5]
All settlements in the region that were to the east of theGenesee River became part of the town of Northfield in 1796. Those to the west of the river were organized into Northampton in 1797. As the population rapidly grew both settlements divided. Northfield first became Boyle, from which Penfield split in 1810.[6]
The town of Penfield was established in 1810, and the first town meeting was held on April 2, 1811. The town initially consisted of Townships 13 and 14 of Range IV. A portion of the southwest corner went to the town ofBrighton when it was established in 1814, and Township 14 became the town ofWebster in 1840. Modern Penfield is, with minor differences, Township 13 of Range IV of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase.
The original Penfield town hall was built in 1895 and was deemed a Penfield landmark in 1981. The building is located at 2131 Five Mile Line Road. In the 1950s the downstairs of the town hall was the library, and when the location of the Penfield town hall was changed, the library took over the entire building. The library has since been moved to Baird Road Community Center. In 1966 the Penfield Town hall was moved to its current location at 3100 Atlantic Avenue. The original building of the town hall is currently the Penfield Arts Center.
TheHorace and Grace Bush House,Daisy Flour Mill,Dayton's Corners School,Hipp-Kennedy House,Mud House,Penfield Road Historic District,Stephen Phelps House,Samuel Rich House, andHarvey Whalen House are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[7]
Penfield is in eastern Monroe County and is bordered to the north by the town ofWebster, to the south by the towns ofPerinton andPittsford, and to the west by the towns ofIrondequoit andBrighton. The town ofEast Rochester is less than one mile south of the Penfield border. To the east is the town ofWalworth inWayne County.[8]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the town of Penfield has a total area of 37.88 square miles (98.1 km2), of which 37.24 square miles (96.5 km2) are land and 0.64 square miles (1.7 km2), or 1.68%, are water.[2]Irondequoit Creek crosses the southwest corner of the town and then forms part of the town's western border, emptying intoIrondequoit Bay, part of which occupies the northwest corner of the town.
Nearly two million years ago, Penfield's topography was formed bymelting glaciers.[citation needed] The same forces that created theFinger Lakes helped develop interesting terrain in and around Ellison Park. These glacial ice melt carvings left fertile lands which today are used in farming (and from the late 20th century to the present, housing developments). The soil is rich forfarming certain types of apples, cherries, plums, peaches, and pears.
Penfield includes a number of parks with a variety of terrain, water features, lodges and shelters, open spaces, and athletic facilities.[9]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 3,244 | — | |
| 1830 | 4,477 | 38.0% | |
| 1840 | 2,842 | −36.5% | |
| 1850 | 3,185 | 12.1% | |
| 1860 | 3,210 | 0.8% | |
| 1870 | 2,928 | −8.8% | |
| 1880 | 2,955 | 0.9% | |
| 1890 | 2,845 | −3.7% | |
| 1900 | 2,857 | 0.4% | |
| 1910 | 2,977 | 4.2% | |
| 1920 | 2,087 | −29.9% | |
| 1930 | 3,306 | 58.4% | |
| 1940 | 3,774 | 14.2% | |
| 1950 | 4,847 | 28.4% | |
| 1960 | 12,601 | 160.0% | |
| 1970 | 23,782 | 88.7% | |
| 1980 | 27,201 | 14.4% | |
| 1990 | 30,219 | 11.1% | |
| 2000 | 34,645 | 14.6% | |
| 2010 | 36,242 | 4.6% | |
| 2020 | 39,438 | 8.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
As of thecensus[11] of 2000, there were 34,645 people, 13,144 households, and 9,634 families residing in the town. The population density was 923.9 inhabitants per square mile (356.7/km2). There were 13,673 housing units at an average density of 364.6 per square mile (140.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.48%White, 3.05%Asian, 2.11%African American, 0.12%Native American, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.30% fromother races, and 0.92% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.43% of the population. There are an estimated 2,393 veterans in the town.[12]
There were 13,144 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% weremarried couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $63,223, and the median income for a family was $74,959. Males had a median income of $52,282 versus $33,365 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $29,576. About 2.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
The unemployment rate, as of July 2013, was 5.5%. This is below the 7.6% unemployment rate of New York State in July 2013.[13]
As with many suburbs of the United States of America, Penfield's workforce co-exists with the major corporations and institutions found in theRochester metropolitan area. These corporations includeKodak,Xerox, andBausch & Lomb. Major health, insurance, and educational institutions also contribute to employment and culture, including theUniversity of Rochester,Rochester Institute of Technology, andRochester Regional Health.
Major public and private corporations with a geographic footprint in Penfield includePaychex,Nalge Nunc International,Birds Eye Foods, andWegmans.
The town is primarily served by thePenfield Central School District andWebster Central School District, with relatively small portions of the town served by theEast Rochester Union Free School District,Pittsford Central School District andWayne Central School District.[14]
Additionally, there are several privately-run schools:
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The town is governed by a board consisting of a supervisor and four councilpersons who are elected by registered town voters. Major responsibilities can be grouped into planning and preservation, libraries and recreation, ethics and environment, trails and transportation.
Two town justices and one town clerk are also elected.
The town court handles approximately 6,000 cases per year, adjudicated by the justices.
There are a few levels of emergency response in Penfield. First-level support is from county and city resources. Second- and third-level support is provided by trained and untrained citizens lending a helping hand.
Municipalities and communities ofMonroe County, New York,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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