Auburn, New York | |
|---|---|
 North side of Genesee Street in downtown Auburn | |
| Nickname: Prison City | |
 Location inCayuga County and the state ofNew York | |
  Auburn  Auburn | |
| Coordinates:42°56′N76°34′W / 42.933°N 76.567°W /42.933; -76.567 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Cayuga |
| Incorporated | 1815 (village) 1848 (city) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | James "Jimmy" Giannettino, Jr. (D) |
| • City Manager | Jeff Dygert[1] |
| • City Council | |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.41 sq mi (21.78 km2) |
| • Land | 8.34 sq mi (21.59 km2) |
| • Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2) |
| Elevation | 686 ft (209 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 26,866 |
| • Density | 3,223.28/sq mi (1,244.46/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 13021, 13024 |
| Area code | 315 |
| FIPS code | 36-011-03078 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0942692 |
| Website | www |
Auburn is a city inCayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end ofOwasco Lake, one of theFinger Lakes inCentral New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census.[3] It is the largest city of Cayuga County, thecounty seat,[4] and the site of themaximum-securityAuburn Correctional Facility, as well as theWilliam H. Seward House Museum and the house ofabolitionistHarriet Tubman.
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The region around Auburn had beenHaudenosaunee territory for centuries before European contact and historical records.
Auburn was founded in 1793, during the post-Revolutionary period of settlement of western New York. The founder, John L. Hardenbergh, was a veteran of the Sullivan-Clinton campaign against the Iroquois during the American Revolution. Hardenbergh settled in the vicinity of the Owasco River with his infant daughter and two African-American indentured servants, Harry and Kate Freeman. After his death in 1806, Hardenbergh was buried in Auburn's North Street Cemetery, and was re-interred in 1852 in Fort Hill Cemetery – the first burial in the city's newly opened burial ground. The community grew up around Hardenbergh's gristmill and sawmill.[5]
Originally known as Hardenbergh's Corners in the town ofAurelius, the settlement was renamed Auburn in 1805 when it became the county seat.[6] It became an incorporated village in 1815, and was chartered as a city in 1848. It was only a few miles from theErie Canal, which opened in 1825 and allowed local factories to inexpensively ship goods north or south. In 1871, the Southern Central Railroad, financed by theLehigh Valley Railroad, completed a line primarily to carryanthracite coal fromAthens, Pennsylvania through Auburn towharves onLake Ontario atFair Haven.[7]
From 1818 to 1939, Auburn was home toAuburn Theological Seminary, one of the preeminent theological seminaries in the United States. In 1939, facing financial difficulties as a result of theGreat Depression, the seminary moved to the campus ofUnion Theological Seminary inNew York City. The only building from the Auburn Theological Seminary that stands today isWillard Memorial Chapel and the adjacent Welch Memorial Hall on Nelson Street, designed byAndrew Jackson Warner ofRochester, withstained-glass windows and interior decoration byLouis Comfort Tiffany. It is the only complete and unaltered Tiffany chapel interior known to exist.
In 1816, Auburn Prison (now theAuburn Correctional Facility) was founded as a model for the contemporary ideas about treating prisoners, known now as theAuburn system. Visitors were charged a fee for viewing the facility and its inmates. On August 6, 1890, the firstexecution by theelectric chair was carried out at Auburn Prison. In 1901Leon Czolgosz, assassin ofPresident William McKinley, was executed there. Although the ideas of the Auburn System have been abandoned, the prison continues to serve as a maximum security facility, and is one of the most secure prisons in the continental United States.
Auburn is located at 42.9317° N, 76.5661° W at the north end ofOwasco Lake, one of theFinger Lakes, which is drained by theOwasco Outlet – also known as theOwasco River – which runs north through the city on its way to theSeneca River. A dam, owned and operated by the city, controls the outflow of the lake, which is used for drinking water and recreation. The city is required to keep a sufficient amount of water in the river to deal with the effluent from its waste disposal treatment facility.[8]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.4 square miles (21.8 km2), of which 8.3 square miles (21.6 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km2), or 0.89%, is water.[9]
US 20 is an important east-west highway passing through the city, andNew York State Route 34 andNew York State Route 38 are north-south highways that intersect US-20 in Auburn.Seneca Falls is 15 miles (24 km) west on US 20, andSyracuse is 26 miles (42 km) to the northeast viaNew York State Route 5.
Thisclimatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Auburn has ahumid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[10]
| Climate data for Auburn, New York (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 70 (21) | 74 (23) | 85 (29) | 92 (33) | 95 (35) | 101 (38) | 100 (38) | 98 (37) | 99 (37) | 94 (34) | 78 (26) | 68 (20) | 101 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 55.1 (12.8) | 53.1 (11.7) | 64.0 (17.8) | 79.7 (26.5) | 86.1 (30.1) | 91.0 (32.8) | 91.9 (33.3) | 90.8 (32.7) | 87.9 (31.1) | 78.6 (25.9) | 68.1 (20.1) | 56.7 (13.7) | 93.9 (34.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.3 (−0.4) | 33.4 (0.8) | 41.6 (5.3) | 55.2 (12.9) | 68.6 (20.3) | 76.9 (24.9) | 81.1 (27.3) | 79.7 (26.5) | 72.4 (22.4) | 59.4 (15.2) | 47.5 (8.6) | 36.8 (2.7) | 57.0 (13.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 24.7 (−4.1) | 32.1 (0.1) | 44.6 (7.0) | 56.9 (13.8) | 66.2 (19.0) | 70.7 (21.5) | 69.1 (20.6) | 61.9 (16.6) | 50.3 (10.2) | 39.5 (4.2) | 29.9 (−1.2) | 47.4 (8.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.4 (−9.2) | 16.0 (−8.9) | 22.7 (−5.2) | 34.0 (1.1) | 45.2 (7.3) | 55.4 (13.0) | 60.4 (15.8) | 58.5 (14.7) | 51.5 (10.8) | 41.2 (5.1) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 23.1 (−4.9) | 37.9 (3.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −5.5 (−20.8) | −2.7 (−19.3) | 3.7 (−15.7) | 21.7 (−5.7) | 31.2 (−0.4) | 41.5 (5.3) | 49.2 (9.6) | 48.1 (8.9) | 37.5 (3.1) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 16.5 (−8.6) | 4.2 (−15.4) | −8.9 (−22.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) | −32 (−36) | −16 (−27) | 6 (−14) | 25 (−4) | 33 (1) | 40 (4) | 39 (4) | 28 (−2) | 16 (−9) | −1 (−18) | −21 (−29) | −32 (−36) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.93 (74) | 2.48 (63) | 3.23 (82) | 3.68 (93) | 3.77 (96) | 4.10 (104) | 4.31 (109) | 4.26 (108) | 3.87 (98) | 4.47 (114) | 3.59 (91) | 3.57 (91) | 44.26 (1,124) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 29.1 (74) | 25.9 (66) | 17.2 (44) | 3.1 (7.9) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 8.8 (22) | 24.7 (63) | 101.6 (258) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 19.0 | 15.6 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 14.3 | 13.6 | 12.7 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 17.2 | 16.0 | 19.6 | 180.2 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 13.9 | 12.1 | 7.1 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 4.6 | 11.9 | 52.3 |
| Source:NOAA[11][12] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 500 | — | |
| 1820 | 2,333 | 366.6% | |
| 1830 | 4,486 | 92.3% | |
| 1840 | 5,626 | 25.4% | |
| 1850 | 9,548 | 69.7% | |
| 1860 | 10,986 | 15.1% | |
| 1870 | 17,225 | 56.8% | |
| 1880 | 21,924 | 27.3% | |
| 1890 | 25,858 | 17.9% | |
| 1900 | 30,345 | 17.4% | |
| 1910 | 34,668 | 14.2% | |
| 1920 | 36,192 | 4.4% | |
| 1930 | 36,652 | 1.3% | |
| 1940 | 35,753 | −2.5% | |
| 1950 | 36,722 | 2.7% | |
| 1960 | 35,249 | −4.0% | |
| 1970 | 34,599 | −1.8% | |
| 1980 | 32,548 | −5.9% | |
| 1990 | 31,258 | −4.0% | |
| 2000 | 28,574 | −8.6% | |
| 2010 | 27,687 | −3.1% | |
| 2020 | 26,866 | −3.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
As of thecensus[14] of 2000, there were 28,574 people, 11,411 households, and 6,538 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,405.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,314.8/km2). There were 12,637 housing units at an average density of 1,506.0 per square mile (581.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.57%White, 7.59%African American, 0.29%Native American, 0.57%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 1.41% fromother races, and 1.55% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 2.82% of the population.
There were 11,411 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% weremarried couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 42.7% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,281, and the median income for a family was $41,169. Males had a median income of $32,349 versus $23,330 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,083. About 12.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
TheAuburn Enlarged City School District is the public school system serving Auburn. It currently operates seven schools covering grades K–12. West Middle School was closed over the summer of 2011 to save funds, with the student population merged into East Middle School.
The onlycollege in Auburn isCayuga Community College, a two-year school. C.C.C., as it is known locally, is located on Franklin Street. The city had been the home ofAuburn Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian institution established in 1818, which relocated to New York City in 1939.[15]
Auburn has had a long association withprofessional baseball. TheAuburn Cayugas and other early Auburn teams played as members of theLeague Alliance (1877), Central New York League (1888),New York State League (1889, 1897–1899),Empire State League (1906–1907),Canadian–American League (1938, 1940) andBorder League (1946–1951). Auburn was an affiliate of theBoston Red Sox (1948).[16]
Today, Auburn is home to theAuburn Doubledays, members of the collegiate wooden batPerfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.[16]
In late 1901, Auburn became the headquarters of theNational Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL), which is now known simply asMinor League Baseball and based inSt. Petersburg, Florida. John H. Farrell, who served as secretary-treasurer of the league for many years, was a local resident, and the league's offices remained in the city while he remained in that role.
Auburn Community Baseball, which is owned by the City of Auburn, is the parent organization of theAuburn Doubledays and its predecessor Auburn entries in the Class A short-seasonNew York–Penn League dating back to 1958. The team plays its home games atLeo Pinckney Field at Falcon Park. Until 2020 they were members of theNew York-Penn League.
Since 1978, on the second Sunday of every August, Auburn has hosted "The Great Race", a three- or four-person relay race involving running, cycling, and canoeing (or kayaking). The race begins and ends in the area ofOwasco Lake on the southern outskirts of Auburn. With between 2,000 and 2,500 people participating in an average year, it is one of the largest relay races in the United States.[17]
The daily newspaper published in Auburn isThe Citizen, which dates back to 1816, and had previously been published asThe Daily Advertiser andThe Citizen-Advertiser. It serves Auburn and Cayuga County, as well as other parts ofCentral New York. A morning paper, published seven days a week, it has a circulation of 10,000 for the daily and Saturday editions, and 12,000 on Sunday. It is owned byLee Enterprises.
Possibly the two best-known historical figures associated with Auburn areHarriet Tubman andWilliam H. Seward.
Seward, who served as aNew York state senator, thegovernor of New York, aU.S. senator, a presidential candidate, and thenSecretary of State under presidentsAbraham Lincoln andAndrew Johnson, in which role he negotiated the 1867 purchase fromRussia ofAlaska, which became known as "Seward's Folly" – lived in Auburn from 1823 until his death in 1872, and was opposed toslavery. Seward's wife,Frances Adeline Seward, was deeply committed to theabolitionist movement, which was strongly supported in Auburn. In the 1850s, the Seward family opened their Auburn home as a safehouse to fugitive slaves on theUnderground Railroad. In 1859 Seward sold a plot of land to abolitionist Tubman, who used it to create a safe haven for her family and friends and other black Americans seeking a better life in the north.[18]Seward's house is now a historical museum, and both it andTubman's house are on theNational Register of Historic Places.
A number of properties in Auburn are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, including theAuburn Button Works and Logan Silk Mills, theBelt-Gaskin House,Case Memorial-Seymour Library, theCayuga County Courthouse and Clerk's Office, theHarriet Tubman Home for the Aged,William and Mary Hosmer House,St. Peter's Episcopal Church Complex,Sand Beach Church,Schines Auburn Theatre,Thompson AME Zion Church,Harriet Tubman Grave,Harriet Tubman House, theOld Post Office and Courthouse,Fort Hill Cemetery,Wall Street Methodist Episcopal Church, andDr. Sylvester Willard Mansion. TheWilliam H. Seward House andWillard Memorial Chapel-Welch Memorial Hall areNational Historic Landmarks, and theSouth Street Area Historic District is a nationalhistoric district.[21]
In 2018, the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center opened to the public, serving as a visitors' center and permanent exhibition promoting the region's history and culture. The center guides visitors to the variety of historical sites in the region connected to the struggle for equal rights.[22]
Notes
Municipalities and communities ofCayuga County, New York,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other hamlets | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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