Batavia | |
|---|---|
City | |
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| Nickname: 1802 Birthplace of Western New York | |
| Motto: “The Right Place. The Right Time.” | |
_highlighted.svg) Location withinGenesee County and New York | |
  Batavia Location in the United States of America Show map of New York Batavia Batavia (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:42°59′55″N78°11′3″W / 42.99861°N 78.18417°W /42.99861; -78.18417 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| County | Genesee |
| Founded (village) | 1802; 223 years ago (1802) |
| Incorporated (village) | 1823; 202 years ago (1823) |
| Named after | Batavia, Netherlands |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Council | |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.28 sq mi (13.67 km2) |
| • Land | 5.20 sq mi (13.46 km2) |
| • Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2) 1.14% |
| Elevation | 892 ft (272 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 15,600 |
| • Density | 3,002.89/sq mi (1,159.33/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 14020 |
| Area code | 585 |
| FIPS code | 36-04715 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0943150 |
| Website | Batavia NY |
Batavia is acity in and thecounty seat ofGenesee County, New York, United States. It is located near the center of the county, surrounded by theTown of Batavia, which is a separatemunicipality. Batavia's population, as of the 2020 census, was 15,600. It is considered to be part of theRochester–Batavia–Seneca Falls combined statistical area.[2] The nameBatavia isLatin for theBetuwe region of theNetherlands, and honors early Dutch land developers.[3] In 2006, a national magazine,Site Selection, ranked Batavia third among the nation'smicropolitans, based on economic development.[4] TheNew York State Thruway (Interstate 90) passes north of the city.Genesee County Airport (GVQ) is also north of the city.
The city hosts theBatavia Muckdogsbaseball team, of thePerfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, atDwyer Stadium, (299 Bank Street). The Muckdogs, formerly, were an affiliate of theMiami Marlins;[5] in 2008, they won theNew York Penn League Championship.
The city'sUN/LOCODE is USBIA.
The current City of Batavia was an early settlement in what is today calledGenesee Country, the farthest western region of New York State, comprising theGenesee Valley and westward to theNiagara River,Lake Erie, and thePennsylvania line. The tract purchased in western New York (the Holland Purchase) was a 3,250,000 acre (13,150 km2) portion of thePhelps and Gorham Purchase that lay west of the Genesee River. It was purchased in December 1792, February 1793, and July 1793 fromRobert Morris, a prominentRevolutionary banker, by theHolland Land Company, a consortium of Dutch bankers.
The village of Batavia was founded in 1802 by resident Land AgentJoseph Ellicott, under the authorization ofPaul Busti of the Holland Land Company.[6] Batavia, New York, was named by Busti in honor of theBatavian Republic (1795–1806), a republican government of the Netherlands and home of the investors of the Holland Land Company.
One of the provisions of the sale was that Morris needed to settle theIndian title to the land, so he arranged for his son,Thomas Morris, to negotiate with theIroquois atGeneseo, New York, in 1797. About 3,000 Iroquois, mostlySenecas, arrived for the negotiation. Senecachief andoratorRed Jacket was adamantly against the sale, but his influence was thwarted by freely-distributed liquor and trinkets given to the women. He acquiesced and signed theTreaty of Big Tree, in which the tribe sold their rights to the land (except for a small portion) for $100,000.Mary Jemison, known asThe White Woman of the Genesee, who was captured in a raid and ended up marrying her Seneca captor, was an ablenegotiator for the tribe and helped win them more favorable terms. For the negotiations,Horatio Jones was the translator, andWilliam Wadsworth provided his unfinished home. The land was thensurveyed under the supervision of Joseph Ellicott, a monumental task and the biggest land survey ever attempted to that time.
Ellicott, as agent for the company, established a land office in Batavia in 1802.[6] The entire purchase was named Genesee County in 1802, with Batavia as the county seat. The company sold off the purchase until 1846, when the company was dissolved. The phrase "doing a land office business," which denotes prosperity, dates from this era. The office is a museum today, designated aNational Historic Landmark. Ellicott lived in Batavia for many years although he thoughtBuffalo would certainly grow to be larger. Batavia has a major street named after him (Ellicott Street) as well as a minor one (Ellicott Avenue), and a large monument in the heart of the city. Batavia was incorporated as a village in 1823.
The present counties of western New York were all laid-out from the original Genesee County; the modern Genesee County is but one of many. However, the entire area, as a region, is still referred to asGenesee Country. Thus, Batavia was the core from which the rest of western New York was opened for settlement and development.
A scandal erupted in Batavia in 1826, whenWilliam Morgan was offended by the localMasonic Lodge (Western Star Chapter R. A. M. No. 33 ofLe Roy, New York), and threatened to expose the lodge's secrets. He was arrested on a minor charge, then released when his charge was paid, into the company of several men, with whom he went, apparently unwillingly. It was developed later that the men were Masons, and they carried him toFort Niagara, where he was held captive and then disappeared. Although the Masons claimed he was only bribed to cease publication and leave the area forever, public sentiment was that he was murdered. No conviction was ever obtained. His captors were only charged and convicted with his abduction.
The event roused tremendous public furor and anti-Mason sentiment. Anti-Masonry was a factor in politics for many years afterward, leading to the creation of theAnti-Masonic Party, as well as religion. ManyMethodist Episcopal clergy had joined the Masons, and this was one of the reasons theFree Methodist Church separated.
TheErie Canal in 1825 bypassed Batavia, going well to the north atAlbion andMedina, enablingBuffalo andRochester to grow much faster. With the sale of the western part of the state completed, Batavia became a small industrial city in the heart of an agricultural area. It became known for the manufacture oftractors, agricultural implements,sprayers and shoes. It also was atool and die making center for industries in other areas.
The largest manufacturer, Johnston Harvester Company came into being in 1868. In 1910, the business was acquired byMassey-Harris Co. Ltd, and became a subsidiary of that Canadian company, founded byDaniel Massey in 1847.
Batavia grew rapidly in the early 20th century, receiving an influx of Polish and Italian immigrants. The City of Batavia was incorporated in 1915.
Batavia is part of what has become known asTheRust Belt. In recent years much of the heavier industry left for other areas of the US, or abroad, and according to U.S. Census data there has been a gradual but consistent decline in the city's population from 1960 forward.
The construction of the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility, a federalimmigration detention center next to the airport has provided more jobs in the area, as well as expansion of the airport, including lengthening therunway to accommodate larger aircraft in 2005. Inmates at the detention center have included terrorism suspects, such as Nabil Ahmed Farag Soliman, who embarked on a hunger strike in 1999 after two and a half years in federal detention.[7][8]
In August 2012, Muller Quaker Dairy broke ground on what was to be one of the largest yogurt manufacturing plants in the United States, and employed 170 people in December 2015. Muller Quaker Dairy is a joint venture betweenPepsiCo and the Theo Muller Group.[9][10] On December 10, 2015, the closure of the yogurt plant was announced with the additional news that the facility would be sold to the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative.[11]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 5.2 square miles (13.6 km2), of which 5.2 square miles (13.4 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km2) (1.14%) is water. The city also sits directly along the43rd parallel north.
New York State Route 5 (east-west) intersectsstate routes 33,63 and98 in the city. TheNew York State Thruway (Interstate 90) is immediately north of Batavia.
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, Batavia has ahumid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" or "Dfb" on climate maps.[12]
| Climate data for Batavia, New York, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1932–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) | 74 (23) | 81 (27) | 92 (33) | 93 (34) | 95 (35) | 103 (39) | 96 (36) | 96 (36) | 88 (31) | 79 (26) | 73 (23) | 103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.5 (13.6) | 54.5 (12.5) | 65.7 (18.7) | 78.4 (25.8) | 85.1 (29.5) | 88.3 (31.3) | 89.8 (32.1) | 88.0 (31.1) | 85.9 (29.9) | 78.1 (25.6) | 68.1 (20.1) | 57.5 (14.2) | 91.0 (32.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 33.1 (0.6) | 42.4 (5.8) | 55.7 (13.2) | 67.9 (19.9) | 76.4 (24.7) | 80.0 (26.7) | 78.5 (25.8) | 72.4 (22.4) | 60.0 (15.6) | 47.6 (8.7) | 36.2 (2.3) | 56.8 (13.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 23.4 (−4.8) | 24.9 (−3.9) | 33.4 (0.8) | 45.3 (7.4) | 57.3 (14.1) | 66.3 (19.1) | 70.4 (21.3) | 68.9 (20.5) | 62.4 (16.9) | 50.9 (10.5) | 39.7 (4.3) | 29.3 (−1.5) | 47.7 (8.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.8 (−9.0) | 16.6 (−8.6) | 24.3 (−4.3) | 34.9 (1.6) | 46.7 (8.2) | 56.1 (13.4) | 60.7 (15.9) | 59.3 (15.2) | 52.4 (11.3) | 41.8 (5.4) | 31.8 (−0.1) | 22.3 (−5.4) | 38.6 (3.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −3.3 (−19.6) | −2.2 (−19.0) | 6.3 (−14.3) | 22.3 (−5.4) | 33.9 (1.1) | 44.0 (6.7) | 50.4 (10.2) | 48.9 (9.4) | 39.7 (4.3) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 18.1 (−7.7) | 4.8 (−15.1) | −7.2 (−21.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −24 (−31) | −28 (−33) | −15 (−26) | 6 (−14) | 24 (−4) | 32 (0) | 40 (4) | 33 (1) | 28 (−2) | 19 (−7) | 1 (−17) | −18 (−28) | −28 (−33) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.47 (63) | 1.90 (48) | 2.43 (62) | 3.17 (81) | 3.23 (82) | 3.69 (94) | 3.53 (90) | 3.25 (83) | 3.62 (92) | 3.60 (91) | 2.92 (74) | 2.76 (70) | 36.57 (930) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 23.0 (58) | 18.6 (47) | 11.4 (29) | 1.7 (4.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 5.8 (15) | 13.0 (33) | 73.9 (187.3) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 8.2 (21) | 9.8 (25) | 8.5 (22) | 1.3 (3.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 3.6 (9.1) | 9.1 (23) | 15.9 (40) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 14.8 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 13.4 | 12.5 | 11.7 | 10.9 | 10.4 | 11.9 | 14.6 | 12.4 | 14.1 | 150.5 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 9.2 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 5.1 | 26.6 |
| Source 1: NOAA[13] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[14] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 100 | — | |
| 1830 | 1,671 | — | |
| 1840 | 2,000 | 19.7% | |
| 1850 | 3,000 | 50.0% | |
| 1860 | 2,868 | −4.4% | |
| 1870 | 3,890 | 35.6% | |
| 1880 | 4,845 | 24.6% | |
| 1890 | 7,221 | 49.0% | |
| 1900 | 9,180 | 27.1% | |
| 1910 | 11,613 | 26.5% | |
| 1920 | 13,541 | 16.6% | |
| 1930 | 17,375 | 28.3% | |
| 1940 | 17,267 | −0.6% | |
| 1950 | 17,799 | 3.1% | |
| 1960 | 18,210 | 2.3% | |
| 1970 | 17,338 | −4.8% | |
| 1980 | 16,703 | −3.7% | |
| 1990 | 16,310 | −2.4% | |
| 2000 | 16,256 | −0.3% | |
| 2010 | 15,465 | −4.9% | |
| 2020 | 15,600 | 0.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15] | |||
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 15,465 people, 6,644 households, and 3,710 families residing in the city. The city's racial demographic changed slightly from 2000 to 2010.[quantify]
As of thecensus of 2000,[16] there were 16,256 people, 6,457 households, and 3,867 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,133.9 people per square mile (1,210.0 people/km2). There were 6,924 housing units at an average density of 1,334.8 per square mile (515.4/km2). The city's racial makeup was 90.23%White, 5.43%Black orAfrican American, 0.48%Native American, 0.87%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 1.06% fromother races, and 1.90% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.45% of the population.
There were 6,457 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was at least 65 years old. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.01.
23.4% of the city's population were under the age of 18, 8.7% were from age 18 to 24, 29.0% were from age 25 to 44, 20.2% were from age 45 to 64, and 18.6% were age 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The city's median household income was $33,484, and the median family income was $42,460. Males had a median income of $32,091 versus $23,289 for females. The city's per capita income was $17,737. About 10.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Batavia City School District is the school district of the city,[17] and operates multiple public schools there, includingBatavia High School.
Batavia is also where theNew York State School for the Blind, a New York State-operated K-12 school, and the main campus ofGenesee Community College is located.
In Batavia, there are multiple companies ranging from food products to manufacturing that release toxic chemicals on a regular basis. The following data comes from theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency’sToxics Release Inventory (TRI) database. In 2020, these facilities were responsible for 1,522,366 pounds of waste. Of this number, a total of 53,610 pounds was released on land, or into the air and water of the surrounding areas without being managed properly. These oversights in waste management can cause toxic chemicals to leech into the surrounding environment and become toxic to the individuals living there. Of these facilities, 4 are indicated by the EPA to release chemicals that could pose a threat to people in the surrounding communities. The risk indication comes from an RSEI score higher than zero, which signifies a possibility of harm and contamination. These companies include the following:
In total, these companies accounted for 29,724 pounds of the 53,610 pounds of contaminants released in Batavia in 2020, totaling 55.44% of the year's chemical releases. The top 5 contaminants by weight that caused an elevated RSEI score in 2020 are as follows:
If consumed in toxic amounts, either rapidly or slowly over time, these chemicals can cause a multitude of negative health effects in residents surrounding these facilities. Among this list, nickel compounds have been found to be associated with cancer, hematological, immunological, and respiratory complications, manganese has been linked to neurological complications, and lead has been linked to cancer, cardiovascular, developmental, hematological, neurological, renal, and reproductive complications. This is just a short list of all of the possible risks of exposure so independent research is recommended. It is important to note, however, that the very presence of these compounds in released materials does not directly correlate with human ingestion, and that there are many safety measures in place to ensure that this is the case.
Each facility listed above is located inside or on the outer boundary of residential areas. In these areas, the population density of lower-income residents, as well as residents of color, is higher than in the areas that do not contain any facilities that potentially toxic chemicals. This trend seemingly holds true in most urban areas. As stated before, the placement of these facilities can have a large impact on the individuals who surround them. Throughout the United States, people of color and people living in impoverished conditions are more likely to live in areas hosting facilities that release toxic chemicals.[63] This disparity accounts for a large difference in the health outcomes of the people in these neighborhoods, including increased asthma rates in children of color compared to their white counterparts,[64] and many other adverse effects.
A bust of former hostage Terry Anderson, consigned to a cluttered storeroom a few months ago after standing in the Genesee Country Mall during much of his captivity, is headed for a place of honor in Batavia High School. Anderson's classmateStephen M. Hawley, to whom he had entrusted the bust, chose to donate it to the school from which they both graduated in 1965.
Municipalities and communities ofGenesee County, New York,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
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| Villages | ||
| CDP | ||
| Hamlets | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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