Skaneateles, New York

Coordinates: 42°56′48″N 76°25′42″W / 42.94667°N 76.42833°W / 42.94667; -76.42833
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For the village located within this town, see Skaneateles (village), New York. For other uses, see Skaneateles (disambiguation).
Skaneateles
Town
A home on the west shore of Skaneateles Lake
A home on the west shore of Skaneateles Lake
Nickname(s): 
Skantown, Skan
Location in Onondaga County and the state of New York.
Location in Onondaga County and the state of New York.
Skaneateles is located in the United States
Skaneateles
Skaneateles
Coordinates: 42°56′48″N 76°25′42″W / 42.94667°N 76.42833°W / 42.94667; -76.42833
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyOnondaga
Government
 • TypeTown Council
 • Town SupervisorJanet Aaron (R)
 • Town Council
Members
Area
[1]
 • Total48.83 sq mi (126.46 km2)
 • Land42.61 sq mi (110.35 km2)
 • Water6.22 sq mi (16.11 km2)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total7,112
 • Density166.91/sq mi (64.45/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code315
FIPS code36-067-67521
Websitetownofskaneateles.com

Skaneateles (/ˌskæniˈætləs/ SKAN-ee-AT-ləs, locally /ˌskɪn-/ SKIN-)[4] is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 7,112.[2] The name is from the Iroquois term for the adjacent Skaneateles Lake, which means "long lake." The town is on the western border of the county and includes a village, also named Skaneateles. Both the town and village are southwest of Syracuse.

History[edit]

The area was part of the former Central New York Military Tract. On February 26, 1830, the town of Skaneateles was formed from the town of Marcellus, and the town later annexed areas of the Town of Spafford in 1840. Early turnpikes facilitated development. The town was noted for participation in reform movements before the Civil War.

In 1843, the Skaneateles Community acquired and successfully operated a large farm and developed small industries. It ultimately failed because of internal difficulties, as well as external concern about its unorthodox social practices. Locals sometimes referred to it as "No God," because of the atheistic views of members. The Skaneateles Community published a newspaper, the "Comunitist" [sic] between 1844 and 1846 when the community dissolved. Buildings are extant, known as "Community Place," now serving as a bed-and-breakfast.

Some Skaneateles men volunteered for the ill-fated Upper Canada Rebellion (1837) to liberate Canada and were imprisoned by the British in Australia. Quaker congregations were involved in abolitionist activity. Underground Railroad sites have been documented in Skaneateles. Although the larger city of Syracuse nearby was known nationally as a center of abolition and Underground Railroad activity, Skaneateles was said (by Beauchamp, an early historian) to have "eclipsed Syracuse as an anti-slavery town."

On July 4, 1876, resident John Dodgson Barrow delivered the centennial address in Skaneateles recounting the history of the village up to that time.[5] In 1891, he had it printed in Syracuse as a 20-page book.[6]

The Brook Farm, Community Place, and Kelsey-Davey Farm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 48.8 square miles (126.3 km2), of which 42.7 square miles (87.49%) is land and 6.1 square miles (12.51%) is water.

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18303,812—
18403,9814.4%
18504,0812.5%
18604,3356.2%
18704,5244.4%
18804,8667.6%
18904,662−4.2%
19004,205−9.8%
19104,2741.6%
19204,247−0.6%
19304,79512.9%
19404,639−3.3%
19505,19311.9%
19606,60327.2%
19707,82518.5%
19807,795−0.4%
19907,526−3.5%
20007,323−2.7%
20107,209−1.6%
20207,112−1.3%
2021 (est.)7,1550.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
Farms and rolling hills surround Skaneateles Lake.

As of the 2020 United States census, there are 7,112 people and 1,998 families residing in the town. The population density is 166.91 people per square mile (66.45/km2). There are 3,233 housing units at an average density of 75.8 per square mile (29.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town is 93.56% White, 0.15% Black or African-American, 0.25% Native American and Alaska Native, 0.96% Asian, 0.62% from other races, and 4.46% from two or more races.[9] Hispanic or Latino people of any race also make up 2.31% of the population.[10]

It was estimated in 2021 that there are 3,047 households in Skaneateles, with which 20.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% are married couples living together, 30.8% are non-families, and 25.9% are made up of individuals. The average household size is 2.33 and the average family size is 2.87.[11]

In 2021, it was also estimated that 21.1% of people in Skaneateles are under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 29.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 51.1 years old.[12]

As of 2021, the median household income is estimated to be $90,762, and the median family income is estimated to be $120,667.[13] It is also estimated that 5.1% of the population and 1.9% of families are below the poverty line.[14]

High pasture on the west side of the lake
Residents and visitors stroll along Skaneateles' pier, just off Clift Park in the village of Skaneateles, for the best view of antique boats during Skaneateles' annual Antique and Classic Boat Show.

Communities and locations in the Town of Skaneateles[edit]

  • Highland Way – A neighborhood just east of Skaneateles village on Onondaga Rd.
  • Jones Beach – A hamlet on the east shore of Skaneateles Lake on NY-41.
  • Long Bridge – A hamlet at the north town line, north of Mottville.
  • Mandana – A hamlet down the west side of the lake.
  • Mottville – A hamlet two miles north of Skaneateles village on Jordan Street and north of Willow Glen.
  • Shepard Settlement – A farming hamlet.
  • Skaneateles – A village at the north end of Skaneateles Lake.
  • Skaneateles Falls – A hamlet northwest of Skaneateles village on Skaneateles Creek.
  • Thornton Grove – A lakeshore neighborhood on the west shore of the lake south of Winding Way.
  • Thornton Heights – A lakeshore neighborhood on the west shore of the lake home of the Veggie Stand.
  • Wicks Corners – A neighborhood on the west town line, northwest of Skaneateles village.
  • Willow Glen – A neighborhood on Old Seneca Turnpike, north of Skaneateles village.
  • Winding Way – A neighborhood on the west shore of Skaneateles Lake.

Notable people[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  3. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  4. ^ Kenyon, John S.; Knott, Thomas A. (1953). A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. p. 393. ISBN 0-87779-047-7.
  5. ^ Beauchamp, William Martin (1908). Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York: From Prehistoric Times to the Beginning of 1908. Onondaga County (N.Y.): S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 288. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  6. ^ Barrow, John D. (July 4, 1876). "Centennial Address by John D. Barrow". Skaneateles, New York: Masters & Stone Printers. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  8. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "P1: RACE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  10. ^ "P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "S1101: HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "S0101: AGE AND SEX". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  13. ^ "S1901: INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2021 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  14. ^ "S1702: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS OF FAMILIES". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  15. ^ Blakney, Susan S. (September 1988). "A Conservation Strategy For a Static Non-funded Collection: The John D. Barrow Art Gallery" (PDF). The Abbey Newsletter. 12 (6). Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  16. ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XVIII. New York, NY: James T. White & Company. 1922. p. 284 – via Google Books.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Beauchamp, William. "Notes of other days in Skaneateles", Skaneateles Democrat, 1876. Cornell Library New York State Literature
  • Hamm, Thomas D., God's Government Begun: The Society of Universal Inquiry and Reform, 1842-1846. Indian University Press, 1995.
  • Hamm, Thomas D. "Skaneateles Community." Encyclopedia of New York State, Syracuse University Press, 2005.
  • Fogarty, Robert. "Utopian and Intentional Communities," The Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse University Press, 2005.
  • Jay, Gregory S., "America the scrivener: Deconstruction and the subject of literary history." Cornell University Press, 1990.
  • Smithana, Don. "America—Land of the Rising Sun, 1989 Tokuma Shoten, Tokyo

External links[edit]

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