Seneca Falls (village), New York
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Seneca Falls is a village located in Seneca County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 6,861.
The Village of Seneca Falls is located in the Town of Seneca Falls.
Geography and History
Seneca Falls is located at 42°54'31" North, 76°47'52" West (42.908713, -76.797986)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 11.9 km² (4.6 mi²). 11.5 km² (4.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.28% water.
The village was named after a 40-foot waterfall on the Seneca River which drains Keuka Lake, Seneca and Cayuga Lakes of the Finger Lakes. The river has been canalized for navigation, to connect Seneca and Cayuga Lakes with the Erie Canal, bypassing the falls.
The falls were also the cause of the village's existence, providing water power for mills, distilleries, tanneries and other factories. By the mid 19th Century, Seneca Falls was the third largest flour milling center in the world, after Rochester and Oswego. There is still a small hydroelectric power generating station a little upstream.
A young man Birdsill Holly moved to Seneca Falls from Auburn to work as a mechanic in one of these mills. His son Birdsill Holly Jr. was entranced by the water power, studying hydraulics and mechanics until he became one of the foremost American inventors. He became a partner in the Silsby Company, also called "The Island Works." While working for this company he obtained his first patent, which was for a rotary water pump. He later removed to Lockport, New York, where he continued inventing, but his work with pumps was continued by Seabury S. Gould Sr. who cast the first all-metal pump and founded Gould Pumps a worldwide pump manufacturer, which still maintains its headquarters and a major factory in Seneca Falls.
The Village of Seneca Falls is prominent in the Women's Rights Movement. It was the residence of Amelia Bloomer, who popularized a dress reform in her newspaper The Lily which became known as bloomers. Early Feminist leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized The first Women's Rights Convention, also known as the Seneca Falls Convention, here in 1848 at the Wesleyan Chapel which is commemorated by the Women's Rights National Historical Park in the village today. The National Women's Hall of Fame was established in Seneca Falls in 1969. It honors American women for their contributions to society.
The first woman mayor of Seneca Falls was Diana M. Smith, elected 2004.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 6,861 people, 2,870 households, and 1,813 families residing in the village. The population density is 598.0/km² (1,550.2/mi²). There are 3,136 housing units at an average density of 273.3/km² (708.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 96.43% White, 0.73% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.18% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,870 households out of which 29.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% are married couples living together, 10.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% are non-families. 29.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 2.93.
In the village the population is spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $36,543, and the median income for a family is $49,280. Males have a median income of $35,911 versus $24,268 for females. The per capita income for the village is $18,520. 11.3% of the population and 7.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- 1848 Women's Rights Convention (http://www.npg.si.edu/col/seneca/senfalls1.htm)