Gorham is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Ontario County,
New York, United States. The population was 4,130 at the 2020 census.
The town is named after
Nathaniel Gorham.
The Town of Gorham is at the southern border of the county, southeast of
Canandaigua.
History
Gorham was created at the same time as the county (1789) as the "Town of Easton." The town changed its name to "Lincoln" in 1806, and adopted the current name, the name of an early proprietor, in 1807. Part of Gorham was taken in 1822 to form the
Town of Hopewell. More territory, including the east shore of Canandaigua Lake, was added to Gorham in 1824.
A fire consumed much of Gorham village in 1868.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (8.10%) is water.
The southern town line is the border of
Yates County, and the western town line is marked by
Canandaigua Lake, one of the
Finger Lakes.
New York State Route 245 intersects
New York State Route 247 northeast of Rushville. NY-247 and
New York State Route 364 are north–south highways in the town, but NY-364 is farther west, near Canandaigua Lake.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 3,776 people, 1,410 households, and 1,036 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,900 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.36%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.37%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.05%
Native American, 0.13%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.21% from
other races, and 0.85% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.
There were 1,410 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were
married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,138, and the median income for a family was $45,917. Males had a median income of $35,658 versus $23,682 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $20,736. About 4.2% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Samuel Reed Clark, former Wisconsin State Assemblyman
*
William H. Lamport, former US Congressman
*
Luman Walters, mentor to
Joseph Smith
Communities and locations in the Town of Gorham
*Babbitt Corner – A location in the northeast part of the town.
*Baldwin Corners – A location northeast of Rushville.
*Cottage City – A hamlet on the shore of Canandaigua Lake, south of Crystal Beach on NY-364.
*Crystal Beach – A hamlet (and census-designated place) on the shore of Canandaigua Lake, south of Greens Landing on NY-364.
*Flint Creek – A stream flowing northward past Gorham village.
*
Gorham – The hamlet (and census-designated place) of Gorham is near the east town line on NY-245. It was previously called "Bethel," but the current name was adopted in 1856 to match the town's name.
*Granger – A location southwest of Gorham village on NY-245.
*Greens Landing – A hamlet on the shore of Canandaigua Lake on NY-364.
*Mead Corner – A location in the northeast part of the town.
*Reed Corner – A location in the north part of the town on NY-247.
*
Rushville – The north part of the Village of Rushville lies within the town and is located on NY-247.
*West River – A stream in the south part of the town, passing Rushville, that eventually enters Canandaigua Lake.
*Wilson Corner – A location east of Cottage City at the junction of NY-247 and Lake to Lake Road.
References
External links
Town of Gorham
{{authority control
Rochester metropolitan area, New York
Towns in Ontario County, New York
Towns in New York (state)
1789 establishments in New York (state)