Mount Morris is a
town in
Livingston County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
, United States. The population was 4,465 at the 2010 census.
The town and village were named after
Robert Morris, a
Founding Father
The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
of the United States.
The town of Mount Morris has a village also called
Mount Morris. The town is on the western border of the county and is home to part of
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park is a New York State Park located in Livingston County and Wyoming County in the western part of the State of New York. The park is roughly long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep ...
.
History
The region was first settled by Europeans ''circa'' 1784. It was first known as "Allens Hill", then as "Richmond Hill". The town was formed from the town of
Leicester in 1818. The former
Genesee Valley Canal
The Genesee Valley Canal is a former canal that operated in central New York between 1840 and 1878. It ran for a length of 124 miles, passing through 106 locks. Its course was later used by the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad and today comprises po ...
passed through the town.
In 1952
Mount Morris Dam
The Mount Morris Dam is a concrete dam on the Genesee River. It is located south of Rochester, New York in the towns of Leicester and Mount Morris in Livingston County, New York, next to Letchworth State Park.
History
The Mt. Morris Dam was b ...
was finished on the
Genesee River for flood control.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.21%, are water.
The northwest town line is defined by the
Genesee River. The southwestern half of the town line following the Genesee is the border of
Wyoming County.
New York State Route 36
New York State Route 36 (NY 36) is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway extends for from the Pennsylvania state line at Troupsburg, Steuben County northward to Ogden, Monr ...
and
New York State Route 408
New York State Route 408 (NY 408) is a state highway located entirely within Livingston County, New York, in the United States. It runs north–south from an intersection with NY 70 near the hamlet of Dalton in the town of Nunda ...
intersect in Mount Morris village.
Interstate 390
Interstate 390 (I-390) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86 and New York State Route 17 Y 1 ...
passes near the east town line.
Adjacent towns and areas
(
Clockwise
Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite s ...
)
*
Leicester
*
Groveland;
West Sparta
*
Nunda;
Portage
Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
*
Castile
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 4,567 people, 1,783 households, and 1,132 families residing in the town. The
population density was 90.1 people per square mile (34.8/km
2). There were 1,925 housing units at an average density of 38.0 per square mile (14.7/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.05%
White, 0.92%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
, 0.33%
Native American, 0.61%
Asian, 1.93% from
other races, and 1.16% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 4.49% of the population.
There were 1,783 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were
married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,813, and the median income for a family was $38,015. Males had a median income of $31,940 versus $20,625 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $15,871. About 11.1% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and Locations in the Town of Mount Morris
*Brooks Grove – A
hamlet in the southwest part of the town on Route 408. The name is from the founder, General Micah Brooks.
*Deyuitga'oh ("Where the Valley Widens") – A native village once located near where the Mount Morris Dam is currently situated.
*
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park is a New York State Park located in Livingston County and Wyoming County in the western part of the State of New York. The park is roughly long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep ...
– A
state park on the west border of the town.
*
Mount Morris – The village of Mount Morris near the northern border of the town.
*
Mount Morris Dam
The Mount Morris Dam is a concrete dam on the Genesee River. It is located south of Rochester, New York in the towns of Leicester and Mount Morris in Livingston County, New York, next to Letchworth State Park.
History
The Mt. Morris Dam was b ...
– A
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...
northwest of Mount Morris village.
*Ridge – A hamlet southwest of Mount Morris village on NY-408.
*River Road Forks – A location west of Brooks Grove. This location has also been called "River Road".
*
Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following:
First nations and Native American people and culture
* Tuscarora people
**'' Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960)
* Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people
* ...
– A hamlet and
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
in the southeast part of the town.
*Union Corners – A hamlet on the town line east of Tuscarora.
Notable people
*
Ross Barnes
Charles Roscoe Barnes (May 8, 1850 – February 5, 1915) was one of the stars of baseball's National Association (1871–1875) and the early National League (1876–1881), playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston R ...
, one of the early stars of the
National Association and
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
; born in Mount Morris
*
Francis Bellamy, author of the
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. The first version, with a text different from the one used ...
; born in Mount Morris
*
Gus Ganakas
Augustus George "Gus" Ganakas (July 3, 1926 – January 11, 2019) was an American sports broadcaster, athletics administrator, and coach of the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team.
Early life
Ganakas was born on July 3, 1926, in Mount ...
, basketball head coach at
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
in 1970s; born in Mount Morris
*
George Hastings, US congressman
*
Sarah Hopkins Bradford
Sarah Hopkins Bradford (August 20, 1818 – June 25, 1912) was an American writer and historian, best known today for her two pioneering biographical books on Harriet Tubman. Most of her work consists of children's literature.
Biography
Early ...
, writer and historian; born in Mount Morris
*
Joe La Barbera, Jazz drummer.
*
Mary Seymour Howell, suffragette; born and died in Mount Morris
*
Mary Jemison
Mary Jemison (''Deh-he-wä-nis'') (1743 – September 19, 1833) was a Scots-Irish colonial frontierswoman in Pennsylvania and New York, who became known as the "White Woman of the Genesee." As a young girl she was captured and adopted into a Sen ...
, the "White Woman of the Genesee"
*
Marie Boening Kendall, painter
*
James M. Mead
James Michael Mead (December 27, 1885March 15, 1964) was an American politician from New York. A Democrat, among the offices in which he served was member of the Erie County Board of Supervisors (1914-1915), New York State Assembly (1915-1918) ...
, US congressman
*Major General
William Augustus Mills (1777–1844), who served during defense of Niagara frontier in War of 1812
*
Charles Gilbert Peterson, contractor
*
Gilbert Peterson, contractor
*
John Wesley Powell, a
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alth ...
and explorer; born in Mount Morris
*
Annie Rockfellow, architect
References
External links
*
Brief history of Mt. Morris, NY
{{authority control
New York (state) populated places on the Genesee River
Rochester metropolitan area, New York
Towns in Livingston County, New York