Wilson is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niaga ...

, New York, United States. The population was 5,993 at the 2010 census. The town was named after an early settler, Reuben Wilson, who built and dwelt in a log cabin on the shore of Lake Ontario at the site of what would become the Village of Wilson. The Town of Wilson is on the northern border of the county and contains a village, also called Wilson.

History

The Town of Wilson was established in 1818 from the town of

Porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

. The origin of the town name is Reuben Wilson, one of the earliest pioneers of the town. The Morse Cobblestone Farmhouse was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2010.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of 51.5 square miles (133.3 km²), of which 49.5 square miles (128.3 km²) is land and 1.9 square miles (5.0 km²) (3.75%) is water. The Town of Wilson is on the south shore of

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...

. North-south highway New York State Route 425 (Wilson-Cambria Road) intersects New York State Route 18 (Seaway Trail) in Wilson village.

Adjacent cities and towns

* Town of Porter - west * Town of Lewiston - southwest * Town of Newfane - east * Town of Cambria - south *

- north

Major highways in the Town of Wilson

* New York State Route 18 (Lake Rd., Creek Rd.), East-West Highway across the north part of town roughly paralleling Lake Ontario from Porter town line to the Newfane town line. *

New York State Route 93 New York State Route 93 (NY 93) is a state highway in western New York in the United States. The route begins at an intersection with NY 18F in the village of Youngstown and runs in a general northwest–southeast direction ...

(Youngstown-Lockport Rd.), East-West roadway through the southwest part of town from the Cambria town line to the Porter town line. * New York State Route 425 (Cambria-Wilson Rd.), (Lake Street), North-South roadway through the town from its northern terminus with NY 18 to the Cambria town line.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 5,840 people, 2,224 households, and 1,672 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 117.9 people per square mile (45.5/km²). There were 2,438 housing units at an average density of 49.2/sq mi (19.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.57%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.38%

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 ...

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 ens ...

, 0.53% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.36% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.87% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population. There were 2,224 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 26.4% 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 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,557, and the median income for a family was $47,180. Males had a median income of $40,750 versus $23,494 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $19,654. About 3.4% of families and 5.2% 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 t ...

, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Nearby locations

* Coolidge Beach – A shoreline

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

west of Roosevelt Beach *Dorwood Park – A location west of South Wilson. * East Wilson – A hamlet near the eastern town line on Chestnut Road. * Elberta – A hamlet in the western part of the town south of Wilson village. *Hollands International Airport (85N) – A small grass strip general aviation

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

, located near the eastern town line. It is used for parachute jumping. * Hopkins Beach – A shoreline hamlet near the western county line. * Pleasant Corners – A hamlet on NY-425 at Braley Road. * Roosevelt Beach – A shoreline hamlet west of Wilson village. * South Wilson – A hamlet south of Wilson village on the Cambria-Wilson Road (NY-425). * Sunset Beach – A shoreline hamlet on the west side of Wilson village. *Twelve Mile Creek – A stream that flows into Lake Ontario at the Wilson-Tuscarora State Park, west of Wilson village. * Wilson – The Village of Wilson is on the Lake Ontario shore at the junction of routes NY-18 and NY-425. * Wilson-Tuscarora State Park – A lakeside park west of Wilson village. *Woodland Heights – A lakeside hamlet near the northeast part of the town.

References

External links

Town and Village of Wilson webpage

Wilson Central School's website

Library holdings of books, maps, etc, relating to the Town and Village of Wilson

Library holdings of books, etc, relating to Wilson, NY, schools (Wilson Central School District and its predecessors: Wilson Collegiate Institute, Wilson Union School, etc.)
{{Authority control Towns in New York (state) Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area Towns in Niagara County, New York Populated places on Lake Ontario in the United States