Ogden 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 Monroe County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 20,270 at the 2020 census. The

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

passes through Ogden.

History

The town of Ogden was founded on January 17, 1817, from the town of

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

, which at that time was part of Genesee County.

Geography

Ogden is in western Monroe County and is bordered on the north by the town of Parma, on the east by the towns of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and Gates, on the west by the town of

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, and on the south by the towns of

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

and Chili. A short distance at Ogden's southwest corner is bordered by the town of

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

in Genesee County. Downtown Rochester is to the east. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town of Ogden has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.70%, are water. The southeastern part of town is drained by tributaries of the

Genesee River The Genesee River ( ) is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. The river contains several waterfalls in New York at Letchworth State Park and Roch ...

, while the remainder of the town drains to the north via direct tributaries 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 (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

, such as Salmon Creek, Northrup Creek, and Larkin Creek. The Erie Canal runs east to west through the northern part of the town, passing through the village of Spencerport.

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 18,492 people, 6,527 households, and 5,032 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 6,740 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.53%

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 ...

, 1.35%

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 ...

, 0.21% Native American, 0.74% 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 ...

, 0.29% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 1.37% of the population. There were 6,527 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.19. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $59,240, and the median income for a family was $64,606. Males had a median income of $46,145 versus $30,438 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 $23,587. About 2.0% of families and 2.7% 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 2.3% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The town is governed by a town board, consisting of a town supervisor and four board members, all elected by registered town voters. The town's current (2024) mayor is Gay H. Lenhard.

Communities and locations in Ogden

* Adams Basin – the unincorporated hamlet of Adams Basin is within the town. * Spencerport – the village of Spencerport is within the town.

Notable people

* Morilla M. Norton (1865-1916), author, poet

References

External links

* {{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Monroe County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1817 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1817