Baldwinsville, New York

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Baldwinsville is a village in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 7,053 at the 2000 census.

The Village of Baldwinsville is located in the Towns of Lysander and Van Buren.

Contents 1 History 2 Government 3 Education 4 Culture 5 Geography 6 Demographics 7 External links

[edit] History

What is known today as Baldwinsville was founded as an unnamed settlement by John McHarrie (originally a farmer from Maryland), who used to provide portage across the Seneca River.

It is named after Dr. Jonas Baldwin and his wife Eliza who visited the area in 1798, returning to settle in 1808 to start the community. Dr. Baldwin built a dam across the Seneca River to generate energy and a private canal to keep the integrity of the water highway. It incorporated in 1848 as the Village of Baldwinsville.

Baldwinsville initially grew as a local center for a prosperous farming area, with a grain mill located on an island in the center of town between the Erie Canal (now the New York State Barge Canal) and the Seneca River. It was also served by the Erie Lackawanna Railway, connecting Baldwinsville to the cities of Syracuse and Oswego. In addition to agriculture, Baldwinsville had small factories, such as Morris Machine Works, Jardine Bronze Foundry, and others. A large brewery now owned by Anheuser-Busch was constructed in the 1970s to take advantage of ample water supplies from Lake Ontario. As agriculture and industry have receded, Baldwinsville has evolved into an attractive and picturesque bedroom community.

Grace Episcopal Church, formerly of Elizabeth Street, is believed to be the first church in the United States to use electric lighting.

Dozens of local farm boys are listed on the Civil War monument in the village cemetery along the Seneca River, having served and died in several units of the Union Army. Those listed on this monument served under General John A. Logan as part of William T. Sherman's army. Other units included 1st Regiment, Light Artillery, N. Y. S. Volunteers Battery B (Pettit's Battery) which fought at many major battles, including:

• Antietam, Md. September 15-17, 1862.
• Battle of Fredericksburg December 12-17, 1862.
• Battle of Chancellorsville May 1-3, 1863.
• Battle of Gettysburg July 2-3, 1863.
• Battle of Spotsylvania May 12, 1864.
• Petersburg, Virginia June 16-20, 1864.

[edit] Government

Mayor:

• Daniel D. O’Hara

Village Trustees:

• Rick Presley (Deputy Mayor)
• David Mott
• Anthony Saraceni
• Joe Saraceni
• Bruce Stebbins
• Howard Tupper

[edit] Education

The village has a public school district named after it; it has one high school (C.W. Baker High School), one middle school (Donald S. Ray Middle School), one junior high school (Theodore R. Durgee Junior High School), and five elementary schools (Harry Elden, Catherine McNamara, Pearl Palmer, Mae E. Reynolds and Van Buren). A number of parochial schools are also located there.

[edit] Culture

Several community festivals are held each year. Celebrate Baldwinsville, a festival that celebrates the village and surrounding community is held every September. The Seneca River Day festival (formerly the John McHarrie Day festival) occurs in July; it features an anything that floats race, which encourages entrants to build a floating vehicle without spending more than a set amount (currently $50). Many functions are held at the Anheuser-Busch amphitheater on Paper Mill Island. There have been several local, regional and national bands playing on weekends throughout the summer months. In the downtown area, there are 5 bars and one wine and coffee bar.

[edit] Geography

Baldwinsville is located at 43°9′36″N, 76°20′5″W (43.159867, -76.334594)^GR1. The village is located on the Seneca River, which flows through the village, through the historic downtown area and forms a section of the Erie Canal. Its 24th lock sports a local restaurant.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 8.4 km² (3.2 mi²). 8.0 km² (3.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (5.23%) is water.

Baldwinsville is located on gently rolling country shaped by the glaciers of the Ice Age, which also created nearby Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes. It lies in a transitional zone between the nearly flat plain immediately adjacent to Lake Ontario, and the hills to the south that form the approaches to the Allegheny Mountains of southern New York and northern Pennsylvania. This rolling glacial terrain is intersected and divided by forests, meadows, farmland, and bodies of water of all types, which, combined with significant seasonal variations, presents a constantly changing tableau of immense beauty. Local soils are a rich and varied blend, with deposits of gravels, sands, and rock flour, ground up and tilled by the glaciers, and left behind as they receded to the north. As is typical of the Great Lakes plains, these varied soils and gentle slopes create ideal conditions for specialty agriculture, orchards, and vegetable farming. The "lake effect " moderates the harsh arctic winters found on the north side of Lake Ontario, but this comes at a price. Snowfall in the region is the highest for any metropolitan area in the United States. High average rainfall and snowfall result in abundant water resources.

Baldwinsville is in a region of rivers, lakes, streams, swamps, marshes, creeks, and ponds. Local forests, while predominantly hardwoods such as Sugar Maple, are also widely variable due to the variations in soil, drainage, and microclimate. Nearly every tree species found in the northeastern United States can be found in the forests near Baldwinsville. Wildlife is abundant, and many varieties of fish are found in the local waters.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 7,053 people, 2,801 households, and 1,837 families residing in the village. The population density was 884.1/km² (2,291.7/mi²). There were 2,924 housing units at an average density of 366.5/km² (950.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.87% White, 0.75% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.

There were 2,801 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% 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 3.05.

In the village the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $40,143, and the median income for a family was $51,549. Males had a median income of $37,259 versus $25,740 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,817. About 5.6% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 43.159867° -76.334594°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
• Baldwinsville at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
• 1st Artillery Regiment (Light) Civil War Morgan's Light Artillery
• Battery B Monument at Gettysburg