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Town of Greece
Greece Town Hall
Greece Town Hall
Official seal of Town of Greece
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Town of Good People
Motto(s): 
Discover the Promise
Location in Monroe County and the state of New York.
Location in Monroe County and the state of New York.
Location of New York in the United States
Location of New York in the United States
Town of Greece is located in New York
Town of Greece
Town of Greece
Location in New York
Town of Greece is located in the United States
Town of Greece
Town of Greece
Location in the United States
Country United States
State New York
County Monroe
Established March 22, 1822; 202 years ago (1822-03-22)
Named for Greece
Government
 • Type Town council
Area
 • Total 51.39 sq mi (133.11 km2)
 • Land 47.52 sq mi (123.08 km2)
 • Water 3.87 sq mi (10.03 km2)
Elevation
424 ft (129 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 96,095
 • Estimate 
(2019)
95,499 Decrease
 • Density 2,023.80/sq mi (781.39/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
14612, 14615, 14616, 14626
Area code(s) 585
FIPS code 36-055-30290
Website http://www.greeceny.gov/

Greece is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. A suburb of Rochester, New York, it is the largest town by population in Monroe County, and the second-largest municipality by population in the county, behind only the City of Rochester. As of April, 2023, the town has a population of 94,591.

History

The Town of Greece was established in 1822 from part of the Town of Gates and was previously called Northampton. The name "Greece" was selected because of the contemporary struggle of Greece for independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Prior to European settlement, the area the town occupies was inhabited by the Algonquian and Iroquois. The first European to visit the area was the French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, who visited in 1669. French and British soldiers passed through on multiple occasions during this time period as the two colonial powers struggled to control the region. European settlers began to arrive in the area in the late 1790s, after the land was formally purchased from the Seneca.

In the 19th century, Greece was primarily a farming community. Much of the economic activity in the town centered on the port of Charlotte, located on the eastern edge of town at the mouth of the Genesee River. A number of summer cottages and hotels for Rochester residents were built along the coast of Lake Ontario, and connected to Charlotte and the city by the Grand View Beach Railway in 1891.

As the city of Rochester expanded, it annexed large portions of the town. Charlotte was annexed in 1915, and the industrial district of Kodak Park was annexed in 1918. After World War II, large numbers of factory workers and their families moved to Greece and the town transformed into a residential suburb.

According to the Morgan Quitno Awards, Greece was rated the ninth-overall-safest city in America and the sixth-safest city with a population of 75,000 to 99,999.

The William Payne House, Greece Memorial Hall, William Covert Cobblestone Farmhouse, and Our Mother of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church Complex are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Town supervisors
Name Term Name Term Name Term
John Williams 1822
1830
Peter Larkin 1861–1862
1872
1876
Frank Vance 1902–Feb 14, 1903
Frederick Bushnell 1823–1825 Harry A. Olmsted 1863 Willis N. Britton Feb 25, 1903
Silas Walker 1826–1829 Nelson Lewis 1864–1869 Frank Truesdale 1904–1909
Elijah Hughitt 1831 Simon Butts 1870–1871 Frank Dobson 1910–1915
Giles H. Holden 1832–1833 David Todd 1874–1875 Herbert J. Paine 1916–1921
Asa Rowe 1834–1835
1842
Alanson P. Britton 1877–1878
1884–1885
1887
1893
April 29, 1901–December 31, 1901
Frank J. Mitchell 1922–1927
Samuel Bradley 1836–1838 John Lowden 1879–1880 William F. Schmitt 1928–1933
Lyman Langworthy 1839–1841
1850
John Kintz 1881 Gordon A. Howe 1934–1960
Abdial Carpenter 1843
1848
Erastus Benedict 1882–1883 Vincent L. Tofany 1960–1964
George C. Salter 1844 Lucien A. Rowe 1886 George W. Badgerow 1965–1969
George C. Latta 1845
1849
John M. Lowdon 1888–1889 Fred J. Eckert 1970–1972
James S. Stone 1846–1847
1853
Thomas Eddy 1890 Donald J. Riley 1973–1989
Levi H. Parrish 1851–1852 Joseph R. Beaty 1891–1892 Roger W. Boily 1989–1997
Elias Avery 1854–1855 James B. Castle 1894–1897 John T. Auberger 1998–2013
Erastus Walker 1856–1857
1873
Edward Frisbee 1898–February 27, 1901 William D. Reilich 2013–present
Joshua Eaton 1858 William T. Whelehan March 1, 1901 – March 27, 1901
Alamander Wilder 1859 Charles H. Banker March 27, 1901 – April 24, 1901

Geography

Greece is located at 43o 14' N latitude, 077o 42' W longitude.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 51.4 square miles (133 km2), of which 47.4 square miles (123 km2) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km2) (7.65%) is water.

The town is in the northern part of Monroe County and borders the City of Rochester on the east, the Town of Gates on the south, the towns of Parma and Ogden on the west, and Lake Ontario on the north. The town is a contiguous suburb of Rochester.

Major highways in the town include NY 390 and the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1830 2,574
1840 3,669 42.5%
1850 4,219 15.0%
1860 4,147 −1.7%
1870 4,314 4.0%
1880 4,848 12.4%
1890 5,145 6.1%
1900 5,579 8.4%
1910 7,777 39.4%
1920 3,350 −56.9%
1930 12,113 261.6%
1940 14,925 23.2%
1950 25,508 70.9%
1960 48,670 90.8%
1970 75,136 54.4%
1980 81,367 8.3%
1990 90,106 10.7%
2000 94,141 4.5%
2010 96,095 2.1%
2023 (est.) 94,591 −1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 94,141 people, 36,995 households, and 25,748 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,985.0 inhabitants per square mile (766.4/km2). There were 38,315 housing units at an average density of 807.9 per square mile (311.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.37% White, 2.88% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population.

FetznerCarriagegreece
J & F Fetzner Carriage and Blacksmith shop on West Ridge Road, by Raymond Getzner, 1877

There were 36,995 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. Of all households, 25.6% were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,355, and the median income for a family was $57,102. Males had a median income of $41,563 versus $29,864 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,614. About 3.6% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are three school districts serving the Town of Greece: the Greece Central School District, the Hilton Central School District and the Spencerport Central School District.

There are twelve elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools in the Greece Central School District, educating approximately 13,000 students. The post-elementary schools have Classical Greek names: Arcadia, Athena (Middle/High), Odyssey Academy, and Olympia. The school district's motto is "One Vision, One Team, One Greece." Among the elementary schools, Brookside, Longridge, Paddy Hill, Pine Brook and West Ridge span K-5.

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Greece (Nueva York) para niños

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