Waterloo, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Waterloo, New York
Town
Library in Waterloo
Waterloo, New York Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Seneca
Settled	1800; 225 years ago (1800)
Established	March 26, 1829; 196 years ago (1829-03-26)
Government
• Type	Town Council
Area
• Total	21.82 sq mi (56.50 km2)
• Land	21.67 sq mi (56.12 km2)
• Water	0.15 sq mi (0.38 km2)
Elevation	469 ft (143 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,378
• Estimate  (2022)	7,256
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	13165
Area code(s)	315 and 680
FIPS code	36-78564
GNIS feature ID	0979603
Website	https://waterlootown.org/

Waterloo is a town located in Seneca County, New York, in the United States. In 2020, about 7,378 people lived here. Both the town and its main community are named after Waterloo, Belgium. This is the place where Napoleon was defeated in a famous battle.

The Town of Waterloo is on the western edge of Seneca County. It is located east of Geneva. There is also a village called Waterloo, which is the main county seat for Seneca County.

History of Waterloo

The land where Waterloo is now was once home to the Seneca tribe and Cayuga tribe. These Native American groups were visited by Jesuit missionaries in the 1600s.

In 1779, the Sullivan Expedition traveled through this area. Their goal was to destroy the villages of the native tribes. After the war, this land became part of the Central New York Military Tract. This land was set aside for military veterans.

The first settlers arrived in the area around the year 1800. The Town of Waterloo was officially created in 1829. It was formed from a larger area called the Town of Junius. The town was likely named after the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium.

Geography of Waterloo

Waterloo covers a total area of about 21.8 square miles (56.5 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 21.7 square miles (56.1 square kilometers), is land. A small part, about 0.1 square miles (0.4 square kilometers), is water.

The western border of the town touches Ontario County. Part of the southern border is formed by Seneca Lake. The Seneca River and the Cayuga-Seneca Canal also form part of the southern boundary.

Major roads run through Waterloo. New York State Route 5 and U.S. Route 20 join together as a main east-west highway. New York State Route 96 is another important highway that turns south near Waterloo village.

Population in Waterloo

In 2010, there were 7,642 people living in Waterloo. There were 3,118 households and 2,008 families. The town had about 352 people per square mile.

Most of the people living in Waterloo were White (95.9%). About 1.5% were Black or African American. A small number were Native American (0.1%) or Asian (0.3%). About 2.5% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

About 26.1% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (44.6%) were married couples. The average household had 2.35 people. The average family had 2.83 people.

The population's age varied. About 23.5% were under 20 years old. About 18.2% were 65 years or older. The average age in the town was 43.3 years.

Schools in Waterloo

Waterloo has several public and private schools.

Public Schools

• Skoi-Yase School teaches students from Pre-School to Grade 2.
• Lafayette Intermediate School teaches Grades 3 to 5.
• Main Street Multiage School teaches Grades K-5. This school used to be Border City Elementary School.
• Waterloo Middle School teaches Grades 6 to 8.
• Waterloo High School teaches Grades 9 to 12.

Private Schools

• Fayette Mennonite School is a private Mennonite school. It teaches Grades 1 to 8. About 50 students attend this school.
• St. Mary's School was a private Roman Catholic school. It taught students from prekindergarten to Grade 8 until 2005. It then joined with St. Patrick's school in Seneca Falls. Together, they formed St. John Bosco School.

Communities and Locations

The Town of Waterloo includes several smaller communities and important places:

• Border City – A small community near the western town line, close to Geneva.
• Dobbins Corner – A community located on County Road 112, at the west town line.
• East Geneva – Another community near the western town boundary. It is located on US-20/NY-5.
• Packwood Corners – A community on US-20/NY-5, found on the southern town line.
• Parr Harbour – A place west of Waterloo village on US-20/NY-5.
• Seneca Lake State Park – A state park in the southwestern part of the town. It's a great place for outdoor activities.
• Seneca Meadows – This is New York State's largest active landfill.
• Serven – A location that includes parts of Border City and East Geneva. It stretches along US-20/NY-5.
• Waterloo – This is the main Village of Waterloo. It is on US-20/NY-5 and is partly in the Town of Fayette.

Notable People from Waterloo

Many interesting people have connections to Waterloo:

• Louise Blanchard Bethune – A famous architect.
• Tom Coughlin – A successful former head coach for the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars football teams.
• Mike McLaughlin – A professional NASCAR driver.
• Louise Scherbyn – A motorcyclist who started the Women's International Motorcycle Association (WIMA).
• Charles E. Stuart – A U.S. Representative and Senator from Michigan.
• George Bradshaw Kelly – A U.S. Representative for New York's 38th congressional district from 1937 to 1939.
• Agnes Woodward – A professional whistler who was born in Waterloo.

See also

In Spanish: Waterloo (Nueva York) para niños