Pittsford (town), New York

Geobox|Settlement
name = Pittsford
native_name =
other_name =
other_name1 =
category = Town


image_size =
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flag_size =
symbol =
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nickname =
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motto =
country = United States
state = New York
region_type = County
region = Monroe
district_type =
district =
area_imperial = 23.4
area_land_imperial = 23.2
area_water_imperial = 0.2
area_water_percentage = auto
area_percentage_round = 2
area_round = 1
location =
lat_d = 43
lat_m = 05
lat_s = 23
lat_NS = N
long_d = 77
long_m = 31
long_s = 0
long_EW = W
elevation_imperial = 564
elevation_round = 1
population_as_of = 2000
population = 27,219
population_density_imperial = 1163
population_density_round = 1
established_type = Incorporated
established = 1827
leader = William A Carpenter "(first elected 1993)"
leader_type = Supervisor
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
postal_code = 14534
postal_code_type = ZIP code
area_code = 585
area_code_type =
code2_type =
code2 =
free_type =
free =
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map_caption =
map1 = New York Locator Map.png map1_caption = Location of Pittsford in New York
map1_locator = New York
map2 = Map of USA NY.svg
map2_caption = Location of New York in the United States
website = http://www.townofpittsford.com/

Pittsford is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States and is an affluent suburb of Rochester. The population was 27,219 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Pittsford (formerly part of the town of Northfield) was incorporated in 1827. It was named by Colonel Caleb Hopkins, Pittsford's first town supervisor and War of 1812 hero, for the town of his birth, Pittsford, Vermont.

The Erie Canal passes through the town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.4 square miles (60.6 km²), of which, 23.2 square miles (60.1 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (0.81%) is water.

The Town of Pittsford is located in the southeastern portion of Monroe County approximately eight miles from the city of Rochester, New York. The Town of Mendon lies to the south, the Town of Perinton to the east, the Towns of Henrietta and Brighton to the west, and the Towns of Brighton and Penfield to the north.

History

The early history of the town is marked by the punitive Marquis Denonville expedition against the Seneca tribe in 1687.

In 1788, Massachusetts abandoned its claim to this region in favor of New York. The District of Northfield was formed in Ontario County in 1792, which became the Town of Northfield in 1796. As Northfield was subdivided in the following years, a final split formed the towns of Pittsford and Henrietta in 1814.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 27,219 people, 9,448 households, and 7,341 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,173.7 people per square mile (453.2/km²). There were 9,709 housing units at an average density of 418.6/sq mi (161.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.61% White, 1.60% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 4.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.

There were 9,448 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $88,232, and the median income for a family was $102,215. Males had a median income of $70,780 versus $39,336 for females. The per capita income for the town was $42,723. About 1.5% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools are administered by the Pittsford Central School District. The vision statement for Pittsford Central Schools is

*"As an educational leader with uncompromising commitment and passion for excellence, Pittsford Central Schools will deliver quality programs and services that maximize each child's academic performance and personal development, and provide for their future success".

The district web site [http://www.pittsfordschools.org/] boasts that it is one of the top notch school districts in the country. It has received the New York State Governor's Excelsior Award for quality. It costs $11,900 per year to educate a Pittsford student. Barker Road Middle School and Calkins Road Middle School have also received the award of "National School to Watch". a title that has only been given to around 90 schools in the country.

According to a ratio devised by Newsweek in which "the number of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students at a school" is "divided by the number of graduating seniors," Pittsford Mendon High School was ranked 39th among public high schools in the nation, and Pittsford Sutherland High School was ranked 77th. The next year, however, both were surpassed by neighboring school district Brighton.Fact|date=March 2008

While the two high schools have several varsity sports teams, their most popular sports are soccer, basketball, and football. Sutherland plays its athletics as the Knights while Mendon is known as the Vikings. The two schools however have a combined football team whose mascot is the Panther. The Mendon Vikings have an enthusiastic fan following known as "Mendon Madness," while the Sutherland Knights have "The Superfans." These loyal fan groups regularly attend Basketball and Soccer games clad in Maroon & Gold shirts with "Mendon Madness" across the front and "The Last True Fans" on the back for Mendon, and Blue & Gold shirts with a modified Superman logo for the Knights. The two schools have a long-standing rivalry in basketball, culminating with the annual Rainbow Classic game held at the University of Rochester. Adding to the many successful sports teams in Pittsford, NY, the Pittsford Mendon Vikings soccer team is known to have a tradition of soccer, holding the New York State record of 7 state championships Fact|date=February 2007. Both the Pittsford men's and women's swim teams have been consistently ranked number one in the State, the men's for the past 5 years straight and the women's 4 out of the past 5. Sutherland's baseball team has won the Section V Class A championship three straight seasons and has finished in the top 10 in New York State in each of the past three years. Sutherland's girl's varsity tennis team has also maintained a 5-year winning streak, going 70–0 in matches over all 5 years. Mendon's boys varsity tennis team holds dozens of Section V Class AA titles. The Mendon Girls Cross Country team has gone to states three years in a row and recently placed in the top ten at the Federation Championships. The Mendon Boys Cross Country also attended states this year and the Federation Championships. The Sutherland boys varsity golf team won two Section V Team Championship Class A titles in a row and they are looking for a third in 2008 at the Country Club of Mendon.Currently the Pittsford School District is renovating many of its schools as well as building entirely new facilities. Calkins Road Middle School has been finished, and the students who are going to Sutherland High School ave been moved from Barker Road to Calkins.

Pittsford also has two colleges within five miles of its town center: Saint John Fisher College and Nazareth College.

Industry and commerce

Pittsford is well known for its access to the Erie Canal. The canal was the main driver of commerce in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Most of the old buildings and barns on the canal have been converted into restaurants, cafes and shops. Concerts, boat tours and other events highlight this "Dickens" Village in the warmer months. Many local, independent businesses give Pittsford a unique flair.

Two large malls, Eastview Mall in Victor, and The Marketplace Mall in Henrietta, are popular for Pittsford residents of all ages. Pittsford Plaza, a large shopping center located on Monroe Avenue on the west side of the town is an important commercial area. Pittsford is the home of one of the largest Wegmans stores in the state. This store seems to be a major test center for the company, as they use it to test out new ideas, such as mini-restaurants and small pet stores attached to the main building.Fact|date=March 2008

Wegmans sponsors the Wegmans International – a stop on the LPGA tour – each June. The tournament has been held at Locust Hill Country Club, on the border of Pittsford and Henrietta, since 1977. Notable players such as Nancy Lopez, Patty Sheehan, Rosie Jones and the 2007 champion, Lorena Ochoa have topped the tournament's leaderboard.cite web|title= Wegmans LPGA |url=http://www.rochesterlpga.com/history.cfm

Also in Pittsford is the Oak Hill Country Club, which hosted the 1995 Ryder Cup, the 1989, 1968 and 1956 United States Opens, and the 1980 and 2003 PGA Championships.

The NFL Buffalo Bills have their summer training camp at St. John Fisher.

Once the home of many family-owned farms, much of Pittsford's farms have become suburban housing developments. A notable exception is the Knickerbocker family farm, located on Knickerbocker Road in the southeast part of town. The farm has been growing corn, wheat and other crops for 150 years. Pittsford is one of the few communities to have a Town-wide Green plan which attempts to conserve farm and park land for the future.

The town supervisor is William Carpenter and Commissioner of Public Works is Paul Schenkel.

Emergency Response in Pittsford

Access to emergency services is obtained by dialing 9-1-1, which connects the caller to the City of Rochester's Emergency Communications Department nowrap|(9-1-1 Center). The Monroe County Sheriff's Department provides primary law enforcement for the town.

The Pittsford Fire Department, staffed by volunteers, provides fire protection, rescue, and non-transport emergency medical services for the town.

The Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance which provides Basic Life Support with trained Emergency Medical Technicians. Advanced Life Support services are provided by the Southeast Quadrant Mobile Critical Care Unit (SEQ MCCU).

Notable residents

*Steve Gadd - Award-winning Jazz drummer [ [http://www.drstevegadd.com/ The Official Steve Gadd website] ] attended high school in Pittsford and still lives there
*Teddy Geiger - Singer-songwriter
*Christopher Lasch - Historian, moralist, and social critic.
*Wang Lee Hom - C-pop singer-songwriter previously lived in Pittsford and still has family residing in the town
*Mike Jones - Major League Baseball player
*Henry Lomb - co-founder of Bausch & Lomb Company
*Pamela Melroy - Astronaut, lived in Pittsford as a child and still has family residing in the town
*Chuck Mangione - Well-known jazz musician
*Tyson Beckford - Male supermodel and actor, attended Pittsford Mendon High School
*Adam Podlesh - Professional football player, punter for the Jacksonville Jaguars
*Abby Wambach - Soccer player grew up in Pittsford and still has family residing in the town
*Henri and Regan Young - Twin child actors who live in Pittsford; credentials include playing the roles of "Art" and "Lee" in as yet unreleased film "They Came From Upstairs".
*Nicole Fiscella - Isabel Coates on Gossip Girl
*Joy Tanner - Nora MacDonald on Disney's Life With Derek

Communities and locations in the Town of Pittsford

*Pittsford -- The Village of Pittsford.

References

External links

* [http://www.pittsfordschools.org/index.cfm Pittsford Central Schools]
* [http://pittsfordchamber.org/ Pittsford Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.townofpittsford.org/ Town of Pittsford website]
* [http://www.historicpittsford.com/ Historic Pittsford website]
* [http://www.pittsfordvillage.org/ Pittsford Village website]