Perry (town), New York

Perry is a town in Wyoming County, New York, USA. The population was 6,654 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.

The Town of Perry is on the eastern border of the county. Perry is also the name of a village within the town.

U.S. Route 20A passes across the town.

History

The Town of Perry was established in 1814 from part of the Town of Leicester (now in Livingston County). Parts of the town were removed later to form new towns.

Chester A. Arthur, the twenty-first President of the United States spent some of his childhood years in the Village of Perry after being born in Vermont.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.6 square miles (94.8 km²), of which, 36.4 square miles (94.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.

The east town line is the border of Livingston County.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,654 people, 1,905 households, and 1,339 families residing in the town. The population density was 182.9 people per square mile (70.6/km²). There were 2,084 housing units at an average density of 57.3/sq mi (22.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.23% White, 15.75% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.31% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.33% of the population.

There were 1,905 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 40.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 168.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 187.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,455, and the median income for a family was $44,743. Males had a median income of $30,880 versus $21,674 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,441. About 6.2% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Perry

*Buffalo Corners -- A location on Route 246 north of Perry Center.
*Burke Hill -- A location west of Buffalo Corners.
*Perry -- The Village of Perry in on the south town line.
*Perry Center -- A hamlet at the intersection of Routes 20A and 246.
*Perry-Warsaw Municipal Airport (01G) -- A general aviation airport northwest of Perry village.
*Silver Lake -- The north end of the lake is southwest of Perry village.
*Simmons Corners -- A location east of Perry Center on Route 20A.
*Sucker Brook -- A hamlet west of Perry Center on Route 20A.
*West Perry Center -- A hamlet on the western town line on Route 20A.

References