Sonyea

Groveland is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 3,249 at the 2010 census.[3] The town is centrally located in the county, south of Geneseo.

The Sullivan Expedition (1779) reached its farthest extent here. Groveland was the site of the Boyd and Parker ambush.

The first settlement occurred in 1792 and was called "Willamsburgh". The town was formed in 1789 before the creation of Livingston County. Part of Groveland was used to form parts of the towns of Conesus (1819) and Sparta (1856).

The Groveland Shaker Village settlement was established in 1836 on a 1,700-acre (690 ha) farm near present-day Sonyea. Their peak in population was 148 members that year, when they moved from their former location at Sodus. The Shakers sold the property in 1892 due to declining membership, and moved to Watervliet.[4] Their former buildings and land are now part of the Groveland Correctional Facility. The Craig Colony for Epileptics at Sonyea was a former Shaker colony.[5]

The Claud No. 1 Archeological Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[6] The Boyd & Parker Park and Groveland Ambuscade was also listed on the National Register in 2009.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.8 square miles (103.2 km2), of which 39.2 square miles (101.4 km2) are land and 0.73 square miles (1.9 km2), or 1.82%, are water.[9] Conesus Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, forms part of the eastern boundary. Canaseraga Creek, a north-flowing tributary of the Genesee River, crosses the southwest part of the town through a broad valley.

Interstate 390 passes north-to-south through the town. New York State Route 36, New York State Route 63, and New York State Route 256 are north-south highways through the town. New York State Route 408 is a highway terminating in the western part of the town at NY-63.

Groveland is on the Rochester-to-Dansville line of the Rochester & Southern Railroad. From 1882-1963, Groveland was on the Main Line of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W) and successor Erie-Lackawanna Railroad. In 1963, the Main Line over Dansville Hill from Groveland to Wayland was abandoned by order of the Interstate Commerce Commission to promote highway usage. The portion of today's R&S line west and north of Groveland was originally part of the DL&W, while the portion between Groveland and Dansville was part of the Dansville and Mount Morris Railroad and predecessors.

(Clockwise)

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 3,853 people, 555 households, and 396 families residing in the town. The population density was 98.4 people per square mile (38.0/km2). There were 649 housing units at an average density of 16.6 per square mile (6.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 60.06% White, 32.44% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 6.46% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.23% of the population.

There were 555 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 9.9% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 54.2% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 411.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 529.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $46,797, and the median income for a family was $48,828. Males had a median income of $24,353 versus $26,477 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,433. About 7.7% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

All of the hamlets listed on the shore of Conesus Lake are part of the Conesus Lake census-designated place.

Coordinates: 42°39′53″N 77°46′11″W  /  42.66472°N 77.76972°W  / 42.66472; -77.76972