Editing Middlesex, New York

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Middlesex, New York
|settlement_type          = [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

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|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

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|image_map                = Yates County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Middlesex highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Yates County, New York|Yates County]] and the state of [[New York (state)|New York]].

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[New York (state)|New York]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Yates County, New York|Yates]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">{{cite web|title=2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_36.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Jul 5, 2017}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 88.33
|area_land_km2            = 79.97
|area_water_km2           = 8.36
|area_total_sq_mi         = 34.10
|area_land_sq_mi          = 30.88
|area_water_sq_mi         = 3.23

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2010 United States Census|2010]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1495
|population_density_km2   = 18.37
|population_density_sq_mi = 47.58

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 345
|elevation_ft             = 1132
|coordinates              = {{coord|42|43|7|N|77|16|38|W|region:US-NY|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 14507
|area_code                = [[Area code 585|585]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 36-47020
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0979215
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 2016
|pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2016"/>
|population_est = 1469
}}
'''Middlesex''' is a [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|town]] in [[Yates County, New York|Yates County]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States|USA]].  The population was 1,495 at the 2010 census. The name originates from [[Middlesex|a historic region]] of the UK.

The '''Town of Middlesex''' is on the northwest corner of the county and is south of [[Canandaigua (city), New York|Canandaigua, New York]].

== History ==
A legend of the [[Seneca tribe]] states that they originated in a village called Nundawao, near the south end of Canandaigua Lake, at South Hill. Right next to South Hill stands the 865-foot-high Bare Hill, known to the Senecas as Genundowa.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/travel/01explorer.html?_r=0 | title=Canandaigua Lake, N.Y.: Of Indian Legends and Sylvan Trails | work=The New York Times | date=October 2006 | last1=Barnard | first1=Beth Quinn }}</ref> Bare Hill is part of the Bare Hill Unique Area, which began to be acquired by the state in 1989.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/37438.html | title=Bare Hill Unique Area - NYSDEC }}</ref>  Bare Hill had been the site of a Seneca or pre-Seneca fort; first written reference to this fort was made in 1825 by David Cusick in his history of the Seneca Indians.<ref name="crookedlakereview.com">{{cite web | url=http://www.crookedlakereview.com/articles/101_135/103spring1997/103robinson.html | title=Who Built the "Old Fort" on Bare Hill and other Pre-Seneca Structures in Yates County, NY? By David D. Robinson }}</ref>

{{blockquote|text=The traces of an ancient fort, covering about an acre, and surrounded by a ditch, and formerly by a formidable wall, are still to be seen on top of Bare Hill. They indicate defenses raised by Indian hands, or more probably belong to the labors of a race that preceded the Indian occupation. The wall is now about tumbled down, the stones seem somewhat scattered, and the ground is overgrown with brush.|sign=S. C. Cleveland|source=History of Yates County, New York (1873)}}

In the early 1920s, the material that made up the Bare Hill fort was used by the Town of Middlesex highway department for road fill.<ref name="crookedlakereview.com"/>

The first settlers arrived around 1789.  The town was formed in 1796 while still part of [[Ontario County, New York|Ontario County]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. The town was known as "Augusta" until 1808, when the name was changed to "Middlesex" to avoid confusion with another location named Augusta.<ref>{{cite book |last= Vasiliev |first= Ren |title=From Abbotts to Zurich: New York State Placenames |location= Syracuse, New York |publisher= Syracuse University Press |date = 2004 |page=145 }}</ref> When Yates County was formed in 1823, Middlesex became part of the new county.

The [[Potter, New York|Town of Potter]] was formed from part of Middlesex in 1832, and more of Middlesex was added to Potter in 1856.

The [[Bates Cobblestone Farmhouse]], [[John Carr House]], [[Asahel Green Farm]], [[Middlesex Center Methodist Church]], [[Overackers Corners Schoolhouse]], and [[Vine Valley Methodist Church]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 2718
|1830= 3428
|1840= 1439
|1850= 1385
|1860= 1303
|1870= 1314
|1880= 1457
|1890= 1387
|1900= 1282
|1910= 1122
|1920= 951
|1930= 839
|1940= 764
|1950= 765
|1960= 817
|1970= 925
|1980= 1127
|1990= 1249
|2000= 1345
|2010= 1495
|estyear=2016
|estimate=1469
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2016.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|accessdate=June 9, 2017}}</ref>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=American FactFinder}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,345 people, 521 households, and 376 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|43.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 732 housing units at an average density of 23.7 per square mile (9.2/km{{sup|2}}).  The racial makeup of the town was 98.74% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.37% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.15% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.15% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.15% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.45% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.22% of the population.  On a side note it is safe to say that cattle outnumber people at least 4 to 1.

There were 521 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% 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 2.91.

In the town, the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,618, and the median income for a family was $47,763. Males had a median income of $34,464 versus $23,676 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $21,241.  About 3.4% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

== Communities and locations in Middlesex ==
*'''High Tor Wildlife Management Area''' &ndash; A conservation area in the southwest part of the town.
*'''Middlesex''' &ndash; The hamlet of Middlesex is at the junction  of NY-245 and NY-364 near the center of the town.  The West River flows past the community.
*'''Overackers Corners ''' &ndash; A location west of Valley View on County Road 10.
*'''Pine Corners''' &ndash; A hamlet north of Middlesex village on NY-245.
*[[Rushville, New York|Rushville]] &ndash; The Village of Rushville borders the northeast part of the town on NY-245.
*'''Valley View''' &ndash; A hamlet north of Middlesex village and south of Pine Corners.
*'''Vine Valley''' &ndash; A hamlet on the east shore of Canandaigua Lake at the junction of County Roads 10 and 39. This area is the birthplace of the renowned philanthropist Parker Caito. He is the only member of the Triumvirate who was actually born in New York. Wade and Dale were born in Virginia.
*'''West River''' &ndash; A stream flowing across the town, eventually entering Canandaigua Lake.
*'''Williams Corner''' &ndash; A hamlet northeast of Middlesex village on NY-364.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.middlesexny.org/  Town of Middlesex, NY]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050824080157/http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/yates/middleindex.htm  Early history of Middlesex, NY]

{{Coord|42|42|17|N|77|16|18|W|type:city_region:US-NY|display=title}}

{{Yates County, New York}}

[[Category:Towns in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Towns in Yates County, New York]]