Wellsville (town), New York

Wellsville is a town in Allegany County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 7,678.

Wellsville town is centrally located in the south half of the county, eight miles north of the Pennsylvania border. Wellsville (village) is also the name of village within this town. The village and the town have two separate, paid governments.
Alfred State College maintains a branch campus in the town, with the main campus in Alfred, NY seven miles east, also the location of the New York State College of Ceramics and Alfred University. Houghton College is 23 miles north of Wellsville on Route 19.

History

The first pioneers in Allegany County settled in the Wellsville area, at least by 1795 when Nathaniel Dike, a Captain in the Revolutionary War founded a settlement on the east side of town in Elm Valley. The Town of Wellsville was formed in 1856 from a part of the Town of Scio. The Village was founded a year later.

The development of the Erie Railroad in 1851 helped develop the town, but moreso the village.

In 2006, the residents of the Village of Wellsville defeated a referendum that would have dissolved the village and returned the community to the town.

Past residents of note

*Gabby Hayes, actor in many western movies.
*John Rigas, convicted in May 2002 for bank, wire and securities fraud, is the founder of Adelphia Communications Corporation, as well as former owner of Buffalo Sabres.
*William B. Duke, enshrined in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, trainer of Flying Ebony, winner of the Kentucky Derby in 1925, and Coventry, who won the Preakness Stakes the same year; then winning the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August.
*Wil Waldon, Ex Pro skateboarder. Featured on numerous television shows and is now a website designer in San Diego.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.7 square miles (95.0 km²), of which, 36.7 square miles (94.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.08% water.

The Genesee River flows northward through the town.

New York State Route 417 intersects New York State Route 19 at Wellsville village, and NY 19 intersects New York State Route 248 by the south town line in Stannards.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 7,678 people, 3,192 households, and 1,924 families residing in the town. The population density was 209.4 people per square mile (80.9/km²). There were 3,606 housing units at an average density of 98.4/sq mi (38.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.65% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,192 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,098, and the median income for a family was $39,705. Males had a median income of $36,302 versus $23,387 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,744. 16.0% of the population and 10.6% of families were below the poverty line. 17.9% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Communities and locations in the Town of Wellsville

*Dykes Creek -- A stream that joins the Genesee River in Wellsville village, named after Allegany County's and Wellsville's first settler, Nathaniel Dike. (But the spelling on modern maps has been corrupted.)
*Elm Valley -- A hamlet by the east town line on Route 417.
*Norton Summit -- A location west of the airport on the town line.
*Stannards -- A hamlet on the south town line, south of Wellsville village at the junction of Route 19 and route 248.
*Wellsville -- The Village of Wellsville is at the Genesee River and the intersection of Routes 19 and 417.
*Wellsville Municipal Airport, Tarantine Field (ELZ) -- A general aviation airport, which also provides charter services, is located on a hill west of Wellsville village.
*Wellsville High School, Home of the Lions.

References

External links

* [http://www.townofwellsville.org Town of Wellsville webpage] .
* [http://www.airnav.com/airport/ELZ Wellsville airport]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyallega/wells.html Short historical note about Wellsville]
* [http://www.wellsville.wnyric.org/education/district/district.php?sectionid=8002 Wellsville Central School]
* [http://www.wilwaldon.com Wil Waldon's Homepage]