Solvay, New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Solvay, New York
settlement_type = Village
nickname =
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pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of New York
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Onondaga
government_footnotes =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 4.3
area_land_km2 = 4.3
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.6
area_land_sq_mi = 1.6
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 6845
population_density_km2 = 1608.0
population_density_sq_mi = 4164.6

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 152
elevation_ft = 499
latd = 43 |latm = 3 |lats = 26 |latNS = N
longd = 76 |longm = 12 |longs = 53 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 13209
area_code = 315
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-68286
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0965631
website =
footnotes =

Solvay is a village located in Onondaga County, New York. United States. According to the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 6,845. The village is named after the Solvay brothers, Belgian inventors of the chemical process employed by the Solvay Process Company, formerly the major industry of the village.

Geography

The Village of Solvay is located at coor dms|43|3|26|N|76|12|53|W|city (43.057316, -76.214649)GR|1, in the Town of Geddes, immediately west of the City of Syracuse south of the New York State Fairgrounds (far westside).Its eastern boundary is shared with Syracuse. The village is south of the east end of Onondaga Lake and is also south of Interstate 690.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²), all of it land.

History

The area was within the former Central New York Military Tract, but Solvay was in a location reserved for members of the Onondaga tribe. The village was initially founded in 1794 by James Geddes and was initially called "Geddesville." The first residents were mostly Irish, subsequently joined by South Tyrolians and Poles. Eventually the community became known for its population largely Italian in extraction. It still retains a large segment (about 35% in 2005) of population of Italian descent. More recently many families of Ukrainian descent have settled in the village.

The Village of Solvay was renamed, after 1884, when the Solvay Process Company built a Solvay process plant to produce soda ash. The Village of Solvay was incorporated in 1895. Other major businesses of Solvay included Frazier & Jones, a foundry; Crucible Steel, producer of specialty steels; Iroquois Pottery (Solvay China); and Pass & Seymour, producing electrical wiring devices.

The Solvay Process plant, by then owned by Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation, closed in 1985. The community has remained stable despite this loss.

Reflecting paternalistic programs of the Solvay Process Company and the Hazard family, the first village and school library was in Guild Hall. Then Solvay received a Carnegie library. James A. Randall of Syracuse was the architect (1902-5). The building was constructed with Hazard support. For articles and photographs of Hazard family homes at Upland Farm (Piercefield) in Solvay, see references and links below.

Since the Hazards' time, the village has provided superior services, as envisioned by the family. Solvay has its own municipal electric company which provides service to the village at one of the least expensive rates in the nation. A typical three bedroom home in the village which is completely electric (meaning no natural gas service) sees an average bill of around $100 dollars per month in the winter and $60 dollars in the summer (2006).

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,844 people, 3,030 households, and 1,766 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,164.6 people per square mile (1,611.5/km²). There were 3,291 housing units at an average density of 2,002.3/sq mi (774.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.81% White, 0.67% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.37% of the population.

There were 3,030 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the village the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $34,084, and the median income for a family was $40,057. Males had a median income of $34,045 versus $23,822 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,441. About 10.6% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Crime

Although Solvay is a suburban village, it is right next to the city border. Recently there has been an increase in crime in the area. Ex.) robberies, burglaries, murders, multiple shootings, marijuana plants have been found behind the middle school, and a body has been found dumped in the area. This increase in criminal activities has worried some people in the area. But for the most part the area is calm and safe. There has also been an instance where the local highschool went into lockdown because there was a situation outside the school involving an AK-47 Assault Rifle.

References

* Rivette, Judith Lamanna. "Solvay Stories", 2003, and "Solvay Stories II", 2004.
*"Onondaga Landmarks: A Survey of Historic and Architectural Sites in Syracuse and Onondaga County", 1975.
* Darlington, James W. "Solvay." "Encyclopedia of New York State". Syracuse University Press, 2005.

External links

* Solvay statistics, 2000 Census [http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/new-york/solvay]
*The [http://www.clrc.org/solvay/ Solvay Public Library] website has photographs and other information about the village.
* Upland Farm (Hazard Mansion) photographs [http://www.cnyhistory.org/Upload_Project/image_calc_results.php]
* Hazard Mansion, architect's drawing and photograph [http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Frederick+R.+Hazard&btnG=Search+Images]
* Solvay Public Library [http://www.clrc.org/solvay/splhistory.htm]