Varick is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 1,729 at the 2000 census. The town is probably named after Richard Varick, an officer in the American Revolution and New York political leader.

The Town of Varick is located in the central part of the county and is southeast of Geneva, New York.

History

The natives of this area were visited by the Jesuits in the 17th Century.

The Sullivan Expedition of 1779 passed through the town to destroy villages of the Cayuga tribe and Seneca tribe. After the American Revolution, the area was in the Central New York Military Tract, land reserved for veterans.

The town was formed from the Town of Romulus in 1830, but the first settler had arrived by 1794.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.6 square miles (118.2 km²), of which, 32.3 square miles (83.6 km²) of it is land and 13.3 square miles (34.5 km²) of it (29.22%) is water.

The east town line, defined by Cayuga Lake, is the border of Cayuga County. The west town line, at Seneca Lake is the border of Ontario County on the western shore of Seneca Lake. The town is in the Finger Lakes District of New York.

New York State Route 89, New York State Route 96, New York State Route 96A, and New York State Route 414 are all north-south highways in the town. New York State Route 336 is a short east-west state highway mostly on the north town line.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,729 people, 630 households, and 473 families residing in the town. The population density was 53.6 people per square mile (20.7/km²). There were 840 housing units at an average density of 26.0/sq mi (10.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.26% White, 0.52% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 630 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town the 2000 population distribution was 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. Compared to the national average, the 18 to 44 demographic was about half of what was expected. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,110, and the median income for a family was $43,917. Males had a median income of $32,566 versus $28,636 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,164. About 6.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

The farmland in the eastern part of the town is now largely worked by Amish farmers, and in the northern part by Mennonite farmers. Farmland on the eastern slope to the Cayuga Lake is largely devoted to wine grapes.

Communities and locations in Varick

• East Varick -- A hamlet on the shore of Cayuga Lake and NY-89. (153 residences on Cayuga Lake, of which about 20 are considered East Varick.
• Fayette -- A hamlet straddling the Fayette town line on NY-414 (56 residences, one bar, one church).
• MacDougall -- A former hamlet on the north town line on NY-336. (7 residences, one bar)
• McDuffie Town -- A location near Cayuga Lake on County Road 128. (8 residences, one church)
• Romulus -- A hamlet straddling the Romulus town line on NY-96. (73 residences, two churches, convenience store)
• Seneca Army Depot -- The north part of the former army supply depot is inside the town. The land is being converted to other uses.
• Yale -- A former railroad station on Yale Station Rd (CR 126), now farmland.
• East Lake Road -- A densely developed residential area along the Seneca Lake shoreline (187 residences)

References

External links

• Town of Varick website
• Varick Comprehensive Plan Has extensive demographic and land use information, as well as detailed maps of development and resources.