Caledonia (village), New York

History

The town was settled around 1797 by families from Scotland.In 1803 the town was incorporated into New York as Southampton. The name later changed to Caledonia. The Village of Caledonia was incorporated in 1891.

The village forms many associations with the adjacent hamlet of Mumford (Town of Wheatland), even though they are in different counties. Wheatland was formed from the Town of Caledonia in 1821, when the northern part became Inverness and the southern part remained Caledonia.

The fish hatchery, on the north end of the village was built by Seth Green and is the oldest in the New World.

The Caledonia Fish Hatchery, Caledonia House Hotel, and Clark-Keith House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable people

Geography

Caledonia is located at 42°58′25″N 77°51′15″W (42.973621, -77.854309).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.5 km²).None of the area is covered with water.

New York State Route 36 intersects New York State Route 5 in Caledonia.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,327 people, 902 households, and 645 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,089.7 people per square mile (419.8/km²). There were 939 housing units at an average density of 439.7 per square mile (169.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 93.47% White, 3.95% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.

There were 902 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the village, the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $44,309, and the median income for a family was $50,526. Males had a median income of $38,587 versus $27,917 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,753. About 4.4% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

Community amenities

Caledonia's high school is Caledonia-Mumford Central School, or Cal-Mum. The school's athletic teams are known as the Raiders. Among the stores, restaurants, and public amenities are The MarketPlace Grocery, C.S. Barber, Pizza Land, Daffies Pizza, The Cozy Kitchen, Dollar General, Milex Drugs, Raider Lanes, Gigglin' Pig, Caledonia Library, Iroquois Hotel, and The Village Inn.

The Caledonia Fire Department was established in 1887, existing until recently as both a Rural Fire Commission and a Village Fire Department. Currently the Caledonia Fire District is the elected body which provides oversight and for financial needs of the emergency operations. The Fire Department provides manpower for the Fire District and holds social events and fund raisers for the benefit of the membership.

Ambulance services are provided by Genesee Valley Emergency Medical Services (GVEMS) providing two ambulances and one advanced life support fly car. These services are available for both the village and town residents and currently reside within the Caledonia Fire District fire hall.