Spafford, New York


Spafford is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,686 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Horatio Gates Spafford, a writer and founder of the local library. Spafford is in the southwest corner of Onondaga County and is southwest of Syracuse.

History

Spafford was within the former Central New York Military Tract.
The first European settler arrived in 1794, the same year Onondaga County was established.
The Town of Spafford was formed in 1811 from parts of the Towns of Marcellus, Sempronius, and Tully.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water.
The west town line is the border of Cayuga County, and the south town line is the border of Cortland County. Part of the town lies between Skaneateles Lake and Otisco Lake, two of the Finger Lakes.
Spafford's high terrain, between two of the Finger Lakes, provides spectacular scenery, as suggested by photographs linked below. Spafford is largely rural, with only small hamlets, and retains many forested areas, some protected as public preserves.
New York State Route 41 is a north-south highway in the town. New York State Route 174 is a state highway in the northern part of Spafford.

Demographics

Although situated in a remote corner of Onondaga County, somewhat isolated by two of the Finger Lakes, residential development is expanding into the town from adjacent Skaneateles. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,661 people, 631 households, and 485 families residing in the town. The population density was 50.6 people per square mile. There were 1,095 housing units at an average density of 33.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.74% White, 0.06% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.18% Asian, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.
There were 631 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town, the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,553, and the median income for a family was $61,250. Males had a median income of $41,515 versus $31,071 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,014. About 4.7% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Spafford