History
The Settlement of Geneseo began shortly after the arrival of James and William Wadsworth in 1790. The brothers came to the Genesee Valley from Connecticut as agents of their Uncle, Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth, to care for and sell land which he had purchased.
Geneseo became the county seat of Livingston County in 1821 and was incorporated in 1832. The State Normal School, now SUNY Geneseo, was opened in 1871. The Village has grown steadily ever since.
The Village of Geneseo is now a community of around 9600 residents governed by a Mayor and four trustees. It is the Livingston County seat and is still the home of the State University College. A significant portion of the Village was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior in 1991.
A few Geneseo residents use the city as a bedroom community for Rochester, New York. Situated in the middle of the Genesee River Valley, it offers an ideal setting to live, work and play. The Genesee Valley is known for its beauty, magnificent views and agriculture. Geneseo is known for its varied architecture, small-town atmosphere and Native American history.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 117.1 km² (45.2 mi²). 113.9 km² (44.0 mi²) of it is land and 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.74% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 9,654 people, 2,523 households, and 1,301 families residing in the town. The population density is 84.8/km² (219.6/mi²). There are 2,698 housing units at an average density of 23.7 persons/km² (61.4 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 93.91% White, 1.48% African American, 0.11% Native American, 2.61% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 2.19% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,523 households out of which 23.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% are married couples living together, 8.3% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 48.4% are non-families. 26.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.53 and the average family size is 2.92.
In the town the population is spread out with 11.9% under the age of 18, 51.3% from 18 to 24, 15.2% from 25 to 44, 13.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 22 years. For every 100 females there are 72.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 68.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $40,660, and the median income for a family is $62,206. Males have a median income of $42,218 versus $25,969 for females. The per capita income for the town is $15,303. 29.8% of the population and 8.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 12.2% are under the age of 18 and 5.5% are 65 or older.