The earliest known inhabitants of the land where the town of Mendon is located were the Seneca of the Iroquois Confederacy. Totiakton, the native settlement in present-day Mendon, was home to about 4,000 people.[4] In 1687, the town was destroyed by Marquis de Denonville, the Governor of New France, during his expedition against the Seneca.[5] Shortly after the destruction, the surviving natives moved elsewhere. The rest of the Seneca suffered a similar fate when, in 1779, Major General John Sullivan was ordered by George Washington to wage war against Loyalists and four nations of the Iroquois Confederacy who had sided with the British in the Revolutionary War. The Sullivan Expedition pushed the tribes to the British-controlled Niagara Frontier, the western edge of Western New York.
For a short period, the area that is now Mendon was ostensibly part of New York'sMontgomery County until January 27, 1789, when Ontario County was formed. From 1789 to 1812, the area was within the Town of Bloomfield.[7] On May 26, 1812, the Town of Mendon separated from the Bloomfield holding its first town meeting and elections on April 6, 1813.[8] In 1821, Mendon was annexed by Monroe County when the county was created.
According to a local historian, Mendon most likely got its name from Caleb Taft, an early settler, who came from Mendon, Massachusetts.[9]
The first train travelled through Mendon on January 1, 1853, when a railroad was built between Canandaigua and Batavia. The "Peanut Line," as it would later be referred to after it was acquired by the New York Central Railroad was opened, and had a station in the village of Honeoye Falls.[11] In 1891, the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) completed its mainline from Manchester to Buffalo, which travelled right through the heart of Mendon.[12] At the height of the LVRR, there were three stations located in the town; one in the hamlet of Mendon, the second at Rochester Junction (a major hub where track split off the mainline to downtown Rochester), and the third in the village of Honeoye Falls.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.0 square miles (104 km2), of which 39.8 square miles (103 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.35%) is water.
The town is bordered on the north by the town of Pittsford, on the west by the towns of Henrietta and Rush, and on the south and east by Ontario County. Honeoye Creek enters across the southern town line. The town is made up mostly of horse farms and family homes. The highest elevations in Monroe County are in Mendon, at 1028 feet above sea level.
Mendon is home to Monroe County's largest park, Mendon Ponds Park, a 2,462 acre property containing woodlands, ponds, wetlands.[16] The park became a National Natural Landmark in November 1967 for its unique glacier features.[17]
In the southern part of the town, hills and a meandering creek were used to create the Country Club of Mendon. The first nine holes were designed by Peter Craig in 1961 and the back nine, which were added in 1967, were designed by Joe DeMino.[18] The 2016 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships were played at the club and was hosted by St. John Fisher College.[19]
As of the 2010 United States Census,[21] there were 9,152 people, 3,457 households, and 2,590 families residing in the town. The population density was 236.3 inhabitants per square mile (91.2/km2). There were 3,138 housing units at an average density of 78.8 per square mile (30.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.
There were 3,457 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 34.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The 2017 American Community Survey estimated the median income for a household in the town to be $97,902, and the median income for a family to be $114,063.[22] The per capita income estimate for the town was $53,046. An estimated 6.0% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the town of Mendon
Dann Corner – Located at the junction of Route 15A and Honeoye Falls No 6 Road just west of the village of Honeoye Falls
Ford Corner – Located at the junction of West Bloomfield Road and Cheese Factory Road
Honeoye Falls – A village in the southwest part of the town on the Honeoye Creek.
Mendon – A hamlet in the eastern part of the town at the junction of Routes 64 and 251.
Mendon Center – Located at the junction of Route 251 and Mendon Center Road, near the southeast corner of Mendon Ponds Park
Tomlinson Corners – Located near the junction of Route 64 and Boughton Hill Road
Government
In New York State, towns are organized with an elective legislative body known as a town board. Town government is run by the town board, members of which act as the executive, administrative and legislative body of the town. A town board, as a group, is the executive head of the town, there being no true executive in town government comparable with a mayor of a city or village, or with the governor of the state. While the supervisor presides at town board meetings and may be assigned certain powers of administration and supervision, the additional duties and responsibilities of the supervisor are only those which result from that position's statutory role as town treasurer.
Prior to 1964, authority for town board action had to be in specific state legislation or in the constitution. Since that date, however, towns have had constitutional home rule powers. Towns are able to enact local laws regarding subjects within the realm of "property, affairs and government" of the town, provided the laws are not inconsistent with the constitution or a law of general statewide applicability enacted by the State Legislature. In addition, towns may adopt local laws concerning a number of other subjects specified in the constitution and the Municipal Home Rule Law, so long as they are not inconsistent with general law applicable to all towns, and provided there is no statutory restriction against such local law. Since 1974, with certain exceptions, towns may even supersede some provisions of town law regardless of their general applicability. Besides the above-described legislative powers, town law and other state statutes contain authority for town boards to act in a variety of specific areas. These have been amended over the years such that town boards have the authority to supply almost every public function or service that any other municipality may provide, subject to the functions specific rules and procedures.
In Mendon, the town board consists of a supervisor and four town board members (often referred to in statutes as councilpersons). Town board members, as elected officials of the town, must be "electors" of the town at the time of election and throughout their terms of office. An elector is someone who could register as a voter in the town, whether they actually have or not. Registration has three components: residency, age and citizenship. Residency equates to the legal term "domicile" and is defined in law. The age qualification is 18 and United States citizenship is also required. Mendon Town Board members have a term of four years. The Mendon town supervisor has a term of two years. Town elections are held in odd numbered years, with new terms starting the following January 1.[needs update]
The town board, as the executive body of the town, acts as a unit and must function as a body. An individual Board member may not unilaterally act on behalf of the town board. No town board member has more or less authority than any other board member. Therefore, no board member can legally act independently for the others or outside the board. No single member of the town board can act for or commit the noard as a body to any particular program or policy.
The town board may, by resolution, delegate to the supervisor the powers and duties of administration and supervision of town special improvement district functions to be performed on behalf of the town board. The purpose of this provision is to allow the town to function between town board meetings. This delegation does not allow the town board to abdicate to the supervisor or surrender to him or her the board's basic statutory responsibilities.
Access to emergency services is obtained by dialing 911, which connects the caller to the city of Rochester's emergency communications department (911 center). The Monroe County sheriff's department provides primary law enforcement for the town.
The Mendon Volunteer Fire Department provides fire protection, rescue, and non-transport emergency medical services for the town. The Honeoye Falls Volunteer Fire Department provides additional services in the areas in and surrounding the village of Honeoye Falls.
Brigham Young (early LDS Church leader whose first wife, Miriam Works Young, died and is buried at Tomlinson's Corners Cemetery located in the southeast portion of the town)
^Raines, Thomas Ed; Aldreich, Lewis Cass; Peck, William Farley (1895). Landmarks of Monroe County, New York. Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston History Company. pp. 305.
^Raines, Thomas Ed; Aldreich, Lewis Cass; Peck, William Farley (1895). Landmarks of Monroe County, New York. Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston History Company. pp. 308.
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