Brighton, Monroe County, New York
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- Brighton is also a town in Franklin County, New York.
Brighton is a town located in Monroe County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 35,588.
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History
The Town of Brighton, located on the southeast border of the city of Rochester, was originally settled approximately 1790, and formally established in 1814 — earning it recognition as one of the oldest towns in Monroe County, New York. Named for Brighton, England, it remained a farming and brick-making community until the 20th century, when it began its evolution into an upscale suburban residential area, occupying some 15 square miles. In 1999, the town purchased 64 acres (259,000 m²) with the intention of developing a central park.
Education
Its 35,000 residents are served by a school system that has routinely placed in the top 10 school districts in the state, and in the top 100 nationally. The Brighton School District, once ranked fourth in the nation according to Newsweek, held 25th place in 2003. Its peak was in 1998 when it achieved the rank of fifth in the nation.
Government
Brighton is governed by an elected town council, consisting of a supervisor and four town council members. The supervisor is elected to a two-year term. The council members serve four-year terms. Voters also elect two town justices and a town clerk. Town justices serve a four-year term, and the clerk is elected to a two-year term. In 2001, the voters elected Sandra L. Frankel to her sixth term as supervisor. As of February, 2004, the town board consisted of James R. Vogel, Raymond Tierney III, Jill Vigdor Feldman and Sherry Krause.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.5 km² (15.6 mi²). 40.0 km² (15.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.09% water.
Brighton has lacked a cental village since the city of Rochester annexed the area around East Avenue and Winton Road, formerly the village of Brighton, in 1905. The central commercial and entertainment hub is the 12 Corners, so named because three intersecting roads, Winton Road, Monroe Avenue and Elmwood Avenue, define 12 distinct corners. Also, both the High School (Brighton High School) and the Middle School (Twelve Corners Middle School) are located at 12 corners. Brighton is bordered by the city of Rochester to the northwest, the town of Henrietta to the south, and the towns of Pittsford and Penfield to the east. Brighton is located some 60 miles from Buffalo, New York, and 90 miles from Syracuse, New York. The Erie Canal courses through Brighton, accompanied by the acclaimed Erie Canal Heritage Trail, one of the longest continuous stretches of maintained off-road trail in the USA.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 35,588 people, 15,854 households, and 8,687 families residing in the town. The population density is 888.8/km² (2,302.5/mi²). There are 16,705 housing units at an average density of 417.2 persons/km² (1,080.8 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 86.09% White, 3.70% African American, 0.10% Native American, 8.13% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. 2.34% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 15,854 households out of which 24.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% are married couples living together, 6.8% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 45.2% are non-families. 36.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.14 and the average family size is 2.86.
In the town the population is spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $52,066, and the median income for a family is $70,436. Males have a median income of $46,292 versus $35,171 for females. The per capita income for the town is $32,642. 6.1% of the population and 3.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.9% are under the age of 18 and 5.2% are 65 or older.
See also: Brighton (CDP), New York
External links
- Brighton town website (http://www.townofbrighton.org/)
- Erie Canal Heritage Trail (http://www.nycanal.com/recreation/heritagetrail.html/)
- Brighton-Pittsford Post (http://www.mpnewspapers.com/brightonpittsford.php) - local newspaper
- Brighton Public School System (http://www.bcsd.org) - rated 11th best in the US by Newsweek