Chili, New York

Chili
Town
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Monroe
Elevation	556 ft (169.5 m)
Coordinates
Area	40.0 sq mi (103.6 km2)
- land	39.8 sq mi (103 km2)
- water	0.2 sq mi (1 km2), 0.5%
Population	28,625 (2010)
Density	724 / sq mi (279.5379628 / km2)
Established	1822
Town Supervisor	David Dunning (R) First Elected 2007 Town Council Tracy A. DiFlorio (R) Virginia L. Ignatowski (R) Michael S. Slattery (R) Mary C. Sperr (R)
Timezone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	14624 14514 (North Chili)
Area code	585
Location in Monroe County and the state of New York. Location in Monroe County and the state of New York.
Location of New York in the United States
Website: http://www.townofchili.org/

Chili (/ˈtʃaɪlaɪ/ CHY-ly) is a town in Monroe County, New York, USA. The population was 28,625 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of the city of Rochester

The Town of Chili was established in 1822 from part of the Town of Riga.

North Chili was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Chili is home to an annual festival known as the Chil-E Fest which takes place around the Fourth of July.

Black Creek Park is one of many parks in Chili where visitors can make use of nature trails that run along the creek.

History

The Chili area was once the hunting ground of the Seneca Indians. The first white settler was Captain Joseph Morgan who purchased land from Peter Sheffer of neighboring Wheatland.

The area of Chili became part of the newly formed Northampton. With the formation of Monroe County the area became part of the Town of Riga before splitting off into its own Town of Chili on February 22, 1822.

There are two theories about the origin of the name "Chili". One theory is that it was named after the country of Chile which was striving for independence at the time. Some suggest that the town was named after the Chiliasts religion embraced by some of the early settlers of South Chili.

The local government includes Town Supervisor David Dunning (R) First Elected 2007; and Town Council Tracy A. DiFlorio (R); Virginia L. Ignatowski (R); Michael S. Slattery (R); and Mary C. Sperr (R). The appointed Deputy Town Supervisor is Jordon Brown, employed by Lifetime Assistance Inc. as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

The Chili Mills Conservation Area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.9 square miles (103 km²), of which, 39.8 square miles (103 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (0.48%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	2,010		—
1840	2,174		8.2%
1850	2,247		3.4%
1860	2,205		−1.9%
1870	2,367		7.3%
1880	2,274		−3.9%
1890	2,109		−7.3%
1900	2,099		−0.5%
1910	2,071		−1.3%
1920	1,780		−14.1%
1930	2,493		40.1%
1940	3,392		36.1%
1950	5,283		55.7%
1960	11,237		112.7%
1970	19,609		74.5%
1980	23,676		20.7%
1990	25,178		6.3%
2000	27,638		9.8%
2010	28,625		3.6%
Est. 2014	28,766		0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,638 people, 10,159 households, and 7,558 families residing in the town. The population density was 695.4 people per square mile (268.5/km²). There were 10,466 housing units at an average density of 263.3 per square mile (101.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.14% White, 5.71% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.

There were 10,159 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town, the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,097, and the median income for a family was $61,481. Males had a median income of $45,156 versus $29,903 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,887. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

File:Chili, New York town hall.jpg

Chili town hall

The town is governed by a town board consisting of a supervisor and four board members, all elected by registered town voters.

Supervisors

Name	Tenure		Name	Tenure
Joseph Sibley	1822-1823		Thomas B. Steckel	1952-1959
Joshua Howell	1824-1825		George K. Lusk	1960-1965
Alfred Scofield	1826-1828		Samuel S. Kent	1966-1971
Isaac Lacey	1829 1840		James J. Powers	1972-1985
Benjamin Bowen	1830		Lorraine Anderson	1986-1987
William Pixley	1831-1832 1836-1837 1852-1853		John Hannah	1988-1989
George Brown	1833-1834		Donald Ramsey	1990-1991
Moses Sperry	1835 1838-1839 1844 1854		Jerome P. Brixner	1992-1993
John T. Lacey	1841 1843 1845-1846		William C. Kelly	1994-1999
Isaac Burritt	1842		Stephen W. Hendershott	2000-2003
William P. Hill	1847-1848 1861-1864 1867 1878 (part year) 1880-1881		Tracy L. Logel	2004-2007
Franklin Cate	1849-1851		David J. Dunning	2008–present
David Starkey	1855-1858
Edward J. Reed	1859-1860
A. S. Litle	1865
Albert H. King	1866 1871
William Voke	1868-1870
Frederick Fellows	1872-1877
William Fellows	1878 (part year)
Edwin A. Loder	1879
Benjamin Fellows	1882-1884
Byron D. Beal	1885-1886
Lewis B. Carpenter	1887-1890 1896-1898
Myron Sperry	1891
John B. Johnston	1892-1895
Arthur A. Sickles	1899-1901
Cornelius A. Nichols	1902-1907
Charles G. Voke	1908-1915
Warren R. Henderson	1916-1929
W. H. Wickins	1930-1935
Gage M. Miller	1936-1949
Oakley Decker	1950-1951

Communities and locations

• Chili Center – The centre of town government and the most urbanized portion of the town.
• Genesee River – Part of the east border of the town.
• North Chili – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town and home to Roberts Wesleyan College.
• South Chili – A rural area in Chili running along the New York State Thruway.
• West Chili – A small community located just to the north of Black Creek Park.

Places of local interest

Public library

The Chili Public Library is the public library serving Chili, New York. It is currently located in the recently erected town government center at 3333 Chili Avenue. Previously, it occupied the old town government complex further east on Chili Avenue.

In June 1959, Chili Town Supervisor George Lusk and the members of the Town Board created the Chili Library Committee to determine need for a library in Chili. The committee submitted its findings to the Town board in June 1960, unanimously agreeing the Town of Chili had a "definite need" for a public library due to growing population and a lack of cultural institutions. At the time, Chili was the only town in the county without a public library. In 1961, Supervisor Lusk put a vote before town residents on a referendum to allocate funds for a new town hall facility, including a section for a town library. The public voted yes, and in 1962, the Chili Public Library became the final member of the Monroe County Library System.

The library opened its doors and began circulating books on October 15, 1962. Librarian Marcia Chapman presented the first library card to Supervisor Lusk.

Roberts Wesleyan College

Roberts is a private, Christian, liberal arts college located in North Chili. The school enrolls approximately 2,000 students. The school hosts various community events on its facilities, including soccer games, swimming lessons, dance recitals, fireworks, concerts, drama productions and many other events.

Sister cities

• Agropoli - Italy
• Chili, Indiana - United States of America

External links

• Town of Chili
• Chili Public Library