Brewerton, New York

Brewerton, New York
Census-designated place
Location in Onondaga County and the state of New York.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	New York
Counties	Onondaga, Oswego
Area
• Total	3.3 sq mi (8.6 km2)
• Land	3.2 sq mi (8.2 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	384 ft (117 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	4,029
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	13029
Area code(s)	315
FIPS code	36-08059
GNIS feature ID	0944698

Brewerton is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Cicero in Onondaga County and the town of Hastings in Oswego County in the U.S. state of New York. It lies at the west end of Oneida Lake at its outlet into the Oneida River. The population was 4,029 at the 2010 census. 19th century maps indicate that this area was once known as Fort Brewerton, while Brewerton meant the Cicero portion.

History

Interstate 81 cutting through Brewerton near Oneida Lake

The community is sited near the former Fort Brewerton, erected in 1759 to defend the passage from Albany to the port of Oswego. Settlers arrived in 1789 to engage in the fur trade. The Fort Brewerton Block House Museum contains local relics dating back to Paleo-Indian times. It is located next to the original fort.

In the late 18th century two Presbyterians, Rev. John Shepard and Deacon George Ramsey started preaching in the area near the Fort Brewerton embankment. Deacon Ramsey built a schoolhouse nearby which was used for both instruction and worship.

In 1948 the Brewerton Speedway was built by Alvin Richardson of Buffalo as a 1/4 mile dirt track.Brewerton is currently working on another track

Fort Brewerton was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Geography

Brewerton is located at (43.237428, -76.139369) on the Oneida River on the west end of Oneida Lake.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (5.11%) is water.

Brewerton has the largest elementary school in the Central Square School District, which is the geographically the smallest school district in the State of New York.

Champlain at the Lake housing development in Brewerton

Both U.S. Route 11 and Interstate 81 pass through the hamlet, connecting it to Watertown to the north and Syracuse to the south. In April 2007, the Town of Cicero redrew the traditional boundaries of Brewerton, moving the eastern line west to Interstate 81, and the southern line northward from Mudmill Road to Orangeport Road. This was done to allow Brewerton to remain eligible for Federal grant money. New housing developments had made Brewerton exceed guidelines for "blighted" areas that allow for improvement funds.

In recent years, Brewerton has become a major port for fishing on the already popular Oneida Lake. This is due to the recent Bass Masters outings at Oneida Shores County Park.

Brewerton is now a center in the growth of housing developments Miralago and Champlain at the lake.

Demographics

A neighborhood in Brewerton

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,453 people, 1,376 households, and 961 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,091.9 per square mile (421.9/km²). There were 1,502 housing units at an average density of 474.9/sq mi (183.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.93% White, 0.72% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 1,376 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,061, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $39,239 versus $27,654 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,327. About 6.6% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

External links

• Northern Onondaga Public Library, with Brewerton branch
• RW&O Railroad, Brewerton, NY
• Fort Brewerton Historical Society
• "Tocqueville in Fort Brewerton", segment from C-SPAN's Alexis de Tocqueville Tour