Whitesboro, New York Explained

Whitesboro, New York
Settlement Type:Village
Mapsize:260px
Coordinates:43.1167°N -93°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name1:New York
Subdivision Name2:Oneida
Founder:Hugh White
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:2.72
Area Total Sq Mi:1.05
Area Land Km2:2.72
Area Land Sq Mi:1.05
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Elevation M:129
Elevation Ft:423
Population Total:3612
Population As Of:2020
Population Density Km2:1328.72
Population Density Sq Mi:3440.00
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:13492
Area Code:315
Website:Official website
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:36-81710[2]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0971160[3]

Whitesboro is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 3,772 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Hugh White, an early settler.[4]

The Village of Whitesboro is inside the Town of Whitestown.

History

The village began to be settled in 1784, and was incorporated in 1813. An 1851 list gave the name Che-ga-quat-ka for Whitesboro in a language of the Iroquois people.[5]

The abolitionist Oneida Institute (1827–1843) was located in Whitesboro.

The older part of the village was bordered by the Erie Canal and the village's Main Street. When the canal was filled in the first half of the 20th century, Oriskany Boulevard was built over the filled-in canal. The streets that connect the two roads form the oldest part of the village.

The Whitestown Town Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It currently serves as the village courthouse, while offices for the Town of Whitestown are housed in newer buildings outside of Whitesboro.[6]

Village seal controversy

The Whitesboro seal, originating in the early 1900s, displays founder Hugh White wrestling an Oneida Native American.[7] The seal has been controversial because it has been interpreted as a settler choking the Native American; city officials contend it depicts a friendly wrestling match that White won, gaining the respect of the Oneida.[8] The 1970-2017 version of the seal was created after a lawsuit by a Native American group: the version used before the suit showed the settler's hands on the Native American's neck instead of his shoulders.[9] In 1999, Mayor John Malecki suggested a contest for a new seal, but received no submissions.

The seal received attention in 2015 as part of national discussion about display of the Confederate flag.[10] [11] In January 2016, the town cooperated with Comedy Central's The Daily Show to hold a non-binding vote for a new village seal. Many of the alternative seals were humorous, including one depicting the two men as luchadores and another depicting an arm wrestling contest. Village residents voted 157 to 55 to keep the seal as-is. Afterwards, Mayor Patrick O'Connor was criticized for not disclosing Comedy Central's involvement.[12] The Daily Shows January 21 show covered the vote and the controversy around the seal. At the end of the segment, correspondent Jessica Williams announced that the mayor told her that the town would change the seal.[13] This was confirmed by a joint press release from Whitesboro and the Oneida Indian Nation the next day.[14]

An updated seal was adopted in the summer of 2017.[15] The new seal was created by a communication design student at PrattMWP in Utica, under direction of a professor there.[16] While the new seal depicts the same scene as the previous seal, it moves White's hands down to the Oneida chief's upper arms instead of near his neck, and neither man appears to be dominating the other.[17] Additionally, both men were given more realistic skin tones, and their attire was corrected for historical accuracy.[18]

Geography

Whitesboro is located at (43.124, -75.296).[19] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.1sqmi, all land.[20]

The Sauquoit Creek forms the boundary with Yorkville. Areas of Whitesboro near the creek suffer from periodic flooding.[21]

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,943 people, 1,778 households, and 992 families residing in the village. The population density was 3675.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,921 housing units at an average density of 1790.6sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the village was 97.69% White, 0.53% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.

There were 1,778 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $31,947, and the median income for a family was $42,741. Males had a median income of $29,408 versus $25,865 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,386.

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. September 20, 2022.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. January 31, 2008. December 27, 1996. https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/. live.
  3. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. January 31, 2008. United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. February 12, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120212191832/http://geonames.usgs.gov/. live.
  4. Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society at Utica, 1881–1884, p.73 et seq. (1885)
  5. Book: Jones, Pomroy . Annals and recollections of Oneida County . 1851 . Published by the author . . 872.
  6. Web site: Whitesboro Village Courts . September 19, 2022 . Village of Whitesboro.
  7. Web site: Katz. Brigit. New York Village Changes Controversial Seal Showing a White Settler Wrestling a Native American. Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Magazine. September 29, 2017. October 5, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171005015904/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-village-changes-controversial-seal-showing-white-settler-wrestling-native-american-180965060/. live.
  8. News: Residents in Whitesboro, N.Y., vote to keep a much-criticized village emblem . Marc . Santora . January 12, 2016 . . March 3, 2017 . September 29, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170929233153/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/nyregion/residents-in-whitesboro-ny-vote-to-keep-a-much-criticized-village-emblem.html?_r=0 . live .
  9. News: Whitesboro seal 'takes a little explaining' . Potts . Courtney . January 4, 2009 . . April 16, 2022 .
  10. Web site: July 7, 2015 . Mayor of Whitesboro, N.Y., Insists This Village Seal Is Not Racist . April 16, 2022 . . Jackson . Connor . September 11, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210911180211/https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/07/07/mayor-of-whitesboro-n-y-insists-this-village-seal-is-not-racist/ . live .
  11. Web site: July 17, 2015 . Whitesboro seal caught up in rebel-flag debate . April 16, 2022 . . en-US .
  12. Web site: Cleaver . Jolene . January 13, 2016 . Whitesboro mayor: Disclosing TV presence 'would have tainted the seriousness' of seal vote . April 16, 2022 . . en-US .
  13. Web site: Wrestling with History in Whitesboro, NY . . January 21, 2016 . March 3, 2017 . May 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170501032427/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/y3nhwj/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-wrestling-with-history-in-whitesboro--ny . dead .
  14. Web site: January 22, 2016 . Whitesboro, Oneidas to work together on new seal . April 16, 2022 . . en-US .
  15. Web site: Whitesboro officially replaces controversial seal. April 16, 2022. Spectrum News 1 Central New York. en. September 25, 2017. Melissa. Krull. April 16, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220416214113/https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2017/09/25/whitesboro-officially-replaces-controversial-seal. live.
  16. Web site: September 27, 2017 . Solving Racism – Whitesboro – UPDATE – meetinghouse.co . https://web.archive.org/web/20171001074402/https://www.meetinghouse.co/solving-racism-whitesboro-ny-update/ . October 1, 2017. September 30, 2017 . www.meetinghouse.co. dead. Cindiana. Koren.
  17. News: New York Village's Seal, Widely Criticized as Racist, Has Been Changed. September 27, 2017. The New York Times. Maya Salam. September 29, 2017. September 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170928032947/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/nyregion/whitesboro-ny-seal-logo.html. live.
  18. Web site: Cleaver . Jolene . After past uproar, Whitesboro has new village seal . April 16, 2022 . . en-US . September 26, 2017 .
  19. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011. August 24, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html. live.
  20. Web site: Search Results. Bureau. US Census. www.census.gov. en-US. September 29, 2017. April 16, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220416173830/https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?q=whitesboro+new+york&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=submit&page=1&stateGeo=none&searchtype=web&cssp=SERP. live.
  21. Web site: Harris . Edward . Whitestown project to ease Sauquoit Creek flooding avoids snags as it moves ahead . April 16, 2022 . Utica Observer Dispatch . en-US . March 4, 2022 .
  22. Web site: Harriet Elizabeth Cook . Church History Biographical Database . 1910-08-05 . 2024-07-17.