| Albion | |
|---|---|
| — Village of Albion and Gaines — | |
  Albion
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| Coordinates: 43°14′49″N 78°11′28″W / 43.24694°N 78.19111°WCoordinates: 43°14′49″N 78°11′28″W / 43.24694°N 78.19111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Orleans |
| Settled | 1812 |
| Incorporated | 1828 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Dean Theodrakos |
| Population (2000 Census) | |
| - Total | 7,438 |
| Website | http://www.vil.albion.ny.us |
Albion is a village in Orleans County, New York, USA. The population was 7,438 at the 2000 census. The village is centrally located in the county and is partly in both the towns of Albion and Gaines. It is the county seat of Orleans County and is about 30 miles west north-west of the City of Rochester. It is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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History
Albion was settled in 1812. A typical Erie canal town, it features early 1800s architecture, with the peak of its stature coming and going with the canal construction. It was formerly called "Newport" but was incorporated in 1828 as the Village of Albion. At that time the village was entirely within the Town of Barre.
It competed to became the county seat, and in 1825 succeeded over Medina and others.[citation needed]
The origins of the science of ballistics can be traced to the County Court house in Albion. A farmhand named Phelps was accused of killing his employer in West Shelby, New York. The state called a so-called expert to the stand to prove the bullets killing Phelp's employer were from Phelp's gun. The hack whom was used as the "expert" identified photos of bullets from a different gun as those which killed Phelp's employer. An employee of Bausch and Lomb on Norton St. in Rochester, NY decided to investigate. He fired bullets from Phelp's gun and compared the slugs to those found at the murder scene. It was clear that the bullets didn't match and that the so-called expert the state used had lied. The county of Orleans, which Albion is the seat of stated that they had spent over $23,000 to convict Phelps and were not willing to spend any more money to clear him. At the 11th hour the Governor of New York pardoned Phelps, shortly before he was scheduled to be executed. Since the court failed to overturn the decision, when the real killers were caught and confessed they could not be tried for the crime due to the Double Jeopardy protection. The man who proved Phelp's innocence taught others what he knew and eventually his protege started the Chicago Crime lab of the FBI, which specializes in ballistics and forensics.
Geography
Albion is located at 43°14′49″N 78°11′28″W / 43.24694°N 78.19111°W (43.247211, -78.191264).[1]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.7 km2). None of the area is covered with water.
The Erie Canal passes through the community.
Albion contains the junction of east-west highway NYS Route 31 (East Avenue and West Avenue) and north-south highway NYS Route 98 (Main Street). NYS Route 279 joins NY-98 immediately north of Albion.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 7,438 people, 2,307 households, and 1,444 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,501.8 people per square mile (966.9/km2). There were 2,566 housing units at an average density of 863.1/sq mi (333.6/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 73.88% White, 18.20% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.99% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.32% of the population.
There were 2,307 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 37.3% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 141.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 150.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $30,010, and the median income for a family was $34,881. Males had a median income of $31,660 versus $22,157 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,531. About 13.0% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
- Albion Central School District.
- A branch campus of Genesee Community College.
Public transportation
Public transportation in Albion is provided by the OTS, which is part of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority [1](RGRTA).
Additional facts
- Albion is the center of the Medina sandstone industry, and lies in the midst of a good farming region, of which it is the principal shipping point, especially for apples, cabbages and beans.
Notable residents
- Terry A. Anderson, (1947- ), former hostage, humanitarian, lived in Albion during the 1950s
- Sanford E. Church, (1815-1880), born in Albion, Lieutenant Governor of New York, New York State Comptroller and Chief Judge of New York State Court of Appeals.
- Geoffrey Giuliano,(1953- ), author, actor and syndicated radio show host lived on and off in Albion from his birth until the age of twenty three.
- Elizur K. Hart, (1841-1893), born in Albion, founder of newspaper Rochester Post-Express and United States Congressman from New York
- Charles H. Holmes, (1827-1874), born in Albion, United States Congressman from New York
- Derek Kinder, (1986- ), NCAA College Football standout for PITT. Drafted by Chicago Bears as a Compensatory selection in the 2009 NFL Draft
- Charles H. Nesbitt, (1947- ), decorated Vietnam veteran, former NYS Assemblyman and NYS Assembly Minority Leader of the Republican Party, current president of the NYS Division of Tax Appeals and Tax Appeals Tribunal
- George Pullman, (1831–1897), sleeper car magnate, Chicago businessman, lived in Albion with his family for some time
References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
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