Avon

History

The area around and including what would become Avon village was inhabited for millennia by Paleo-Indians and later by the Seneca people, the westernmost tribe of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). After the Iroquois title to the land was extinguished in 1788 with the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, white and Black settlement of the area began. In 1789, Dr. Timothy Hosmer, Maj. Isaiah Thompson, William Wadsworth, and others from Hartford, Connecticut, purchased a tract east of the Genesee River and named it "Hartford" after their homeland. The town was organized in 1797. The town's name was changed to "Avon" in 1808 to avoid confusion with another Hartford in Washington County, New York. In 1818, part of the town was removed to form the new town of Rush. County lines shifted as well, Avon and Rush both being part of Ontario County until the formation of Livingston County and Monroe County in 1821. The first permanent white settlers of Avon village were Gilbert and Maria (Wemple) Berry in 1789, who operated a tavern and a rope ferry on the east bank of the Genesee River. When Gilbert died in 1797, Maria Berry continued serving travelers in the inn until about 1812. The town's first gristmill was built by Capt. John Ganson in northwest Avon in 1789 and the first sawmill in 1797 on the Conesus Outlet built by Dr. Hosmer. Mineral springs were an important resource of the early town. Beginning in the 1820s, people became interested in water as a therapy for all sorts of maladies, and mineral waters in particular for their reputed health benefits and even as cures. Avon, redolent in natural springs, soon became extremely popular with the afflicted. The wealthy, too, seeking relaxation and leisure, flocked to the town from far and wide. Numerous hotels and spas sprang up to take…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.13%, are water. The north town line is the border of Monroe County. The Genesee River defines the west town line, flowing northward past Avon village. Conesus Creek, flowing from Conesus Lake, empties into the Genesee, west of Avon village. U.S. Route 20 and New York State Route 5 are east-west highways across the town and intersect New York State Route 39 in Avon village. New York State Route 15 is another north-south highway in the eastern part of the town. Interstate 390 connects the town to areas north and south. (Clockwise) *Rush *Lima Honeoye Falls *Livonia; Geneseo *York; Caledonia

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,560
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,680
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,785
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  12,649
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,226
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  11,150
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,121
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  10,922

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2023-02-06
  1 km NE of West Seneca, New York
• M 2.6 — 2022-03-15
  5 km SSW of Warsaw, New York
• M 2.6 — 2020-03-29
  11 km N of Lyndonville, New York
• M 2.52 — 2017-07-11
  11 km NNW of Barker, New York
• M 2.46 — 2014-02-13
  34 km N of Lyndonville, New York
• M 2.7 — 2009-12-21
  10 km NNE of Olcott, New York