Irondequoit

History

In 1687 the Marquis de Denonville led an army of French soldiers and Wyandot warriors on a punitive expedition against the Haudenosaunee through Irondequoit Bay, beginning the long enmity between the Haudenosaunee and the French. After the American Revolution, this area was part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The Town of Irondequoit was founded in 1839 when it separated from the town of Brighton. During the last part of the 19th century, the north edge of the town was developed as a tourist and vacation area for Rochester residents, and was once known as the "Coney Island of Western New York". After World War II, Irondequoit experienced significant population growth, with returning veterans looking for housing. Irondequoit became the first suburb in Monroe County to see substantial migration of residents from the city of Rochester, with the population growing from 23,376 in 1940 to 55,337 in 1960, an increase of 136%. Irondequoit remained the most-populated suburb in Monroe County until the 1970s, when it was surpassed by the town of Greece, a community with three times the land area of Irondequoit. In 1965, Irondequoit became part of civil rights history by being part of the first totally voluntary desegregation program in U.S. history. The Urban Suburban Interdistrict Transfer Program, which still operates today, was begun with 25 first graders from the inner city of Rochester who embarked on their K-12 education in the West Irondequoit school district. Ultimately, 15 of the original 25 students graduated together in 1977 as part of the first graduating class ever to go through a full 12 years of voluntary desegregation. The achievement was acknowledged in a letter from the White House and a notation in the U.S. Congressional Record. The program has continued…

Geography

The town is in north-central Monroe County, lying between the Genesee River on the west and Irondequoit Bay on the east. The north border of the town is defined by the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Because it is bounded by water on three sides, it is considered a geographical headland. Irondequoit is bordered by the city of Rochester to the south and west, the town of Brighton at Irondequoit's southeast corner, and the towns of Penfield and Webster to the east. The eastern boundary of the town follows the center of Irondequoit Bay from the mouth of Irondequoit Creek north to Lake Ontario. An unusual boundary exists between the Town of Irondequoit and the adjacent City of Rochester. On the western border of Irondequoit, the city limits include a thin strip of land that extends northward along the east bank of the Genesee River from Seneca Park to Lake Ontario, at some points less than from the shore. The result is that the City of Rochester claims the entire eastern shore of the Genesee, and the border of the Town of Irondequoit never reaches the river. Similarly, the northern half of Durand-Eastman Park (including Durand Beach) is part of the City of Rochester, along with a narrow strip running along Culver Road for approximately southward to Norton Street, where it connects to the main part of Rochester. This leads to much confusion, even among long-term residents, about whether places such as Seneca Park or Durand Park lie within the Town of Irondequoit or the City of Rochester. Seneca Park was annexed by the City of Rochester in 1891, and Durand Eastman Park was given to the city in 1908. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Irondequoit has a total area of , of which are land and , or 10.75%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  51,831
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  46,581
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  42,289
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  40,522
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  40,371
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,086
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  35,090
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  35,066

Largest nearby schools

• PENFIELD SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · PENFIELD · 1,424 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• WEBSTER-SCHROEDER HIGH SCHOOL
  High · WEBSTER · 1,314 students · 11.4:1 ratio
• TRUE NORTH ROCHESTER PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL
  Other · ROCHESTER · 1,301 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• THOMAS HIGH SCHOOL
  High · WEBSTER · 1,258 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ROCHESTER · 1,243 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• EDISON CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ROCHESTER · 1,233 students · 8:1 ratio
• IRONDEQUOIT HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ROCHESTER · 1,163 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• GATES-CHILI HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ROCHESTER · 1,132 students · 10.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• 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
• M 2.91 — 2009-06-05
  4 km SSE of Attica, New York