Chili, New York
Chili is a town in Monroe County, New York, USA. The population was 27,638 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Chili was established in 1822 from part of the Town of Riga. The name Chili was inspired by the independence movement in Chile—"Chili" being the contemporary spelling. This is due to the extreme controversy of the conflict that led to Chili's formation from Riga. Town boardsmember John Ryes (whose original name was said to be Juan Reyes; supposedly he had some Latin-American descent that he attempted to hide), was upset with Riga's harsh attitudes towards immigrants and runaway slaves, and caused great dissent when he challenged his fellow boardsmembers on it. Numerous conflicts among townsmembers were prompted, some even becoming violent, and because of this, a large number of the town's population, many of whom were early abolitionists, formed their own town. The name comes from that revolutionary spirit, and is a shibboleth, pronounced IPA [ˈtʃaɪˌlaɪ] (or, informally, "CHYE-lye").
North Chili, in keeping with its revolutionary history and strong anti-racist tendencies, was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 103.4 km² (39.9 mi²). 103.0 km² (39.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.48%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 27,638 people, 10,159 households, and 7,558 families residing in the town. The population density was 268.5/km² (695.4/mi²). There were 10,466 housing units at an average density of 101.7/km² (263.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.14% White, 5.71% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 10,159 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,097, and the median income for a family was $61,481. Males had a median income of $45,156 versus $29,903 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,887. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Chili
- Chili Center -- The largest community in the town that is west of the Rochester airport.
- Genesee River -- Part of the east border of the town.
- Maplewood -- A community on the east side of Chili Center.
- North Chili -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town and home to Roberts Wesleyan College.
- South Chili -- A rural area in Chili running along the New York State Thruway.
- West Chili -- A small community located just to the north of Black Creek Park.
Places of local interest
Chili Public Library
The Chili Public Library is the public library serving Chili, New York. It is located at 3333 Chili Avenue, Chili, New York
In June of 1959, Chili Town Supervisor George Lusk and the members of the Town Board created the Chili Library Committee to determine need for a library in Chili. The committee submitted its findings to the Town board in June of 1960, unanimously agreeing the Town of Chili had a "definite need" for a public library due to growing population and a lack of cultural institutions. At the time, Chili was the only town in the county without a public library. In 1961, Supervisor Lusk put a vote before town residents on a referendum to allocate funds for a new town hall facility, including a section for a town library. The public voted yes, and in 1962, the Chili Public Library became the final member of the Monroe County Library System. The Library opened its doors and began circulating books on October 15, 1962. Librarian Marcia Chapman presents the first library card to Supervisor Lusk.