# Chili, New York

Chili (/ˈtʃaɪlaɪ/ CHY-ly) is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 29,123 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the city of Rochester, established in 1822 from part of the town of Riga. North Chili was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Black Creek Park is one of many parks in Chili where visitors can make use of nature trails that run along the creek.

## History

The Chili area was once the hunting ground of the Seneca people. The first white settler was Captain Joseph Morgan, who purchased land from Peter Sheffer of neighboring Wheatland.
The area of Chili became part of the newly formed town of Northampton. With the formation of Monroe County the area became part of the town of Riga before splitting off into its own Town of Chili on February 22, 1822.
Chili's etymology is disputed. Two popular theories are that it was named after the country of Chile, which was striving for independence at the time, or after the Chiliast faith embraced by some of the early settlers of South Chili.
The Chili Mills Conservation Area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

## Geography

Chili is in southwestern Monroe County and is bordered at its northeastern corner by the city of Rochester. The town is bordered to the north by the towns of Gates and Ogden, to the west by the town of Riga, to the east by the town of Henrietta, and to the south by the town of Wheatland. Downtown Rochester is 7 miles (11 km) northeast of the hamlet of Chili Center.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Chili has a total area of 39.9 square miles (103 km$^2$), of which 39.5 square miles (102 km$^2$) are land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km$^2$), or 0.89%, are water. Both Interstate 490 and the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) pass through Chili.

## Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,638 people, 10,159 households, and 7,558 families residing in the town. The population density was 695.4 inhabitants per square mile (268.5/km$^2$). There were 10,466 housing units at an average density of 263.3 per square mile (101.7/km$^2$). 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.

## Education

Chili is served by the Churchville-Chili Central School District, Gates Chili Central School District, and Wheatland–Chili Central School District.

## Government

The town is governed by a town board consisting of a supervisor and four board members, all elected by registered town voters.
The local government includes town supervisor David Dunning (R) and town councillors Mark Decory (R); James Valerio (R); Michael S. Slattery (R); and Mary C. Sperr (R). The appointed deputy town supervisor is Michael S. Slattery.
Supervisors :
| Name | Tenure | Name | Tenure |
| Joseph Sibley | 1822-1823 | Thomas B. Steckel | 1952-1959 |
| Joshua Howell | 1824-1825 | George K. Lusk | 1960-1965 |
| Alfred Scofield | 1826-1828 | Samuel S. Kent | 1966-1971 |
| Isaac Lacey | 1829 1840 | James J. Powers | 1972-1985 |
| Benjamin Bowen | 1830 | Lorraine Anderson | 1986-1987 |
| William Pixley | 1831-1832 1836-1837 1852-1853 | John Hannah | 1988-1989 |
| George Brown | 1833-1834 | Donald Ramsey | 1990-1991 |
| Moses Sperry | 1835 1838-1839 1844 1854 | Jerome P. Brixner | 1992-1993 |
| John T. Lacey | 1841 1843 1845-1846 | William C. Kelly | 1994-1999 |
| Isaac Burritt | 1842 | Stephen W. Hendershott | 2000-2003 |
| William P. Hill | 1847-1848 1861-1864 1867 1878 (part year) 1880-1881 | Tracy L. Logel | 2004-2007 |
| Franklin Cate | 1849-1851 | David J. Dunning | 2008–present |
| David Starkey | 1855-1858 |
| Edward J. Reed | 1859-1860 |
| A. S. Litle | 1865 |
| Albert H. King | 1866 1871 |
| William Voke | 1868-1870 |
| Frederick Fellows | 1872-1877 |
| William Fellows | 1878 (part year) |
| Edwin A. Loder | 1879 |
| Benjamin Fellows | 1882-1884 |
| Byron D. Beal | 1885-1886 |
| Lewis B. Carpenter | 1887-1890 1896-1898 |
| Myron Sperry | 1891 |
| John B. Johnston | 1892-1895 |
| Arthur A. Sickles | 1899-1901 |
| Cornelius A. Nichols | 1902-1907 |
| Charles G. Voke | 1908-1915 |
| Warren R. Henderson | 1916-1929 |
| W. H. Wickins | 1930-1935 |
| Gage M. Miller | 1936-1949 |
| Oakley Decker | 1950-1951 |

## Communities and locations

* Chili Center – The centre of town government and the most urbanized portion of the town.
* Genesee River – Part of the east border of the town.
* 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. The first business was located here called the Checker Tavern
* West Chili – A small community located just north of Black Creek Park. Originally called Buckbee's Corners.
* East Chili - A small community in the eastern part of the town. This does not exist in present day.
* Clifton- A small rural hamlet in the southern part of the town. Originally called Hardscrabble, it produced a world award winning type of flour.

## Places of local interest

Roberts Wesleyan University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university in North Chili. The school enrolls approximately 2,000 students. The school hosts various community events on its facilities, including soccer games, swimming lessons, dance recitals, fireworks, concerts, drama productions and many other events.

## Notable people

* Homer G. Balcom, structural engineer of the Empire State Building; born in Chili in 1870

## Sister cities

* Agropoli - Italy