Perinton (originally Perrinton (in federal censuses) and sometimes Perrington when still part of Ontario County) is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 47,479 at the 2020 census.
The village of Fairport is within the town on the Erie Canal.
History
In 1788, Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham purchased 2.6 million acres (11,000 km<sup>2</sup>) of land in the wilderness of Western New York. William Walker of Canandaigua purchased of the land and hired his brother Caleb and his cousin Glover Perrin (1762–1830) to survey and divide the land into 66 equal lots. The area was known as Township 12, Range 4, in the governmental unit of Northfield.
In 1793, Glover Perrin, his family, and his six siblings and their families, became the first permanent white settlers in the area. They settled in the flat and well-watered areas, specifically in the hamlet of Egypt (along the current Route 31) and Perinton Center (the intersection of Turk Hill and Ayrault roads). Early commercial ventures included mills, blacksmith shops, taverns, and inns.
By the late 1820s, the village of Fairport, located within the town on the Erie Canal, was becoming a booming canal town. Fairport, however, was not incorporated as a village until 1867.
From the 1850s to the 1950s, Perinton's history was primarily Fairport's history. The village was an active canal port and also a booming industrial town, echoing a trend that was occurring nationwide. As a result of the availability of cheap and easy transportation, which by the 1850s included the railroad as well as the canal, companies such as the DeLand Chemical Company, the Cobb Preserving Company, Taylor's Oil of Life, and eventually the American Can Company, grew and thrived. Services, including a fire department, a public library, street lighting, and parks, enhanced the life of the town and village. Residential areas, with homes built in a variety of architectural styles, were built around the bustling village center.
The town of Perinton, outside of Fairport, remained essentially rural until the 1950s. Today farms still exist in Perinton, but are surrounded by suburban subdivisions, office and industrial parks, and an impressive number of parks and open spaces. The village of Fairport still maintains the ambience of a canal town and capitalizes on the recreational aspects of that canal.
Most residents of the town of Perinton reside within both the Fairport Central School District and the Fairport postal district; due to this it is common for Perinton residents to describe their place of residence as "Fairport" even if they live outside of the village.
The town of Perinton was named one of the nation's 100 best places to live in 2008 by RelocateAmerica.com.
Richardson's Canal House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Geography
Perinton is in eastern Monroe County, southeast of Rochester. It is bordered by the coterminous town and village of East Rochester (west), and the towns of Victor (south), Macedon (east), Pittsford (west), and Penfield (north). The southern boundary of Perinton is also the Ontario County line. The hamlet of Egypt is in southeastern Perinton. Egypt Fire Department, Lollypop Farm, and Egypt Park are major Egypt landmarks. The southwestern portion of Perinton is called Bushnell's Basin and is home to the Bushnell's Basin Fire Department and Richardson's Canal House.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.07%, are water. Among other hiking areas, the town includes the Crescent Trail, a system of footpaths through both public and private land.
Parks and recreational areas in the town include:
- Beechwoods Park: hiking trail
- Egypt Park: baseball, tennis, playground
- Fellows Road Park: tennis, volleyball, basketball, baseball, playground, exercise trail, indoor space for rent
- Garnsey Arboretum: hiking, nature trail
- Horizon Hill: indoor space and small pavilion
- Indian Hill: hiking
- Kreag Road Park: baseball, basketball, tennis, playground, canal access, outdoor shelter
- Perinton Park: rowing boathouse, basketball, tennis, volleyball, playground, hiking trail, canal access, indoor space for rent
- Perinton Recreation Center: soccer, bandshell, playground, hiking trail
- Potter Park: soccer, baseball, tennis, teen center, skating rink
- Powder Mills Park: downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, fishing, playground, hiking, fish hatchery
- Spring Lake Park: fishing, baseball
- White Brook Nature Area