Брайтон, Нью-Йорк: История и современность города

Brighton is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 37,137 at the 2020 census.

The Town of Brighton, located on the southeastern border of the city of Rochester, is located on the traditional homelands of the Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca), part of the Ho de no sau nee ga (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy, the People of the Long House, called Iroquois by the French. The first Europeans in the area were French trappers in the seventeenth century, who visited frequently but did not settle there. English colonists built permanent structures in approximately 1790, and formally established the town in 1814—earning it recognition as one of the oldest towns in Monroe County. Named for Brighton, England, it remained a farming and brick making community until the 20th century, when the town began its evolution into an upscale suburban residential area, occupying some 15 square miles (39 km2). In 1999, the town purchased 64 acres (259,000 m2) with the intention of developing a central park. The Alcoa Care free Home and Stone Tolan House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the Civil War the men of Brighton helped form Company D of the 140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment in September, 1862, which was formed in Rochester. The total population of Brighton at the time was approximately 3,100 people. The 140th New York Regiment served in the XII Corps and then the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac. They saw battle during the Battle of Gettysburg, The Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle of Spotsylvania and Appomatox Courthouse Campaigns during the war. The 140th New York was disbanded from service on June 3, 1865.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.6 square miles (40.5 km2), of which 15.5 square miles (40.0 km2) is land and 0.17 square mile (0.4 km2) (1.1%) is water. In terms of latitude and longitude, Brighton is located at
Brighton has lacked a central village since the city of Rochester annexed the area around East Avenue and Winton Road, formerly the village of Brighton, in 1905. The central entertainment and commercial hub is the Twelve Corners, so named because three intersecting roads, Winton Road, Monroe Avenue and Elmwood Avenue, define 12 distinct corners. Residents tend to gravitate to nearby Pittsford Plaza for shopping, as well as Eastview Mall and Commons, in bordering Pittsford and nearby Victor. Also, both the High School (Brighton High School) and the Middle School (Twelve Corners Middle School) are located at Twelve Corners. Brighton is bordered by the city of Rochester and the town of Irondequoit northwest, the town of Henrietta to the south, the Genesee River and Chili the west, and the towns of Pittsford and Penfield to the east. Brighton is located some 60 mile (97 km) from Buffalo, and 90 mile (145 km) from Syracuse. The Erie Canal courses through Brighton, accompanied by the acclaimed Erie Canal Heritage Trail, one of the longest continuous stretches of maintained off road trail in the United States. The Pinnacle Hill Range, a range of glacially formed hills of unique habitat including old growth oak woodland, is largely leveled or otherwise destroyed, but does have degraded remnants on Pinnacle Hill and the east side of Cobbs Hill. The latter is dedicated as Washington Grove and very popularly used; the former is the highest (though eroded) peak in Rochester and mainly used for unregulated mountain biking with an extensive and wide network of trails on its steep, sandy slopes. The largest wetland in Brighton is a former clay mining operation filled with lesser cattails along the Brickyard Trail, recently made a park in 2017. A fairly large area of west Brighton is undeveloped and wooded, including Lynch Woods Nature Park, from which one can access the Lehigh Valley Trail, which extends to Victor in the east and Rush to the west, and connects to the Genesee Valley Greenway, Auburn Trail, and Erie Canal trails. Most of Brighton however is completely developed, consisting of asphalt and lawn geography.

The Brighton Memorial Library, located on 2300 Elmwood Avenue in the town hall campus, serves Brighton, New York.

Brighton is governed by an elected town board, consisting of a supervisor and four town board members. The supervisor is elected to a two year term and serves as the CEO of the municipality and chairperson of the town board. The board members serve four year terms. Voters also elect two town justices and a town clerk. Town justices serve a four year term, and the clerk is elected to a two year term.