Honeoye Falls

The name "Honeoye" comes from the Seneca word ha-ne-a-yah, which means "lying finger", or "where the finger lies". The name comes from the local story of a Native American whose finger was bitten by a rattlesnake and who therefore cut off his finger with a tomahawk.

• Name — Honeoye Falls, New York • Settlement Type — Village • Image Skyline — Honeoye Falls.jpg • Image Caption — A small waterfall on Honeoye Creek, which gave the village its name • Image Map — Monroe County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Honeoye Falls highlighted.svg • Mapsize — 260px • Map Caption — Location in Monroe County and the state of New York • Image Map1 — New York in United States (US48).svg • Map Caption1 — Location of New York in the United States • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — United States • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — New York • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Monroe • Subdivision Type3 — Town • Subdivision Name3 — Mendon • Established Title — Incorporated • Established Date — 1791 • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Richard B. Milne (2025) • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Km2 — 6.72 • Area Land Km2 — 6.59 • Area Water Km2 — 0.13 • Area Total Sq Mi — 2.60 • Area Land Sq Mi — 2.54 • Area Water Sq Mi — 0.05 • Elevation Ft — 668 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 2706 • Population Density Km2 — 410.83 • Population Density Sq Mi — 1064.10 • Timezone1 — EST • Utc Offset1 — -5 • Timezone1 Dst — EDT • Utc Offset1 Dst — -4 • Postal Code Type — ZIP Code • Postal Code — 14472 • Area Code — 585 • Blank Name Sec2 — FIPS code • Blank Info Sec2 — 36-35364 • Blank2 Name Sec2 — Wikimedia Commons • Website — https: www.villageofhoneoyefalls.gov/ Honeoye Falls is a village within the town of Mendon in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 2,706 at the 2020 census. The village is sited next to a small waterfall on Honeoye Creek, which gives the village its name. The name "Honeoye" comes from the Seneca word ha-ne-a-yah, which means "lying finger", or "where the finger lies". The name comes from the local story of a Native American whose finger was bitten by a rattlesnake and who therefore cut off his finger with a tomahawk.

The village was founded in 1791 by Zebulon Norton when he purchased 1820 acre of land for the price of 12½ cents per acre. He built a grist mill and later a sawmill at a waterfall on Honeoye Creek. The area was originally known as "Norton Mills". In 1827, Hiram Finch built a second mill, which would come to be called the Lower Mill to differentiate it from the earlier mill. Honeoye Falls experienced an epidemic of scarlet fever in April 1893. On May 17, 1973, the Lower Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Honeoye Falls Village Historic District, St. John's Episcopal Church, Totiakton Site, and United States Post Office are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Honeoye Falls is located at (42.956331, −77.587353) on the falls of Honeoye Creek. It is in southeastern Monroe County, along the southern edge of the town of Mendon. It is bordered to the south by the town of Lima in Livingston. The city of Rochester is 15 mi to the north. New York State Route 65 passes through the village center along Ontario Street and North Main Street. Route 65 leads north 14 mi to its terminus at Route 96 in Brighton, and southeast 4.5 mi to U.S. Route 20 in West Bloomfield. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village of Honeoye Falls has a total area of 2.60 sqmi, of which 0.05 sqmi, or 2.00%, are water. Honeoye Creek is a north- and west-flowing tributary of the Genesee River and rises 13 mi to the south at the outlet of Honeoye Lake, one of the smaller Finger Lakes of New York.

As of the 2020 census, Honeoye Falls had a population of 2,706. The median age was 43.9 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.4 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,293 households in Honeoye Falls, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.3% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,418 housing units, of which 8.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.9%. Racial composition as of the 2020 census • Race — Number — Percent • White — 2,523 — 93.2% • Black or African American — 35 — 1.3% • American Indian and Alaska Native — 1 — 0.0% • Asian — 28 — 1.0% • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander — 0 — 0.0% • Some other race — 18 — 0.7% • Two or more races — 101 — 3.7% • Hispanic or Latino (of any race) — 65 — 2.4%

According to the 2021 ACS 5-year estimates, there were 689 families residing in the village.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,595 people, 1,114 households, and 672 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,000.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,156 housing units, with an average density of 445.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.15% White, 1.00% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Out of 1,114 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.3 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 74.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $47,413 and the median income for a family was $66,818. Males had a median income of $46,136 versus $35,299 for females. The per capita income for the village was $27,987. 2.5% of the population and 0.6% of families were below the poverty line. 2.3% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

• Illustration — Honeoye Falls village hall The village is governed by a board consisting of a mayor and four trustees, all elected by registered village voters. Members of the board of trustees, as of 2026, were: Mayor Richard B. Milne, Deputy Mayor/Trustee Jacquelin Main, Trustee Daniel Harris, Trustee Virginia Floss, and Trustee Will Wagner. Local justice used to be served at the Honeoye Falls Village Court, until April 1, 2025, when the court was transferred to the town of Mendon. Justice Sheldon Boyce used to preside over the village court. Village presidents and mayors • Name — Title — Term — Name — Title — Term • Harry Allen — President — 1838 1865 — James Heath — President — 1918–1923 • Henry Lockwood — President — 1839 — James S. Brown — President — 1924–1925 • Edward Downs — President — 1840 — F.F. Jobes — President — 1926 • Stephen Barrett — President — 1841–1842 — William Despard — Mayor — 1927 • Richard Ostrander — President — 1845–1864 — Basil Moore — Mayor — 1953–1963 • C.R. Hyde — President — 1867 — Bernard Drowne — Mayor — 1963–1968 • William Burberry — President — 1868 — Squire Kingston — Mayor — 1969–1971 • J.F. Kellogg — President — 1870–1872 1874–1884 — William E. Clark — Mayor — 1972–1973 • W.G. Starr — President — 1873 — William Mantegna — Mayor — 1973–1981 • Milo Case — President — 1884 — Mary Louise Meisenzahl — Mayor — 1981–1990 • W.R. Yorks — President — 1887 1896 — Anne R. Morton — Mayor — 1991 – October 2000 • Seymour Pierce — President — 1888 1892 1905 — Stephen R. Gustin — Mayor — October 2000 – 2005 • H.A. Tripp — President — 1889 — Richard B. Milne — Mayor — 2005 – present • J.W. Flick — President — 1890 • John Martin — President — 1894 1904 • William Lay — President — 1897 1901 1904 • Martin Pierce — President — 1899–1900 • A.H. Holden — President — 1906 • Levi Hill — President — 1907–1914 • C.S. Lange — President — 1915–1917

Public schools in Honeoye Falls are part of the Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District. Schools within the village include Honeoye Falls-Lima Senior High School, Honeoye Falls-Lima Middle School, and Manor Intermediate School. The Lima Primary School is in the district, but located in the town of Lima. The school's mascot is the Cougar. 93.2% of the population 25 years and older hold a high school diploma or higher, 43.5% a bachelor's degree or higher, and 16.4% a graduate/professional degree.

• David Francis Barry, 19th century photographer of the American West • Truddi Chase, author of When Rabbit Howls • Charles A. Goheen, Medal of Honor recipient for the American Civil War • Delia C. Kenyon (1858-1945), businesswoman, suffragist and clubwoman • Marty Reasoner, hockey player • Joan Smith, Olympic biathlete