The town was first settled around 1789. The Town of Western was formed in 1797 from the Town of Steuben. In 1811, part of Western was used to form the newer Town of Lee.
Town of Western, today
There is an active senior citizens group that meets monthly for activities. The Western Town Library offers programs for children and adults, and the historical society provides lectures and events for the entire community. There are currently two churches in Westernville, the United Methodist Church on Main Street and the First Presybterian Church on Stokes-Westernville Road. North Western has one church, the United Methodist Church, located on Route 46. The Town of Western has held the Heritage Days every year for the past 4 years. This year they will be held at the end of may versus the end of September. This is the location of Gen. William Floyd's second home, and is also where he is buried. Every year, Dr. Russell Marriot, in current residence of this home, helps hold a town ceremony in Gen. William Floyd's honor. Veronica Murphy can be contacted if anyone would like historical information on Westernville.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water. Delta Reservoir, also called Delta Lake, is mostly in the southwest part of the town.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,029 people, 752 households, and 573 families residing in the town. The population density was 39.5 people per square mile. There were 833 housing units at an average density of 16.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 97.54% White, 0.20% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.59% Asian, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population. There were 752 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couplesliving together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,337, and the median income for a family was $46,629. Males had a median income of $32,171 versus $27,097 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,217. About 3.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Western
Beartown - A hamlet near the west town line, north of Delta Lake.
Buck Hill - An elevation located north of Westernville.
Carmichael Hill - A hamlet near the east town line, located north of Big Brook.
Clark Hill - An elevation located northeast of Westernville.
Big Brook - A hamlet near the east town line.
Delta Reservoir - A reservoir in the southwest part of the town.
