Medina is a village in the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway in Orleans County, New York, United States. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Lake Ontario. As of the 2020 census, Medina had a population of 6,047, making it the county's most populous municipality. The village was named by its surveyor, Ebenezer Mix. It is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Medina ZIP Code, 14103, encompasses the village of Medina and the surrounding towns of Ridgeway and Shelby.

The village developed after construction of the Erie Canal, which bends as it passes through the village, creating a basin that served as a stopover point. This became the center of businesses that served trade and passenger traffic on canal boats. In addition, mills were constructed on Oak Orchard Creek to take advantage of its water power. The fertile lands around the village yielded fruit which was exported to major markets of New York City and west via the canal. At the start of the 20th century, Medina was a thriving industrial town.

Medina is located about an hour drive from two major cities, Rochester, to the east, and Buffalo, to the west. It is also about 30 minutes from two small cities, Batavia and Lockport. History Joseph Ellicott, the agent of the Holland Land Company, once owned land that encompassed part of the village, purchased from the Holland Land Company. With the opening of the Erie Canal through Medina, the village enjoyed more trade and business associated with freight and passengers on canal boats.

The Village of Medina was incorporated March 3, 1832, creating an entity contained within the two towns of Ridgeway and Shelby. The charter of incorporation called for five Trustees to be elected as village officials. That same year the first printing press was set up in the village and the first newspaper published, The Medina Herald.

In 1852, the railroad arrived in Medina and passenger service quickly became popular.

Early Industry Medina's first known industry was an ashery. The area was mostly covered in trees and brush when Ebenezer Mix was assigned to survey the area. Clearing the area would have been necessary for the village to be laid out and the Erie Canal built. An ashery would convert hardwood ash into lye or other usable products. Most of these industries would rely on the Erie Canal for their transportation needs.

Mills Medina had a variety of mills over the years. Grain and flour mills were very important to the area and built as early as 1830. Two stave mills existed in the 1870s, producing wood strips for the production of barrels. A Cloth mill also existed for a time though exactly when is not known. Saw mills were used for creating rough lumber and finished boards for other local industry.

Barrel Manufacturing The popularity of flour production resulted in a large need for barrels to transport the flour down the Erie Canal.

Foundries The Bignall Foundry began selling iron pumps, sinks, and more in 1861. After several fires, the company was part of a consolidation into the Central Foundry Company along with two other local foundries, A.L. Swett Company and Beach & Co in 1899. The Central Foundry focused on soil pipe manufacturing. A.L Swett Iron Works opened in 1871 to manufacture hardware specialties and continued operations in Medina through the 1920s. Beach & Co manufactured plumbing supplies starting in the 1880s.

Furniture Manufacturing The Maher Brothers were the first large scale furniture maker in Medina, opening in 1882. The family continued to run the business until 1928. S.A. Cook opened their furniture business around 1882, the Morris chair being among their most popular products. In 1911, Mr. Cook built a large block on Main St which still bears his name today. Another large furniture company of note was the Empire Couch Company. They moved to Medina in 1902. They successfully operated through the widening of the canal in 1913 but could not stay in business during through the Depression, declaring bankruptcy in 1935.

Medina Sandstone Medina is known for its Medina Sandstone, a stone used widely in buildings across the region.Medina Sandstone , on ErieCanalMedina.com Some local examples include the "million dollar staircase" at the New York State Capitol in Albany, the Richardson Olmsted Complex in Buffalo, and in buildings at the University of Rochester and Cornell University. Sandstone varies in color from light grey to a deep reddish brown.

The first commercial sandstone quarry was opened in 1837 by John Ryan. At their peak, sandstone quarries were one of the largest employers in the county with upwards of 2,000 employees. With the discovery of cheaper alternatives, Medina Sandstone's popularity began to decline around World War 1.

Pearl Street Armory In 1901, a State Armory was built of Medina Sandstone and located on the corner of Pearl St and Prospect Ave. Company F moved into the facility in 1902 with units serving in WWI and WWII. The Armory was officially closed by NYS in 1977. Company F records can found at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. A bronze statue and memorial was erected in front of the building in honor of Company F in 2019. The building now houses the YMCA.

POW Camp Medina's Heinz factory housed a POW camp from 1943 to 1946. Seventy-one Italian soldiers arrived at the Heinz barracks in September 1943. They were allowed to work at the Heinz factory, local farms, or other local factories. In May 1944, the Italian soldiers were moved to a new location and replaced with 116 German soldiers.

During their tenure in Medina, the German prisoners went on strike to protest the smoking regulations at the Heinz factory. The soldiers wanted to smoke in the factory building and on the loading platforms. After having all of their possessions removed and not being allowed to sleep in the barracks, all of the soldiers voluntarily returned to work the following day.

In 1946, the Heinz camp was closed and all remaining prisoners were moved to local military installations in preparation for their return to Germany. During its use, the Heinz barracks housed up to 300 soldiers and 50 military police.

Recent history In 2015, village residents voted to keep Medina an incorporated village, despite having the highest effective property tax rate in the Finger Lakes region according to a 2016 Empire Center report.

The Main Street Historic District, Medina Armory, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Payjack Chevrolet Building was added in 2012 and Boxwood Cemetery in 2015.

Geography Medina is located at (43.219808, -78.390101).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (2.39%) is water.

Medina lies at the junction of east–west highway NYS Route 31 and north–south highway NYS Route 63. In addition, Medina marks the location where NYS Route 31E and NYS Route 31A split off from NY-31.

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Medina had a population of 6,047. The median age was 40.6 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.0 males age 18 and over.

98.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,584 households in Medina, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 32.1% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,820 housing units, of which 8.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 4,978 82.3% Black or African American 370 6.1% American Indian and Alaska Native 23 0.4% Asian 45 0.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 3 0.0% Some other race 165 2.7% Two or more races 463 7.7% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 348 5.8%

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 6,415 people, 2,567 households, and 1,576 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 2,796 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 87.89% White, 7.56% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.62% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.83% of the population.

There were 2,567 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $30,300, and the median income for a family was $37,857. Males had a median income of $31,857 versus $21,633 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,138. About 13.0% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Religion Over the years Medina has been home to many different populations. St. John's Episcopal Church was the first church in Medina, consecrated in 1828. In the following decade, the First United Presbyterian, First Baptist, United Methodist, and St. Mary's Roman Catholic Churches were built. German immigrants started arriving in the 1880s and 1890s and built Trinity Evangelical Lutheran and St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran.

At the turn of the century, the Polish community had grown so large that they built Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Church in 1910. In 1930, the African American community built Glad Tidings Missionary Baptist Church. Grace Baptist Church, an offshoot from another local Baptist church in Shelby, was built next.

More recently the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Fountain of Love, the Islamic Center, Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God, Grace Covenant, Holiness Pentecostal, and Morning Star of God in Christ have opened. The Church of God Pentecostal purchased the former United Methodist Church in 2016. In 2017, the Akron Free Methodist Church leased the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church and began having services. Of the 15+ churches and religious institutions that have operated in Medina, 11 are still in the village.

Medina is featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not for St. John's Episcopal Church, known as the "Church in the Middle of the Road".Saint John's Episcopal - Church in the Middle of the Road Government

Local Medina is governed by a mayor and four trustees. Each position has a two-year term. Elections occur every year. On numerically even years, two trustees and the mayor are up for election. On numerically odd years, the other two trustees are up for election.

County See: Orleans County, New York

State

The 62nd Senate District represented by Senator Rob Ortt The 139th Assembly District represented by Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Federal

The 24th Congressional District, represented by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney US Senators representing New York State are Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand

Courts