Phelps, New York
21 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1902 and the latest in 1983. It stands in Phelps town. It lies in ZIP code area 14532. It stands on Flint Creek. The Survey maps it on the Phelps quadrangle. 1,851 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 522 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1902 to 1983The same ground, surveyed 81 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Phelps
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 7 records
First Baptist Church of Phelpslisted 1992
Dr. John Quincy Howe Houselisted 2002
Phelps Town Halllisted 1996- Harmon Cobblestone Farmhouse and Cobblestone Smokehouselisted 1992
- William Huffman Cobblestone Houselisted 2002
- St. John's Episcopal Churchlisted 1978
- Philetus Swift Houselisted 2005
Population over time
2 figuresPhelps fell from 1,989 to 1,851 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,989 | |
| 2020 | 1,851 | -138 (-7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 21 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1902 USGS Phelps quadrangle1:62500, 7 printings
- 1943 USGS Phelps quadrangle1:31680
- 1950 USGS Elmira quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Phelps quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Elmira quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Elmira quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1965 USGS Elmira quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Canandaigua quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
126 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 126 fires within 5 miles of Phelps between 2003 and 2020, burning about 97 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 37 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 66 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 37 |
| Debris and open burning | 12 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 7 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 7 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 27 September 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | N/A |
| 19 September 2005 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 5 August 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 31 August 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | N/A |
| 27 August 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 24 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 24 workings within 5 miles of Phelps: 15 past producers, 9 producers. 9 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, General, Gypsum-Anhydrite, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Geneva Plant | Limestone, General | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Pat O'Connor No.1 Well | Salt | Past Producer | ||
| Phelps Quarry | Gypsum-Anhydrite | Past Producer | ||
| Five Points Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Five Points Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit No. 11 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Long Branch Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Long Branch Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Mackenzie Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary |
Storms near this place
34 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Phelps in 34 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 26 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 2 hail, 1 lightning. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2001 | Lightning | Phelps | 3 hurt | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Flash Flood | Phelps | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Flash Flood | Phelps | $40,000 | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $25,000 | Law enforcement reported numerous trees and wires down from thunderstorm winds near Phelps. A grain bin collapsed from the wind. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $18,000 | no account filed |
| October 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported trees downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $15,000 | no account filed |
| November 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $12,000 | no account filed |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires down. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires down. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $10,000 | The Ontario County Sheriff reported trees and wires down. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $10,000 | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $8,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $5,000 | An isolated thunderstorm moved onshore from Lake Ontario. The thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees in the town of Phelps. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $3,000 | Tree downed onto a porch on Marbletown Road. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $2,000 | Trees and wires were downed. |
| September 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $2,000 | Trees were reported down. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $1,000 | Two trees downed, completely blocking Toll Road between Griffith Road and Case Road. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $500 | Large tree downed blocking all of Cedar Swamp Rd. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $500 | Tree downed onto Cedar Swamp Road blocking both lanes. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | $500 | A tree was reported down onto Wheat Road. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | - | Tree on a house in McBurney road in Phelps. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phelps | - | Tree downed on a house with roof damage on Mary Ave. |
| July 2025 | Tornado (EF2) | Phelps | - | The National Weather Service surveyed damage in the Town of |Phelps in Ontario County from July 7 today. Damage began west of|Melvin Hill Road with a few broken hardwood branches but quickly|intensified to the east-southeast as multiple softwood trees|were snapped and uprooted around two homes and a barn. While|none of those structures received notable damage, multiple trees |nearby saw their trunks snapped. Damage continued east-southeast|to the north of County Road 23 with dozens of hardwood trees |snapped on the north side of a large farm area. As the damage|continued to the east-southeast, three residences received damage|around the roundabout at the intersection of County Road 23 and|Fort Hill Road. The worse damage was located just northwest of|the roundabout, where an entire roof and portions of the wall of|a home were destroyed. Nearby, another roof was fully destroyed,|as well. A barn just south of the roundabout was shifted off its|foundation, and a silo saw its roof about half removed. ||From the damage surveyed today, as well as multiple pictures, |videos, and drone footage shared from multiple sources, the|National Weather Service storm survey team determined the|damage to be consistent with a tornado rated an EF-2 on the|Enhanced Fujita Scale. Maximum winds were estimated at 115 mph. |
| August 2024 | Flash Flood | Phelps | - | Multiple roads closed or with water flowing across in Phelps. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Phelps | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Phelps | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Phelps | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unionville | 1.1 miles | 21 | |
| Phelps Junction | 1.7 miles | 21 | |
| Knickerbocker Corner | 2.1 miles | 21 | |
| Melvin Hill | 2.8 miles | 21 | |
| Fort Hill | 2.9 miles | 21 | |
| Oaks Corners | 3.0 miles | 21 | |
| Orleans | 4.0 miles | 21 | |
| Five Points | 4.2 miles | 23 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Phelps | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q3462006 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 960275. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







