Welcome to the Village of Hilton Online
On behalf of the Hilton Village Board of Trustees and administration, I wish to invite you to our newly designed web site and welcome you as a visitor or resident. Situated in the Northwestern portion of Monroe County, we have a diverse population residing in an area of just more than a square mile.
We have a proud heritage, one that was built on the growth of our ancestors who located here primarily to farm on our rich soil. The location of Lake Ontario some 3-miles to the north provided favorable conditions for fruit farming in particular. This growth led to a railroad station, and subsequently many supporting businesses.
The Village of Hilton celebrated its centennial in 1985. The central business district has seen many changes since the days of the early blacksmith shop and general stores. A tragedy occurred in March of 1965, when over 60% of the central business district caught on fire and went up in smoke. Today, our Main Street buildings architecture is one of old and new as a result of the rebuilding.
In the 1940’s my father would take my mother to the movie on Saturday night for a dime and then treat her to an ice cream at the Candy Kitchen. They can still remember how “Main Street” was. I witnessed the fire and rebuilding of Hilton and it is my hope that perhaps my children and grandchildren will someday witness the rebirth of our Main Street to those days of it being “alive” and visually pleasing to those who live here and visit such as you. Our new zoning overlay district is an excellent tool in place to meet that goal of creating an “American Village.”
Our Public Works and Village Office staff manage the day-to-day services for over 6,000 residents. Take a look at the web site and note the many services we offer as part of a village tax that is typically below $300 a year. If you don’t already live here, come for a visit and see what Hilton has to offer. Be sure to stop in to the Community Center and see what our Historian Mary Townsend has in her window display.
In conclusion, we are fortunate to have many service-oriented groups that support our community and its residents. Two of them are significant, the Hilton Firemen and the Hilton Apple Festival Committee. These groups coordinate two of our family entertainment events in the year, those being the Firemen’s Carnival in July and the Apple Festival in the fall.
Sincerely - Larry Gursslin, Mayor
