The Town of Webster, named after American statesman Daniel Webster, started out as an agricultural community with early settlers taking advantage of fertile soil, a temperate climate, and a good topography to grow edible products. Webster's first industrial businesses, including food processing, were also linked to agriculture. At one time, Webster was home to the largest basket manufacturing plant in the world. As the industrial revolution changed America’s agrarian economic base to an industrial one, Webster also changed.
Webster is just 13 miles northeast of the City of Rochester along a 100-mile stretch of unspoiled Lake Ontario shoreline. Webster has a rare combination of industry, commerce, recreational assets, and rich community life all amid rolling hills, significant open space, and agricultural lands. It is exactly this balance of assets that accounts for the diversity of stakeholders who, while having a shared interest in Webster’s future, nonetheless compete for scarce local resources, whether its open space, private investment or tax dollars. The need for stability and common cause amid these interests resulted in a number of meaningful partnerships and collaborative efforts among municipal, school, community and business stakeholders.
The Webster Chamber is a non‐government organization comprised of local businesses, professionals, and executives who strive to help connect its members with the others throughout the community.
The Webster Economic Development Alliance (Alliance) is a private, non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York and is recognized as a 501-c-3 organization by the US Internal Revenue Service. As a Local Development Corporation, the Alliance's primary goals are to plan, organize and implement local community and economic development activities in Webster, NY and coordinate with partner economic development agencies in the Rochester, NY and Finger Lakes Region.