The town is part of the Military Tract, and much of the land was given to soldiers who had served in the Revolutionary War.

The Owasco Outlet flows to the Seneca River, which serves as the northern border of the town.

The Erie Canal was built through the town in 1819 and was opened to traffic in 1820, with service between Montezuma and Utica.

The new Erie Canal fostered rapid growth and the settlement that had built up around the Outlet was given the name of Bucksville.

Today, the town serves mostly as a bedroom community for the cities of Auburn, Syracuse and Rochester.

In 1853, the New York Central Railroad was constructed through the northern lands of the town, about one mile north of the village.

The east-west NY Route 31, which was the old Montezuma Turnpike, passes through the center of the town and village of Port Byron.

The New York State Thruway was constructed in the 1950s and passes through the town on an east-west alignment, closely following the route of the Erie Canal.

The Old Erie Canal Heritage Park was built as an attraction on the Thruway and lies on the western border of the village.