Catskill (town), New York

Catskill is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,849 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Catskill contains a village, also called Catskill. The town is in the southeast part of the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park.

History

The area of the town was purchased from the natives in 1678 and settlement followed. The town was established in 1788 while still part of Albany County. The town was increased by an addition from the Town of Woodstock in 1800, but was later decreased upon the formation of the Towns of Cairo (1803) and Athens (1815).

People of Note

*George Caines, lawyer and reporter of decisions for the New York Court of Appeals.
*Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School of painting lived in Catskill from 1827 until his death in 1848. Cole was a member of Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Catskill, and designed the present church building; a stained glass window there honors the Cole Family. His house at Cedar Grove is open to the public.
*Cus D'Amato Boxing Manager, formed a gym in Catskill where he trained future heavyweight champions, Jose Torres, Floyd Patterson, and Mike Tyson
*New Jersey politician John Hill was born in Catskill.
*Abraham Van Vechten, New York State Attorney General was born in Catskill.Kate B

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 64.2 square miles (166.2 km²), of which, 60.5 square miles (156.8 km²) of it is land and 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²) of it (5.69%) is water.

The east town line is defined by the Hudson River, forming the border of Columbia County. The south town line is the border of Ulster County.

The New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) and US Route 9W pass through the town.

On July 23, 2003, a F2 tornado ripped across the town. The wrost of the damage was in Kiskatom flats. The tornado crossed over New York 32 and went past the Frier Tuck Inn. 2 Mobile homes were destroyed.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 11,849 people, 4,780 households, and 3,035 families residing in the town. The population density was 195.8 people per square mile (75.6/km²). There were 5,700 housing units at an average density of 94.2/sq mi (36.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.84% White, 6.03% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.03% of the population.

There were 4,780 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,531, and the median income for a family was $42,807. Males had a median income of $33,832 versus $25,058 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,563. About 11.2% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Catskill

*Alsen -- A hamlet in the southeast part of the town on Route 9W.
*Cairo Junction -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town.
*Catskill -- The Village of Catskill.
*Cauterskill -- A hamlet west of Catskill village.
*Cementon -- A hamlet south of Alsen on Route 9W.
*Hamburg -- A hamlet north of Catskill village on the Hudson River.
*High Falls -- A hamlet by the south town line.
*Jefferson Heights -- A hamlet northwest of Catskill village.
*Kiskatom -- A hamlet southwest of Catskill village.
*Lawrenceville -- A hamlet in the western part of the town.
*Leeds -- A hamlet by the north town line.
*Palenville -- A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.

References

External links

* [http://www.townofcatskillny.gov/ Town of Catskill]
* [http://www.thomascole.org Cedar Grove -- Thomas Cole Historic site]
* [http://catskill.lib.ny.us/ Catskill Public Library]