Bethel, New York
Bethel, New York | ||
---|---|---|
Town | ||
FIPS code 36-06310 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0978730 | |
Website | townofbethelny |
Bethel is a
History
The first European settlers arrived circa 1795 near the present communities of Bethel and White Lake. The town of Bethel was established in 1809 from the town of Lumberland. It was named after Bethel.
By the middle of the 19th century, a tourist industry began to grow. Bethel was home to numerous hotels that were part of the "
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 90.0 square miles (233 km2), of which 85.4 square miles (221 km2) is land and 4.6 square miles (12 km2) (5.13%) is water. One of the most attractive features of Bethel is its access to numerous lakes, all within a five-minute drive of each other. They include White Lake, its northern portion known as Kauneonga Lake, Silver Lake, and Lake Superior, which is part of the state park with the same name.
The Town of Bethel, which is primarily rural in character, was part of the old
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1820 | 1,096 | — | |
1830 | 1,203 | 9.8% | |
1840 | 1,483 | 23.3% | |
1850 | 2,087 | 40.7% | |
1860 | 2,854 | 36.8% | |
1870 | 2,736 | −4.1% | |
1880 | 2,562 | −6.4% | |
1890 | 2,158 | −15.8% | |
1900 | 2,248 | 4.2% | |
1910 | 2,164 | −3.7% | |
1920 | 1,849 | −14.6% | |
1930 | 1,799 | −2.7% | |
1940 | 2,321 | 29.0% | |
1950 | 2,351 | 1.3% | |
1960 | 2,366 | 0.6% | |
1970 | 2,763 | 16.8% | |
1980 | 3,335 | 20.7% | |
1990 | 3,693 | 10.7% | |
2000 | 4,362 | 18.1% | |
2010 | 4,255 | −2.5% | |
2020 | 3,959 | −7.0% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[4][5] |
At the time of the
There were 1,649 households, out of which 54.2% were married couples living together. 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were non-families, 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95.
The ages of the town's residents included 28.7% from 45 to 64, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% under the age of 18, 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older, and 6.8% from 18 to 24. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,017, and the median income for a family was $37,321. Males had a median income of $35,025 versus $24,438 for females. The
Communities and locations in Bethel
- Bethel – The hamlet of Bethel, located on Route 17B.
- Black Lake – A community on Route 55, south of the lake for which it is named.
- Briscoe – A hamlet near the northern town line on Route 144.
- Bushville – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town on Route 75. The community was named for the bushes which covered the original town site.[7]
- Hurd Settlement – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town.
- Kauneonga Lake – A hamlet at the junction of Routes 141 and 55. This community was formerly called "North White Lake".
- Lake Superior State Park – located on the small lake for which it is named.
- Mongaup Valley – A community northeast of Smallwood.
- Smallwood – A hamlet, founded as the vacation community "Mountain Lakes", but later renamed after its founder A.N. Smallwood.
- Sullivan County International Airport – The airport is northeast of Kauneonga Lake.
- Swan Lake – The Bikur Cholim B'nai Israel Synagogue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[8]
- Town Halland is the largest community in the town.
Woodstock Festival
The Town of Bethel was brought to the world's attention in 1969, when nearly 500,000 people gathered at
In 1998, a concert was hosted at the original site and this helped ignite the vision of philanthropist
On July 1, 2006, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened on the site of the original
In 2006,
The state and the town of Bethel council subsequently passed laws prohibiting mass event types of festivals. In 2019, a 50th celebration of Woodstock was organized: "Sullivan County ... finally embracing the ultimate symbol of peace and love, the 1969 Woodstock festival".[10] The Woodstock 50 festival, scheduled for August, was canceled months earlier so it did not take place.[11] The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts did organize a weekend of "low-key" concerts.[12]
References
- ^ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ^ "Bethel town, Sullivan County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census Report, Bethel town, Sullivan County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Bethel%20town,%20Sullivan%20County,%20New%20York
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Eager, Samuel Watkins (1846). An Outline History of Orange County: Together with Local Tradition and Short Biographical Sketches of Early Settlers, Etc. T. E. Henderson. p. 417.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Nason, Robert (August 16, 2019). "When the Boy Scouts met the hippies at Woodstock". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
- ^ 50 years later, Sullivan County shows love for Woodstock festival
- ^ Woodstock 2019: Bethel Woods ready for party 50 years in making
- ^ Woodstock Gets a Low-Key 50th Party With Ringo, Santana and That Album Cover Couple
External links
- Town of Bethel, New York (official site) Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine