Wappinger, New York

Coordinates: 41°35′10″N 73°55′01″W / 41.58611°N 73.91694°W / 41.58611; -73.91694
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

For the Native American tribe, see Wappinger. For the village, see Wappingers Falls, New York.
Wappinger, New York
Town
Town of Wappinger
Wappinger waterfront along the Hudson River
Wappinger waterfront along the Hudson River
Town Council
List
  • • W1: William H. Beale (R)
  • • W2: Angela Bettina (D)
  • • W3: Christopher Phillips (R)
  • • W4: Alfred J. Casella (R)
Area
845
FIPS code36-027-78157
GNIS feature ID0979595[2]
Websitewww.townofwappingerny.gov

Wappinger is a

Hudson River Valley region, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. The population was 28,216 at the 2020 census.[4] The name is derived from the Wappinger Native Americans who inhabited the area. Wappinger comprises three-fourths of the incorporated village of Wappingers Falls
, several unincorporated hamlets such as Chelsea, Diddell, Hughsonville, Middlebush, Myers Corners, New Hackensack, and Swartwoutville, and a number of neighborhoods.

History

The Wappinger were a confederacy of Native Americans whose territory, in the 17th century, was spread along the eastern shore of the

Mahican territory bounded by the Roeliff Jansen Kill to the north,[5] and extended east into parts of Connecticut.[6]

They spoke an eastern-Algonkian language. Culturally they were closely related to the Lenape people (Delaware Indians) to the west and south of Wappinger lands, and also related to the Mahican people to their immediate north and to the Metoac peoples of Long Island. Wappinger means "easterner" in most Algonkian languages.[7]

The town of Wappinger, originally a part of the town of

City of Beacon, and parts of LaGrange and Poughkeepsie, these municipalities were once all a part of the Town of Fishkill. Following the Rombout Patent, the first legal land purchase within the Town of Wappinger was in 1714 when Elias Van Benschoten purchased land and settled in the hamlet of New Hackensack. Following him were other families from Hackensack, New Jersey.[8] The Town of Wappinger is made up of many small hamlets and communities and was primarily agricultural, while mills lined the creek in the Village of Wappingers Falls
. Once the Town of Wappinger was officially created from the Town of Fishkill on May 20, 1875, it took another year to elect officials. The first meeting was held at the Brower Brother's Wagon Shop on Mill Street. The meetings of Town officials took place in the homes of the elected officials, whose jobs were mostly to maintain roadways and bridges.

Historic districts

  • Wheeler Hill Historic District includes 49 contributing buildings, 15 contributing sites, and four contributing structures. It encompasses the estates of Obercreek, Elmhurst, Edge Hill, the former estates of Henry Suydam and William Crosby, and Carnwath Farms that were developed between 1740 and 1940. Also included are two 18th century riverfront commercial structures, the Lent / Waldron Store, and Stone House at Farmer's Landing. Within this district, Wheeler Hill Road was once known as Rives Avenue or Hill, after Francis Rives who purchased the former Willis estate (Carnwath Farms) in 1870.[9]
Village of Wappingers Falls Downtown Historic District
  • The
    Wappingers Falls
    in the 19th century, and its styles represent a cross-section of that century. The east and west sides of the village are connected by an 1884 stone arch bridge over the falls that replaced earlier wooden structures.

Hamlets

Downtown Chelsea

Toponyms

Government

town seal
Wappinger Town Hall, located in the Middlebush hamlet

Wappinger is the second largest populated town in

Dutchess County
and is governed by a five-member Town Board. The Town of Wappinger has an elected Town Supervisor, who presides over Town Board meetings and is the chief financial and operating officer of the Town. The town is structured as a ward system with Town Council-members representing each of four wards.

  • Ward 1 includes the Village of Wappingers Falls, northern US Route 9 corridor, Hughsonville hamlet, and Middlebush hamlet.
  • Ward 2 consists of Chelsea hamlet, Swartwoutville hamlet, and the southern part of the U.S. 9 corridor.
  • Ward 3 includes the middle of the town, including part of Myers Corners hamlet, Rockingham Farms, Quiet Acres, Wildwood, and Shamrock Hills subdivisions.
  • Ward 4, which consists of New Hackensack hamlet, Myers Corners hamlet, Hudson Valley Regional Airport, and Edgehill Manor subdivision.

The Town of Wappinger has an elected Town Clerk, tasked with maintaining town records and taking minutes of Town Board meetings. The Highway Department is overseen by the elected Superintendent of Highways. The town has two Town Justices.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.5 square miles (73.9 km2), of which 27.1 square miles (70.1 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.8 km2), or 5.18%, is water.[4] Part of the western town line is located at the Hudson River and borders Orange County.

Wappinger's boundaries are Fishkill to the south, East Fishkill across Sprout Creek to the east, the town of Newburgh across the Hudson River to the west, Wappinger Creek to the northwest, and LaGrange to the northeast. The town of Wappinger contains part of the village of Wappingers Falls, the other section of which is across Wappinger Creek in the town of Poughkeepsie.

The highest point in Wappinger is 545 feet (166 m) above sea level on a hilltop between Smithtown Road and Cedar Hill Road in the southern part of the town, and the lowest point is sea level, along the Hudson River.[16]

Demographics

Town of Wappinger War Memorial at Brexel-Schlathaus Park
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18804,961—
18904,575−7.8%
19004,319−5.6%
19103,813−11.7%
19203,467−9.1%
19304,08317.8%
19404,3456.4%
19505,09017.1%
19609,57788.2%
197022,040130.1%
198026,77621.5%
199026,008−2.9%
200026,2741.0%
201027,0482.9%
202028,2164.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]

As of the census

Latino
of any race were 7.87% of the population.

There were 9,793 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the town 25.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $58,079, and the median income for a family was $66,273. Males had a median income of $49,007 versus $31,444 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,817. About 3.2% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The

Myers Corners Elementary School, James S. Evans Elementary School, Wappingers Falls Junior High School, and Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School
. The Randolph School is a private school and educates children grades K-6.

Transportation

New Hamburg
.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wappinger, New York
  3. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Wappinger town, Dutchess County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  5. ^ Ruttenber, E.M. (1906). "Footprints of the Red Men –- Indian Geographical Names in the Valley of Hudson's River, the Valley of the Mohawk, and on the Delaware: Their location and the probable meaning of some of them". Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association - the Annual Meeting, with Constitution, By-Laws and List of Members. 7th Annual. New York State Historical Association: 40 (RA1-PA38). Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  6. ^ Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. p. 256.
  7. ^ "History of the Town of Wappinger". Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Clapp, Clinton W., "The Town of Wappinger" in Hasbrouck's History of Dutchess County
  9. ^ "Historic Carnwath Farms", Town of Wappinger
  10. ^
    ISBN 9780738575599
  11. ^ Hasbrouck, Frank. "Medical Profession", The History of Dutchess County, p. 543, Higginson Book Company, 1909
  12. ^ a b c Smith, James Hadden, History of Dutchess County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketch, Syracuse, D. Mason & Co., 1882
  13. ISBN 978-0-7385-7559-9
  14. ISBN 9780806351704
  15. ^ A Brief History of All Angels Church
  16. ^ U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute topographic map series, Wappinger, NY
  17. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wappinger, New York.


41°35′10″N 73°55′01″W / 41.58611°N 73.91694°W / 41.58611; -73.91694

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