Schaghticoke (town), New York

For the village of the same name in this town, see Schaghticoke (village), New York.
Schaghticoke
Town

Location in Rensselaer County and the state of New York.
Coordinates: 42°52′50″N 73°36′35″W / 42.88056°N 73.60972°W / 42.88056; -73.60972Coordinates: 42°52′50″N 73°36′35″W / 42.88056°N 73.60972°W / 42.88056; -73.60972
Country United States
State New York
County Rensselaer
Settled 1668
Incorporated 1788
Government
 • Town Clerk Janet Salisbury
Area
 • Total 51.9 sq mi (134.3 km2)
 • Land 49.9 sq mi (129.3 km2)
 • Water 2.0 sq mi (5.1 km2)
Elevation 377 ft (115 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 7,679
 • Density 150/sq mi (57/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 12154
Area code(s) 518
FIPS code 36-65486
GNIS feature ID 0979467
Website Town of Schaghticoke, NY

Schaghticoke /ˈskætᵻkoʊk/ SKAT-ə-kohk is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 7,679 at the 2010 census.[1] It was named for the Schaghticoke, a Native American tribe formed in the seventeenth century from an amalgamation of remnant peoples of eastern New York and New England. The tribe has one of the oldest reservations in the United States, located in what is now Litchfield County, Connecticut. It has been recognized by the state of Connecticut but has not yet achieved federal recognition.

The town is on the northern border of the county, north of Troy. The town contains a village, also called Schaghticoke, and part of the village of Valley Falls.

History

This area was historically occupied by the Mohican tribe, and later by a mixed group of Mohicans, and remnants of numerous New England tribes who had migrated west seeking to escape European encroachment.

In 1675, Governor Andros, governor of the colony of New York, planted a tree of Welfare near the junction of the Hoosic River and Tomhannock Creek, and area already know as Schaghticoke, "the place where the waters mingle." This tree symbolized the friendship between the English and the Dutch, and the Schaghticoke Indians. The Indians were Mohican refugees from New England welcomed to Schaghticoke because they agreed to help protect the English from the French and the Iroquois. They stayed until 1754.

Until the Revolutionary War, Schaghticoke was part of the colony of New York with most of its citizens governed by the city of Albany, which owned the land they rented.

Originally, Schaghticoke was a dangerous place to live because they were frequently raided by the Indians and Tories. This led to the slow settlement of the Schaghticoke land. Once the land was fully settled it was apart of Albany County, until 1791 when Rensselaer County was formed.

After the revolution many immigrants came from England and Ireland to settle in Schaghticoke. The town flourished near the water powered mills created in the town on the Hoosic River. The town was mainly agricultural. There were many farmers residing in Schaghticoke who made crops for local industries.

The Knickerbocker Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[2]

Today Schaghticoke still has a strong agriculture presence. However, it is becoming increasingly more residential, political and becoming plagued by economic issues.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 51.9 square miles (134.3 km²), of which, 49.9 square miles (129.3 km²) of it is land and 2.0 square miles (5.1 km²) of it (3.76%) is water.

The north town line is the border of Washington County, and the west town line, defined by the Hudson River, is the border of Saratoga County.

The Hoosic River flows through the town to the Hudson River at the west town line.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18202,522—
18303,00219.0%
18403,38912.9%
18503,290−2.9%
18602,929−11.0%
18703,1256.7%
18803,59114.9%
18903,059−14.8%
19002,631−14.0%
19102,7805.7%
19202,177−21.7%
19303,00638.1%
19403,2468.0%
19504,01923.8%
19605,26931.1%
19706,22018.0%
19807,09414.1%
19907,5746.8%
20007,456−1.6%
20107,6793.0%
Est. 20147,658[3]−0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 7,456 people, 2,714 households, and 2,103 families residing in the town. The population density was 149.4 people per square mile (57.7/km²). There were 2,823 housing units at an average density of 56.6 per square mile (21.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.57% White, 1.26% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.

There were 2,714 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,393, and the median income for a family was $57,423. Males had a median income of $40,574 versus $27,078 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,673. About 3.4% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town

References

  1. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Schaghticoke (town), New York.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.