Town of New Paltz
New Paltz is an organism. The wiki is the brain.
New Paltz is a town located in Ulster County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 12,830. The name of the town is derived from the Palatinate region of western Germany, the German name of which is Pfalz.
The Town of New Paltz contains a village with the name New Paltz. The town is in the north part of the county.
The Mohonk Preserve is near New Paltz.
Contents |
[edit] History
New Paltz was established in 1678. Prior to the establishment of the village, Native American tribes were living in the area.
The first European settlers were Huguenot refugees originally from what is today southern Belgium and northern France. These refugees first fled to the Palatinate in Germany before emigrating to the New World and settling in New Netherland. The Palatinate is called the Pfalz in the German language, and Palz (pronounced "pahltz") in the Palatine dialect. This is the origin of the name New Paltz.
The refugees were led by Louis Dubois, who along with his son and 10 other leading Huguenots, formed a self-governing council called the duzine, one of the earliest representative forms of colonial government in the Americas.
Historic Huguenot Street, a National Historic District, features stone houses built by the families of these refugees. The houses, in their original setting, date to 1705.
Under nominal Dutch rule, the refugees had purchased from the local tribe a 40,000 acre tract of land from the Hudson River to the mountains, and later had their grant confirmed by the English via a patent -- which led to these 12 refugees being dubbed as our "patentees."
From the small settlement the patentees created along the Wallkill River (what is today Historic Huguenot Street), subsequent generations moved out into the surrounding territory and setting up farms in what would become the Town of New Paltz.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 88.8 km² (34.3 mi²). 87.8 km² (33.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.14% water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 12,830 people, 4,455 households, and 2,347 families residing in the town. The population density is 146.1/km² (378.4/mi²). There are 4,679 housing units at an average density of 53.3/km² (138.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 82.16% White, 5.99% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 4.06% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.93% from other races, and 2.62% from two or more races. 8.22% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,455 households out of which 26.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% are Married couples living together, 9.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 47.3% are non-families. 31.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.99.
In the town the population is spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 31.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $40,542, and the median income for a family is $55,537. Males have a median income of $38,250 versus $26,629 for females. The per capita income for the town is $18,436. 18.6% of the population and 6.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.9% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] Communities and Locations in the Town of New Paltz
- Village of New Paltz -- The Village of New Paltz.
