Goshen (town), New York

Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,913 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Goshen contains a village also called Goshen, the county seat of Orange County. The town is centrally located in the county.

History

Settlement began around 1714, even though plans for its settlement were made around 1654. The town was established in 1789. In 1830, part of Goshen was used to form the new Town of Hamptonburgh, and, in 1845, another part was used to form the Town of Chester.

The region was important in the development of harness racing.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.0 square miles (113.9 km²), of which, 43.8 square miles (113.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.27%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 12,913 people, 4,074 households, and 2,912 families residing in the town. The population density was 294.5 people per square mile (113.7/km²). There were 4,320 housing units at an average density of 98.5/sq mi (38.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.69% White, 6.72% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.82% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.36% of the population.

There were 4,074 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $60,066, and the median income for a family was $71,497. Males had a median income of $50,768 versus $32,648 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,275. About 2.7% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Goshen

* Big Island -- A location near the south town line.
* Durlandville -- A hamlet on County Road 6 in the southwest part of the town.
* Finnegans Corner -- A hamlet north of Florida on NY-17A.
* Florida -- A small part of the Village of Florida is on the south town line, located in route NY-17A.
* Goshen -- The Village of Goshen is the county seat. It is located in the northern part of the town north of conjoined NY-17 and US-6.
* Goshen Hills -- A location east of Finnegans Corner.
* Howell -- A hamlet south of Goshen village on NY-17A.
* Maple Island -- A location south of Durlandville.
* Otter Kill -- A hamlet southeast of Goshen village on NY-17.
* Pellets Island -- A community on County Road 37 near the west town line.

References

External links

* [http://www.townofgoshen.org Town of Goshen]
* [http://www.goshennychamber.com Goshen Chamber of Commerce]