| Fishkill | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
  Fishkill
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| Coordinates: 41°31′40″N 73°54′54″W / 41.52778°N 73.915°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Dutchess |
| Government | |
| - Supervisor | Joan A. Pagones |
| Area | |
| - Total | 32.0 sq mi (82.8 km2) |
| - Land | 27.4 sq mi (71.0 km2) |
| - Water | 4.6 sq mi (11.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 262 ft (80 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 20,258 |
| - Density | 738.9/sq mi (285.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 12524 |
| Area code(s) | 845 |
| FIPS code | 36-25978 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0978958 |
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Fishkill is a town in the southwest part of Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 20,258 at the 2000 census.[1] Fishkill partly surrounds the city of Beacon.
The town of Fishkill contains a village, which is also named Fishkill. The name means "fish creek" in Dutch.
Contents |
History
In 1683, nineteen years after the Dutch sold New Amsterdam to the English for what is now called the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname, the New York City merchants, Frances Rombout and Gulian Verplanck, purchased 85,000 acres (340 km2) in Dutchess County from the Wappinger Indians for a quantity of rum, powder, cloth, hatchets, shirts, knives, bottles, white wampum, earthen jugs and 80 pounds of tobacco. Rombout and Verplanck never lived on their land, intending to use it only for fur trading. The first white settlers were Rombout's daughter, Catharyna and her husband, Roger Brett, who built a mill at the mouth of the Fishkill Creek as it flows into the Hudson. Their house, built about 1709, still stands in Beacon, and is the oldest continuous residence in Dutchess County. The name Fishkill is derived from two Dutch words: Vis (fish) and Kill (creek or stream).
Fishkill played an important role in the Revolutionary War when a vast military encampment was established one mile (1.6 km) below the village to guard the mountain pass to the south. Signal fires lay in readiness on tops of the surrounding mountains. The Fishkill encampment became the main supply depot for the northern division of the Continental Army. The first 1,000 copies of the New York State Constitution were turned out on Samuel Loudon's press at Fishkill in 1777. Trinity Episcopal Church became a hospital for soldiers recovering from smallpox, and the Dutch Reformed Church was used as a military prison.
The town of Fishkill was created in 1788 as part of a general formation of towns in Dutchess County. Fishkill was reduced by the formation of the towns of LaGrange (1821) and East Fishkill (1849).
Historic Places (Revolutionary War)
- Fishkill Upper Barracks
- Fishkill Battery
- Fishkill Supply Depot
- Fishkill Col. John Brinckerhoff House
- Fishkill Dutch Reformed Church
- Fishkill Trinity Church
- Fishkill Van Wyck Homestead (Fishkill Supply Depot Headquarters)
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.0 square miles (82.8 km²), of which, 27.4 square miles (71.0 km²) of it is land and 4.6 square miles (11.8 km²) of it (14.26%) is water. The elevation of the town varies from 0 feet above sea level (Fishkill Waterfront, Fishkill Landing, Dutchess Junction) to 2,000 feet above sea level (Mission Peak, Mount Beacon).
The southern town line is the county line between Dutchess and Putnam Counties. The western town line is defined by the Hudson River and the City of Beacon. To the north is the town of Wappinger.
The town of Fishkill contains many large suburban communities. The village is at the center of the town at a low elevation, while the communities are built up in the hills surrounding the village.
Fishkill Creek gives the town its name and empties into the Hudson River. Interstate 84 passes through the town, and US 9 passes through both the town and Village of Fishkill.
Dutchess Stadium, home of the Class A Minor League Baseball Team, the Hudson Valley Renegades is in the Town.
Beginning in 2004, Team Joff is also based out of the town of Fishkill.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000[1], there were 20,258 people, 6,856 households, and 4,264 families residing in the town. The population density was 738.9 people per square mile (285.3/km²). There were 7,040 housing units at an average density of 99.1 persons/km² (256.8 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 77.19% White, 14.13% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.99% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.49% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 10.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,856 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 8.1% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 37.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 135.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 142.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,745, and the median income for a family was $63,574. Males had a median income of $42,106 versus $32,198 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,662. 5.4% of the population and 3.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 6.2% are under the age of 18 and 7.5% are 65 or older.
Sports
Fishkill is home to the Hudson Valley Renegades, who are a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the New York - Penn League, and play at Dutchess Stadium.
The Hudson Valley Bears are one of four founding members of the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL). They play their home games at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in nearby Poughkeepsie.
The Hudson Valley Hawks is a team in the newly formed National Professional Basketball League. The team's home court is at Beacon High School, in nearby Beacon.
The Hudson Valley Highlanders of the North American Football League play their home games at Dietz Stadium in nearby Kingston.
Communities and locations in the town
- Beacon Hills – A hamlet southwest of Fishkill village and suburb of Beacon. Main Road: Beacon Hills Drive.
- Brinckerhoff – A hamlet northeast of Fishkill village. Main Road: NY-82
- Brockway – A hamlet adjacent to the Hudson River, north of Beacon. Main Road: Brockway Road, Beacon Peninsula Blvd.
- Castle Point – A location at the north town line. Main Road: Castle Point Road, Beacon Peninsula Blvd.
- Dutchess Junction – A hamlet south of the city of Beacon. Main Road: NY-9D / Beacon Blvd.
- Dutchess Park – A large community located adjacent to Brinckerhoff Elementary School. Main Road: NY-82
- Fishkill – A village on Route 9. Main Road: NY-52 / Main Street, US-9 / Fishkill Blvd. From one side of the village to the other (about 3 miles) could take 30 minutes during rush hour.[citation needed]
- Fishkill Correctional Facility – A New York prison near the city of Beacon.
- Fishkill Forest – A large community located adjacent to Dutchess Stadium and Maurerbrook. Main Road: Beacon Peninsula Blvd., Fishkill Forest Blvd., Fishkil Forest Drive
- Fishkill Hills – A highly elevated community located just south of the city of Beacon, and adjacent to Mount Beacon. Main Road: Fishkill Foothills Blvd., Fishkill Foothills Parkway
- Fishkill in the Mountains/Mission Peak Park – A highly elevated community located south of Groveville, and adjacent to Mission Peak. Main Road: Mission Blvd.
- Glenham – A hamlet southwest of Fishkill village.[2] Main Road: Old Glenham Road
- Groveville – A hamlet southwest of Fishkill village, a suburb of Beacon. Main Road: NY-52 / Fishkill Avenue, Groveville Blvd.
- Hudson Highlands State Park – The north part of the state park is in the southwest part of the town.
- Maurerbrook – A hamlet west of Fishkill village and location of the annual Maurerbrook luminaries. Main Road: Maurerbrook Drive
- Merrit Park – A suburban community located east of Westage Business Park. This community is home to many large condominium and town home sub-developments. This community is also home to Gap, Inc. Worldwide Headquarters Main Road: Merrit Blvd., Merrit Park Divider, Merrit Park Trace
- Westage Business Park – A suburban area south of the village of Fishkill, and north of Interstate 84. This area is home to many large businesses. Its main road, US-9/Fishkill Blvd., is one of the most traffic congested areas in the Hudson Valley.[citation needed] Main Road: US-9/Fishkill Blvd.
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ USGS. overview of Glenham NY [map]. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fishkill, New York |
- Town of Fishkill
- Village of Fishkill
- Fishkill area information
- Blodgett Memorial Library (Fishkill)
- Fishkill Creek Watershed Committee
- Rombout Fire Company
- Trinity Fishkill
- Fishkill Reformed Church
- "Fish Kill Flea," a 2007 documentary about the Dutchess Mall flea market in Fishkill
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