Clinton, Dutchess County, New York
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Clinton is a
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...
in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,037 in the 2020 census, down from 4,312 in the 2010 census.


History

The current boundaries of the town of Clinton were set in 1821. The general area was part of a British land grant in 1697 known as the
Great Nine Partners Patent The Great Nine Partners Patent, also known as the "Lower Nine Partners Patent," was a land grant in Dutchess County, New York, made on May 27, 1697, by New York governor Benjamin Fletcher. The parcel included about along the Hudson River and ...
. In 1734, a soil survey was done in the Great Nine Partners patent running in 1 1/2 mile wide strips from the Hudson River east through the patent. The particular strip running at the bottom of the patent including the future hamlet of Clinton Corners was classified as good land. In 1737, the patents were reorganized into
precincts Precinct may refer to: * An electoral precinct * A police precinct * A religious precinct * A shopping precinct or shopping mall ** A Pedestrian zone Places * A neighborhood, in Australia * A unit of public housing in Singapore * A former elec ...
, with the current town of Clinton being part of the Charlotte precinct from 1762 until 1788, when the Dutchess County Legislature reorganized the precincts into towns; Clinton was formed from parts of Charlotte and Rhinebeck precincts, and named in commemoration of the service of
Governor George Clinton George Clinton (July 26, 1739April 20, 1812) was an American soldier and statesman, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A prominent Democratic-Republican, Clinton served as the fourth vice president of the United States f ...
. In 1821, the current boundaries were set when the towns of Pleasant Valley and Hyde Park were created out of the larger Clinton town. The early European settlers in Clinton filtered in from two primary directions. In the early 1700s, Rhinebeck was the largest settlement in Dutchess County, taking advantage of the Hudson River for transportation of people and produce. Across Dutchess County to the east the settlements of Amenia and Wassaic in the Harlem River valley were also attracting European settlers. In 1718, a road was established branching off from the central Wassaic-
Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
road to connect to the northern Amenia- Rhinbeck road at the Crum Elbow Creek crossing. In 1748, the road commissioners from Rhinebeck and Crum Elbow precincts met at the bridge over Crum Elbow Creek to discuss the "old wissasiek road" which had been in existence for 30 years. One of those commissioners was Mordecai Lester. His home and his son's home were mentioned in the commission's report as landmarks along the road north and south of the hamlet of Clinton Corners. In addition to the early Dutch and English settlers, by the mid 1700s
German Palatines Palatines (german: Pfälzer), also known as the Palatine Dutch, are the people and princes of Palatinates ( Holy Roman principalities) of the Holy Roman Empire. The Palatine diaspora includes the Pennsylvania Dutch and New York Dutch. In 170 ...
were moving into the western regions of Clinton. By the 1770s
Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
were moving up into Clinton from the southeast. Clinton participated in the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, with men enlisting in the 128th and 150th regiments. After the war ended, dairy farmers brought their milk by wagon to the creamery in the hamlet of Clinton Corners by the tracks of the
Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railway The Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railway was the first railroad to run east from Poughkeepsie, New York, and was taken over by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and assigned to the Central New England Railway in 1907. History Beginnings T ...
. This rail line continued to the Grove Amusement Park at the southeast end of Upton Lake and the ice house at the northeast end of the lake. After the railway declined with the advent of the automobile, the park closed. During the second half of the 20th century, the town of Clinton transformed from an agricultural into a residential center.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.65%, is water. The
Taconic State Parkway The Taconic State Parkway (often called the Taconic or the TSP and known administratively as New York State Route 987G or NY 987G) is a parkway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest in the U.S. state of New York. It follows ...
passes through the town.


Demographics

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 4,010 people, 1,502 households, and 1,120 families residing in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 104.3 people per square mile (40.3/km2). There were 1,734 housing units at an average density of 45.1 per square mile (17.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.03%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.60%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.35% Native American, 1.02%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.22% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.77% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
people of any race were 1.75% of the population. There were 1,502 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $66,406, and the median income for a family was $71,908. Males had a median income of $45,511 versus $32,750 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the town was $29,565. About 3.4% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.


Communities in Clinton

*Bulls Head – A hamlet in the northeast of the town *Clinton Corners – A hamlet in the southeast of the town *Clinton Hollow – A hamlet in the south center of the town *Frost Mills – A hamlet near the center of western town line *Hibernia – A hamlet in the south east corner of the town * Pleasant Plains – A hamlet in the central western section of the town *Schultzville – A hamlet in the northern central section of the town


Notable people

*
Amy Goldman Fowler Amy Goldman Fowler (born 1954) is an American billionaire heiress, gardener, author, artist, philanthropist, and advocate for seed saving and heirloom fruits and vegetables. She is one of the foremost heirloom plant conservationists in the US. Go ...
, (b. 1954); billionaire heiress *
Savannah Guthrie Savannah Clark Guthrie (born December 27, 1971) is an American broadcast journalist and attorney. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News, morning show ''Today'', a position she has held since July 2012. Guthrie joined NBC News in September 2 ...
(b. 1971); broadcast journalist and attorney *
Zephyr Teachout Zephyr Rain Teachout (, born October 24, 1971) is an American attorney, author, political candidate, and associate professor of law at Fordham University. In 2014, Teachout ran for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of New York and lo ...
(b. 1971); attorney, professor, and politician


See also

* Wild Hive Farm


References

*McDermott, William. ''Clinton: Dutchess County, NY: A History of a Town'' (1987).


External links


Town of Clinton official websiteClinton Community Library
{{authority control Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area Towns in Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess Dutchess County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie, New York, Poughkeeps ...