Hancock 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 Delaware County, New York, United States. The town contains a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

, also named

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...

. The town is in the southwest part of the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. The population was 3,224 at the 2010 census. The town is the largest by area in Delaware County. The town borders two other counties, Sullivan County, NY, to the south and Wayne County, PA, to the west. The town is located partially in the Catskill Park.

History

This town was established in 1806 from part of the town of

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

. It is named for

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...

, signer of the Declaration of the Independence.

Sports and the Upper Delaware River

The town of Hancock, NY, has a rich history of many things, including sports. The most popular sports perhaps are baseball and fishing. Fly fishing is extremely popular due to the Upper Delaware River (UDR), which flows right through the town. The River is a large economic engine that powers many businesses in Hancock and neighboring areas. The Hancock Golf Course was designed in 1941 by famed golf architect, Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Baseball has been a part of Hancock for generations. A local Hancock native, Eddie Murphy, was a professional baseball player in the major leagues. "Honest Eddie" Murphy appeared in three World Series during his time in the MLB. Most recently, Hancock Central School joined forces with Deposit Central School for all sports, in 2016. The new sporting programs played under the name of, the D-H Eagles. Prior to that, from 2010 to 2015, the Hancock Wildcats won six section 4 baseball championships in a row. During the 2013 and 2014 season, they fell short of the state championship in the final game. In 2014 they fell to Smithtown Christian 7-4 in the state championship game. After many years of grind and determination, joining forces with Deposit in 2016, and falling in the state semi finals in 2017, the D-H Eagles final broke through and won their first State Championship. D-H defeated Fort Plain 9-3.

Geography

The southwestern town line, delineated by the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

, is the border of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The East Branch of the Delaware flows from east to west across the town, joining the

West Branch West Branch may refer to: Communities * West Branch, Iowa, city in Cedar and Johnson counties * West Branch, Michigan, city in Ogemaw County * West Branch, New Brunswick, in the Local Service District of Weldford Parish * West Branch River John, i ...

at Hancock village to form the Delaware River proper. Upstream from Hancock village, the town line and state line are formed by the West Branch. NY Route 17 passes through the town, with access from Exits 87 through 90. 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 1.85%, is water.

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 3,449 people, 1,390 households, and 913 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 21.6 people per square mile (8.4/km²). There were 2,512 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.69%

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 ...

, 0.70%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

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 ...

, 0.52% Native American, 0.61%

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 ...

, 0.32% 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 1.16% 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 ...

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 ...

of any race were 2.38% of the population. There were 1,390 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,449, and the median income for a family was $37,125. Males had a median income of $28,259 versus $21,875 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 $16,057. About 8.4% of families and 14.3% 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 19.3% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Henry Bidleman Bascom (1796-1850), religious circuit rider, Methodist bishop, chaplain to US Congress * Clark L. Hood (1847-1920), Wisconsin State Assemblyman and lawyer * "Honest Eddie" Murphy, baseball player, appeared in three World Series *

Harold Searles Harold Frederic Searles (September 1, 1918 – November 18, 2015) was one of the pioneers of psychiatric medicine specializing in psychoanalytic treatments of schizophrenia. Searles had the reputation of being a therapeutic virtuoso with difficu ...

(1918-2015), psychiatrist

Communities and locations in the Town of Hancock

*Cadosia — A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

northeast of Hancock village. *Centerville — A location in the northern part of the town on New York State Route 30. *Chiloway — A hamlet southwest of Peakville. *East Branch - The Hotel Delaware was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2004. *Fishs Eddy — A hamlet northeast of Hancock village on

New York State Route 17 New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Souther ...

. *French Woods — A hamlet near the center of the town on

New York State Route 97 New York State Route 97 (NY 97) is a north–south scenic route in southern New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from U.S. Route 6 in New York, U.S. Route 6 (US 6) and U.S. Route 209, US 209 in Port Je ...

. *Goulds — A hamlet near the eastern town line
See Gould Cemetery website
*

— A village by the western town line. *Harvard — A location near the northeastern town line on New York State Route 30. * Islamberg - a hamlet west of the village. *Kelsey — A hamlet at the northwestern town line north of Hancock village and south of Cannonsville Reservoir. *Kerry Siding — A hamlet at the northwestern town line. *Kerryville — A hamlet at the northwestern town line. *Kilgore Spur — A location west of Lordville. *Kingswood Campsite — A

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

campsite.Kingswood Campsite: Family-oriented campground with RV sites, tent sites and cabin tents with fully equipped kitchen shelters in the Catskills of New York State near Hancock. ...
/ref> *Long Flat — A location near the northeastern town line. *Lordville — A hamlet by the Delaware River in the southern part of the town. The Lordville Presbyterian Church and the Ravina historic district are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. *Luzerne — A hamlet southeast of Fishs Eddy on

New York State Route 28 New York State Route 28 (NY 28) is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major ...

. *Methol — The Lower Shavertown Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. *Peakville — A hamlet west of East Branch (historically called Trout Brook). *Pea Brook — A location in the southern part of the town on

. *Peas Eddy — A hamlet east of Hancock village by the

. *Readburn — A hamlet in the northern part of the town. *Rock Valley — A hamlet by the eastern town line. The Rock Valley School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. *Tylers Switch — A hamlet east of Hancock village near

References

External links

Town of Hancock official website

Visitor's Guide to the Hancock NY area
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock (Town), New York Towns in Delaware County, New York New York (state) populated places on the Delaware River