Poughkeepsie (), officially the Town of Poughkeepsie, 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 ...

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the population was 45,471. The name is derived from the native term ''Uppuqui'' () meaning "lodge-covered", plus ''ipis'' meaning "little water", plus ''ing'' meaning "place", all of which translates to "the reed-covered lodge by the little water place", or ''Uppuqui-ipis-ing''. This later evolved into ''Apokeepsing'', then into ''Poughkeepsing'', and finally ''Poughkeepsie''. The area includes a large IBM campus noted for its ongoing development and manufacturing of IBM mainframes.

History

The town was first settled ''circa'' 1780 and was part of the Schuyler Patent of 1788. The town of Poughkeepsie was established in 1788 as part of a general organization of towns in the county. In 1854, part of the western section of the town, already an independent village, became the city of Poughkeepsie. At least two National Historic Landmarks are located in the town: the

Vassar College Observatory The Vassar College Observatory is an astronomical observatory of the private Vassar College, located near the eastern edge of the Poughkeepsie, New York college's campus. Finished in 1865, it was the first building on the college's campus, older ...

and the Main Building of Vassar College.

Education

File:Old Main, Vassar College edit1.jpg, The Main Building at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

File:Vassar College Observatory.jpg,

File:James A. Cannavino Library.jpg, James A. Cannavino Library at Marist College File:Marist Campus 014.jpg, Marist College Hancock Center File:Dcc003.jpg, Taconic Hall of Dutchess Community College

, Dutchess Community College, and Marist College are located in the town of Poughkeepsie. Our Lady of Lourdes High School is a private, co-educational, Catholic

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located at a former IBM site on Boardman Road.

Poughkeepsie Day School Poughkeepsie Day School is an independent, progressive, coeducational school in the mid-Hudson Valley serving students from a broad region of New York and Connecticut from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. History Founded in 1934, it was origi ...

is an independent, co-educational, day school for students from pre-kindergarten (3 years) through grade 12, located at another former IBM site on Boardman Road. Oakwood Friends School is a private, co-educational middle school and high school located near the western end of State Route 113 (Spackenkill Road). There are several

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

s in the immediate area, such as Poughkeepsie city; the town itself has Arlington's, Spackenkill's, and parts of

Wappinger The Wappinger () were an Eastern Algonquian Munsee-speaking Native American people from what is now southern New York and western Connecticut. At the time of first contact in the 17th century they were primarily based in what is now Dutches ...

's and

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

s. The first Arlington High School was in Poughkeepsie before being moved to the more rural Lagrangeville.

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 8.44%, is water. The

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

, which marks the boundary of the Ulster County towns of

Lloyd Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown" ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), American ...

and

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

and the

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

town of Newburgh, forms the majority of the western border of the town. The city of Poughkeepsie occupies the remainder of the town's western border. The town is bordered by

to the north, Pleasant Valley to the northeast,

LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaWappinger The Wappinger () were an Eastern Algonquian Munsee-speaking Native American people from what is now southern New York and western Connecticut. At the time of first contact in the 17th century they were primarily based in what is now Dutches ...

to the southeast.

U.S. Route 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...

U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...

and State Route 55 pass through the town.

Government and emergency services

Government

The town of Poughkeepsie operates under a council–manager form of government. The Town Supervisor is the chief administrative officer of the town and village, selected to carry out the directives of the council. The Deputy Supervisor monitors the town's fiscal condition and enforces its ordinances and laws. The Town Supervisor is also involved in the discussion of all matters coming before council yet has no final vote. The Town Board is the legislative body consisting of the Town Supervisor and five council members. The Town Supervisor serves as the presiding officer of the council. The council functions to set policy, approve the annual budget and enact local laws, resolutions and ordinances. The Town Supervisor and Town Clerk are elected officials, as are the Town Council members from the six wards of the town.

Fire

Three fire departments cover the town of Poughkeepsie: the

Arlington Fire District The Arlington Fire District is one of 3 fire departments that provides fire and EMS services to the residents of the Town Of Poughkeepsie. Arlington has four fire stations located at numerous ends of the Town. The fire district is staffed wit ...

covers most of the town, from the southern end to the LaGrange line, from the city line north, the Fairview Fire Department covers a small section in the northern section of the town near Saint Francis Hospital, and the New Hamburg Fire Department covers the south end. The fire districts operate a total of seven fire stations spread out over the town, as their district covers a very large area. The departments are capable of handling fires, rescues, extrications and natural disasters. The departments operate a varied fire apparatus fleet, along with basic life support and advanced life support emergency medical services (EMS) within the Arlington Fire District. Within the Fairview section, Mobile Life Support Services is contracted to handle advanced life support calls. All EMS transports in the New Hamburg Fire District are covered by Mobile Life Support Services through a contract with the town of Poughkeepsie.

Police

Police protection is provided by the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department. When someone calls 911, the call is routed to the Dutchess 911 center in the town of Poughkeepsie, and they route it to the town police department's communications center, who then dispatch the closest unit(s) based on a GPS map.

Medical

The Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital of Westchester Medical Center is located in the town, and Vassar Brothers Medical Center is located a mile away in the city of Poughkeepsie.

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 42,777 people, 14,605 households, and 10,121 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 1,487.5 people per square mile (574.3/km²). There were 15,132 housing units at an average density of 526.2 per square mile (203.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 63.01%

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 ...

, 38.07%

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 have o ...

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 ...

, 0.14% Native American, 5.13%

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 ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 1.62% from other races, and 2.00% 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 5.27% of the population. There were 14,605 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 16.9% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $55,327, and the median income for a family was $65,258. Males had a median income of $46,701 versus $31,005 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 $23,589. About 3.3% of families and 5.7% 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 5.6% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Rail

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, the national passenger rail system, provides regular service to Poughkeepsie city. Poughkeepsie also has commuter rail service via the

Hudson Line (Metro-North) Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line is a commuter rail line running north from New York City along the east shore of the Hudson River. Metro-North service ends at Poughkeepsie, with Amtrak's Empire Corridor trains continuing north to and beyond ...

Bus

Dutchess County Public Transit The Dutchess County Public Transit is the bus service provided by the Dutchess County Division of Public Transit in Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population ...

bus system provides service throughout the town.

Communities and locations in or near the town of Poughkeepsie

* Arlington – A suburb that is located in the town, east of the city line. The

Arlington Central School District The Arlington Central School District (abbreviated ACSD) is one of thirteen public school districts serving residents of Dutchess County, New York. Organization Coverage area The district's territory covers substantial parts of the Towns of Bee ...

takes its name from the area. *Barnegat – A location in the southwestern part of the town. *Colonial Heights – A hamlet west of Rochdale. *Clark Heights – A location at the northeastern town line in Pleasant Valley. (Home of the Boy) * Crown Heights – A hamlet on the western side of the town. * Fairview – A community in the northern part of the town that borders the northern city line. * MacDonnell Heights – A hamlet southwest of Rochdale. * New Hamburg – A small hamlet along the

that is home to a popular

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

and a busy Metro-North train station. Adjacent to Wappingers Falls, the hamlet is the southwesternmost point in the town. * Poughkeepsie – The town of Poughkeepsie wraps around the city of Poughkeepsie in a crescent shape. * Red Oaks Mill - A

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

located southeast of the city. The area borders Spackenkill on the east and centers on the intersection of Vassar Road (Dutchess County 77), Spackenkill Road (

New York State Route 113 New York State Route 113 (NY 113) is an east–west state highway located southeast of the city of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, New York, in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Rout ...

) and New Hackensack Road (

New York State Route 376 New York State Route 376 (NY 376) is a state highway located entirely within Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley region of New York in the United States. The route begins at an intersection with NY 52 in East Fishkill and passes n ...

). A small, residential side street also feeds into the intersection. *Rochdale – A hamlet by the eastern town line, sandwiched between Arlington and Pleasant Valley. *Rudco – Once a small parcel of farmland before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it was purchased in 1942 by IBM to expand upon. * Spackenkill – Hamlet located in the town occupies the area south of the city line, including the Hagantown and Kingwood Park neighborhoods. The Spackenkill Union Free School District takes its name from the area. An IBM plant is also located in the area, and many of its employees live in Spackenkill. * Van Keurens – Hamlet; this land is mostly taken over by the Clinton Point Quarry, owned by Tilcon, Inc. * Wappingers Falls – A small part of the Village of Wappingers Falls is in the southern part of the town.

Notable people

* Bill Duke, actor * Taylor Jardine, lead singer for We Are The In Crowd * Johnny Miller, pioneering aviator, brother of Lee Miller * Lee Miller, ''Vogue'' photographer and

correspondent * Samuel Morse, American painter who turned inventor * Matthew Vassar of England, who died at his namesake

File:Samuel Finley Breese Morse - Samuel F. B. Morse Self-Portrait - Google Art Project.jpg, Samuel Morse, who lived at Locust Grove File:Portrait of Matthew Vassar by Charles Loring Elliott.jpg, Matthew Vassar, born in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England, who died in 1868 while giving a speech at the college he chartered

References

External links

Town of Poughkeepsie official website

Poughkeepsie Public Library District

* ttp://www.poughkeepsie.macaronikid.com Macaroni Kid Poughkeepsie - Family friendly events {{DEFAULTSORT:Poughkeepsie (Town), New York New York (state) populated places on the Hudson River Towns in Dutchess County, New York