Wilmington is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in northern Essex County,

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

, United States located within the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

. The population was 1,253 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the town of

Wilmington, Vermont Wilmington is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,255 at the 2020 census. History The town was chartered in 1751 by Benning Wentworth, colonial governor of New Hampshire. It was named in honor of Spencer Comp ...

. Wilmington is on the county's northern border and is southwest of Plattsburgh. It is in the Whiteface region of the

History

The town was first settled circa 1812. The town was formed in 1821 from the town of Jay. At that time, the town was called "Dansville". In 1822, the name was changed, as suggested by a settler from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, to "Wilmington" due to confusion with another "Dansville" in New York. In 1848, part of the town was partitioned off to form the town of St. Armand. In the beginning of the 20th century, the tourist industry began to develop in the town. "Santa's Workshop", one of the first American

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

s for children, is located part way up the Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway and was awarded its own Post Office—North Pole, New York. Whiteface Mountain (4,865 feet) Ski Center was the site of alpine events for the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.36%, is water. The northern town line is the border of

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

. At the northwestern corner is the corresponding corner of Franklin County. The West Branch of the Ausable River flows northeastward through the center of the town. New York State Route 431, an east–west highway known as Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway, intersects New York State Route 86, a north–south highway, in Wilmington village.

Demographics

At the 2020

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 843 people and 417 households residing in the town. The population density was . There were 616 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.59%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.09%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.35% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.62% of the population. There were 460 households, of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01. 27.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $34,432 and the median family income was $43,077. Males had a median income of $27,604 and females $21,328. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $18,052. About 6.6% of families and 10.0% 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 ...

, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Wilmington

*Haselton – A

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

in the northeastern part of the town on County Road 12 and the Ausable River. *High Falls Gorge – A location on NY 86, south of Wilmington village. *

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

– A community and theme park (

Santa's Workshop In Christmas folklore and legends, Santa's Workshop is the workshop where Santa Claus and his Christmas elf, elves live and make the toys and presents given out at Christmas. The exact location of Santa's workshop varies depending upon local cult ...

) northwest of Wilmington village on NY 431. *Wilmington – The hamlet of Wilmington is at the junction of Routes NY-86 and NY-431 and the Au Sable River, near the town's center. The community is a resort and

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

center.

References

External links

Town of Wilmington official website

Wilmington tourism information

History of Wilmington, NYWilmington Historical SocietyU.S. Census data from 2020 for Wilmington, NY
{{authority control Towns in New York (state) Towns in Essex County, New York