Schodack 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 ...

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...

, New York, United States. The population was 12,965 at the 2020 census. The town name is derived from the Mahican word, Escotak. The town is in the southwestern part of the county. Schodack is southeast of Albany, New York.

History

Prior to the arrival of the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, the region was at the heart of the

Mahican The Mohican ( or , alternate spelling: Mahican) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe that historically spoke an Algonquian language. As part of the Eastern Algonquian family of tribes, they are related to the neighboring Lenape, w ...

tribe. The location of their principal village was "Esquatak, the "fireplace of the nation." The town was partly explored by

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...

in 1609. The town was first settled by Europeans in the 17th century and was part of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in the

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

colony. The town was established in 1795, when Rensselaerwyck was divided. In 1896, part of the town was annexed to provide some territory for the Towns of Nassau and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. Blink Bonnie, Elmbrook Farm, the Muitzes Kill Historic District, and the Joachim Staats House and Gerrit Staats Ruin are sites within the Town of Schodack that have been 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 ...

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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (2.25%) is water. By area, it is the third largest town in

. The western town line is 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 ...

with Albany County on the opposite bank. The southern town boundary is the border of Columbia County. The New York Thruway Ext, Interstate 90, US Route 9, and US Route 20 pass through the town. The town of East Greenbush is to the north, the towns of Stuyvesant and Kinderhook in Columbia County are to the south, the town of Nassau is to the east, and the town of Coeymans is located across the

in Albany County in the west.

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 12,536 people, 4,737 households, and 3,500 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 201.5 people per square mile (77.8/km²). There were 4,942 housing units at an average density of 79.4 per square mile (30.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.54%

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 o ...

, 0.68%

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 ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.38% 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 0.68% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population. There were 4,737 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $55,176, and the median income for a family was $63,622. Males had a median income of $40,090 versus $31,278 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 $24,560. About 2.3% of families and 4.3% 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 6.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of the town is encompassed by the Schodack Central School District, which is made up of three schools. Maple Hill High School and Maple Hill Middle school are located in Schodack, while Castleton Elementary school is located a few miles west, in the village of Castleton. A small portion of Schodack is located within the larger East Greenbush Central School District, and Green Meadow Elementary School is located near Schodack Center. Another small area, on Schodack's southern border, is served by the

Ichabod Crane Central School District Kinderhook (Ichabod Crane) Central School District is located in between the Catskill and Berkshire mountains and serves a population of 8,296 residents in northern Columbia and southern Rensselaer counties in New York. The district is in a rura ...

Notable people

Elizabeth Jessup Eames E. J. Eames (, Elizabeth Jessup; pen name Stella and Mrs. E. J. Eames; June 26, 1813 – November 1856) was a 19th-century American writer of prose and poetry. She was a regular contributor to Horace Greeley's ''New Yorker'' for some years befor ...

(1813-1856), writer *

George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

, former US Congressman *

Jaime Schultz Jaime Matthew Schultz (born June 20, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers. Early years Schultz attended Mapl ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher for

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Communities and locations in Schodack

* Braeside – 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 ...

on the west side of Nassau Lake. * Brookview – A hamlet northeast of Castleton-on-Hudson along NY 150. * Castleton-on-Hudson – 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 ...

at the Hudson River in the southwestern part of the town. * East Schodack – A hamlet in the northeastern quadrant of the town, formerly known as Scotts Corners. * Lower Schodack Island – An island in the Hudson River near Schodack Landing. * Morey Park – A hamlet on the north side of Nassau Lake, near the eastern town line. * Muitzeskill – A hamlet east of Schodack Landing, named after a local stream. The Muitzes Kill Historic District was listed on the

in 1974. * Nassau Lake – A

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

at the eastern town line, surrounded by the Nassau Lake census-designated place. * Rice Corners – A hamlet east of Schodack Center on the Columbia Turnpike near NY 150. * Rosecrans Park – A hamlet south of Nassau Lake near the village of Nassau. * Schodack Center – A hamlet near the center of the town on Routes 9 and 20. * Schodack Landing – A hamlet at the Hudson River in the southwestern part of the town. The Schodack Landing Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. * Schodack Island State Park – A state park in the southwestern part of the town. * Shivers Corners – A hamlet in the north of East Schodack, near the intersections of East Schodack and Luther roads. * South Schodack – A hamlet north of Van Hoesen Station and east of Castleton-on-Hudson. * Stony Point – A hamlet near the Hudson River in the western part of the town. * Van Hoesen Station – A hamlet at the intersection of South Schodack Road and Van Hoesen Road on the Boston-Albany rail line.

References

External links

Town of Schodack homepage

{{authority control Towns in New York (state) Towns in Rensselaer County, New York 1795 establishments in New York (state)