Copake 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 Columbia 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. The population was 3,346 at the 2020 US census, down from 3,615 at the 2010 census. The town derives its name from a lake, which was known to the natives as ''Cook-pake'', or ''Ack-kook-peek'',William Martin Beauchamp
''Aboriginal place names of New York''
p.46 meaning "Snake Pond". Copake is on the eastern border of the county.

Taconic State Park Taconic State Park is located in Columbia and Dutchess County, New York abutting Massachusetts and Connecticut within the Taconic Mountains. The state park is located off New York State Route 344 south of Interstate 90 and north of New York Ci ...

is along the eastern edge of the town.

History

Copake was part of the 1686 Taconic Grant to Robert Livingston, for approximately of good land and of woodland. After it was purchased from the Indians, it turned out to be , and he established the English-style Livingston Manor. The manor extended well into what is now

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. The first lease given by Livingston in Copake was for about in 1687, to Matthews Abraham Van Deusen. Because

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

claimed ownership west to the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

, a border dispute broke out. The

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

laid out three townships west of the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains () are a 150-mile-long sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains lying on the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England. The range, which played a role in the history of geological science, is separated from th ...

in 1755. Most of the present town of Copake was in one of the townships. New settlers were given free, and some of Livingston's tenants refused to pay rent. The border was settled in 1757 by the Lords Commissioners of Trade in London. Farmers west of the border continued to protest, however. In 1844, a rally organized by the Taconic Mutual Association took place in the center of the hamlet. After the rally, the arrest of several of the leaders sparked wider protests. Eventually the Anti-Rent Party was formed in New York state, and New York instituted land reform. The Anti-Rent Party called for a Homestead Act to develop the western land. It became part of the Republican Party platform and was important in the election of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

in 1860. The town of Copake was formed in 1824 by splitting it from the town of Granger that was renamed Taghkanic. An early industry was

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

mining and

smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron-making, iron, copper extraction, copper ...

. In

adjacent to Copake Falls is the "Ore Pit", a former iron mine, now a deep swimming pond. Copake is home to a handful of summer camps for adults and children and filled with other activities to do in the summer, such as swimming, hiking, biking, and water skiing. In the winter, residents and tourists can visit nearby ski mountains, such as

Catamount Ski Area Catamount Ski Area is a ski resort located on Mount Fray of the Taconic Mountains in Hillsdale, New York and South Egremont, Massachusetts. Catamount is one of three ski areas in the southern Berkshires; the others are Butternut in Great Ba ...

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 3.04%, is water. The largest water body is Copake Lake, touching the western border of the town, but several other lakes and ponds occupy the central and southwestern parts of the town. The

Roeliff Jansen Kill The Roeliff Jansen Kill is a major tributary to the Hudson River. Roeliff Jansen Kill was the traditional boundary between the Native American Mahican and Wappinger tribes. Its source is in the town of Austerlitz, New York, and its mouth is at ...

flows through the center of the town, and Taghkanic Creek crosses the northwestern corner; both waterways lead west to the

. The town is easily accessible from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

via the

Taconic State Parkway The Taconic State Parkway (often called the Taconic or the TSP) is a limited-access parkway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally north–south route midway between the Hudson River ...

or NYS Route 22 and is a popular destination for second-home owners escaping busy

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

Metro-North Railroad The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company , also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State publ ...

is also located approximately 20 minutes south of the town, with service to and from

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

. The eastern town line is the border of

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County (pronounced ) is the Western Massachusetts, westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state, U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its la ...

. Copake is located sixteen miles from the small Massachusetts town, Great Barrington.

Climate

Demographics

As of the

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 ...

of 2000, there were 3,278 people, 1,280 households, and 869 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,185 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.55%

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 ...

, 0.70%

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 ...

, 0.46% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.58% from other races, and 1.59% 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 2.29% of the population. There were 1,280 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,261, and the median income for a family was $46,544. Males had a median income of $32,004 versus $25,341 for females. 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 ...

for the town was $23,088. About 6.5% of families and 8.1% 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 11.8% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Copake

* Camphill Village – A therapeutic community for

developmentally disabled Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

adults. * Copake (formerly "Copake Flats") – The hamlet of Copake is in the southern part of the town. * Copake Falls – A hamlet north of Copake village. * Copake Iron Works – A former community in the town, now in Taconic State Park. * Copake Lake – A lake on the western town line and a community (

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

) surrounding the lake. * Craryville (formerly "Bains Corner") – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town. * Taconic Shores – A community (property owners association) northwest of Copake hamlet, encircling Robinson Pond. *

– covering the Taconic Mountains along the eastern edge of the town. *Weedmines – A location at the southern town line. West Copake (formerly "Andersons Corners") – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town and southwest of Copake village.

Notable people

* Henry Astor had a home in West Copake. *

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

had a home in Craryville, in the northwestern part of the town. The music video for her 1993 single " Dreamlover" was also filmed in the town and surrounding area. * Nancy Fuller, chef and host of ''Farmhouse Rules'' on the ''

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

'', has a dairy farm here with her husband, David. * Katharine Lente Stevenson (1853–1919), temperance reformer, missionary, editor

References

External links

Town of Copake official website

Information about Copake

Taconic State Park - Copake Falls Area

Roeliff Jansen Community Library
{{authority control Towns in Columbia County, New York Towns in New York (state)