Coxsackie ( ) 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 Greene 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 in the 2020 census was 8,382, a decrease from the 2010 census. It is the second-largest town in Greene County after Catskill. The name of the town is said to be derived from a Native American term, but it has various translations ("owl's hoot" is locally common). Within the area governed as a town, there is also a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

called Coxsackie. The town is in the northeastern part of the county. The town of Coxsackie is notable for being the namesake of the

Coxsackievirus Coxsackieviruses are a few related enteroviruses that belong to the ''Picornaviridae'' family of viral envelope, nonenveloped, linear, positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, as well as its genus ''Enterovirus'', which also includes poliovi ...

(a type of

enterovirus ''Enterovirus'' is a genus of positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses associated with several human and mammalian diseases. Enteroviruses are named by their transmission-route through the intestine ('enteric' meaning intestinal). Serologic ...

), which was first isolated in this town.

History

The settlement of Coxsackie began in the seventeenth century, in approximately 1652, as part of the development of

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

. The government of the area became established as a district in 1772, and Coxsackie was founded in 1788 with a town form of government. Part of Coxsackie was lost when the town of Durham was formed in 1790. Further land was lost in the formation of the newer towns of

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

and Greenville (1803), New Baltimore (1811), and

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

(1815). One of the first settlers in Coxsackie was Pieter Bronck, of the same family for which

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

is named. In 1663, he built the Pieter Bronck House in West Coxsackie, which is open as a museum. The nearby family burial ground includes a separate plot with marked graves for slaves of the family.

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 38.4 square miles (99.4 km²), of which 36.9 square miles (95.6 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.8 km², or 3.86%) is water. The eastern town line is defined by 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 ...

and is the border of Columbia County. The New York State Thruway ( Interstate 87) and U.S. Route 9W pass through the town. State Route 385, running north-south through the town, serves the older villages and other areas near the Hudson River. This road earlier served as the majority of the Coxsackie Turnpike.

Demographics

2000

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 8,918 people, 2,422 households, and 1,583 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,789 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.24%

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 ...

, 5.33%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.30% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.85% from other races, and 0.64% 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 11.15% of the population. There were 2,422 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% 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, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% 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. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.7% under the age of 18, 24.3% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 185.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 210.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,830, and the median income for a family was $46,189. Males had a median income of $37,823 versus $26,859 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 $16,830. About 9.5% of families and 12.9% 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 15.7% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town of Coxsackie

* Bronck House – A house in West Coxsackie built by Pieter Bronck in 1663 (open as a museum) * Coxsackie – The village of Coxsackie *Reed Street Historic District is a national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

located in Coxsackie's village proper on the west bank of the Hudson River, Greene County. The district contains 30 contributing buildings. They are a collection of mid-19th century, two and three story commercial buildings. The district displays a uniformity of style in its

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

style brick facades with ornate brackets and overhanging eaves. Recently, new, independently owned businesses have opened on Reed Street bringing Coxsackie's historic downtown back to life. *Riverside Park- located at the end of Reed Street in Coxsackie Village. This park offers expansive views of the mighty Hudson River. A boat launch allows easy load-in and load-out for motor boats, canoes, and kayaks (with plenty of parking). Seasonal docks are put out for warm season fishing and sunning. A Farmer's Market is held here on Wednesday evenings during the summer months of May to October- offering farm produce and goods, a weekly visiting food truck, and live music. *

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

– A hamlet northwest of Coxsackie village on State Route 81 *Earlton – A hamlet in the western part of the town. The Forestville Commonwealth Owenite community at Earlton was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1974. * Hudson River Islands State Park *Surprise – A hamlet at the western town line. *Sleepy Hollow Lake – A

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

partly in the southern part of the town (a "resort" development) *West Coxsackie – A hamlet northwest of Coxsackie village on Route 81 * Coxsackie Correctional Facility – A state prison southwest of Coxsackie village * Greene Correctional Facility -a state prison adjacent to Coxsackie Correctional Facility

References

External links

Town of Coxsackie official websiteCoxsackie Town Court Heermance Memorial Library (Coxsackie)Village of Coxsackie
{{authority control Towns in Greene County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1788 establishments in New York (state) New York (state) populated places on the Hudson River