Cragsmoor is 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 ...

(and

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 ...

) in

Ulster County Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. The count ...

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 433 at the 2020 census. Cragsmoor is located atop the

Shawangunk Ridge The Shawangunk Ridge , also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks, is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of the border with New Jers ...

, in the south part of the Town of Wawarsing.

Sam's Point Preserve Sam's Point Preserve, or Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve, is a preserve in Ulster County on the highest point () of the Shawangunk Ridge in New York, on the Wawarsing, New York- Shawangunk town line. It is owned and managed by the New York ...

is in Cragsmoor.

History

Cragsmoor, originally named Evansville, was founded as an

art colony Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission ...

in 1879, after being discovered by artists earlier in the decade. It was renamed to Cragsmoor in 1893. Chetolah and the Cragsmoor Historic District are 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 ...

. The first transport arrived in 1871 and it was railway, which made the region more accessible for visitors. It also made it easy for food to be transported into the region.

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 CDP has a total area of , all land. The center of town is about above sea level, much higher than neighboring communities such as

Ellenville Ellenville is a village within the town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, New York, United States. Its population was 4,167 at the 2020 census. History The area was originally called "Socconessing" by the first inhabitants, the Esopus Munsee of ...

and Walker Valley. As a whole, the hamlet has a wooded, rustic ambience. Most homes are rather modest and old, but sit on large lots with many tall shade trees. There are also many large undeveloped woodlots; thus, property values in Cragsmoor are higher than in the rest of Wawarsing. Other than the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

, there is no

business district Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessar ...

to speak of. In 1996 the comprising much of the hamlet's center were added to the

as the Cragsmoor Historic District, due to buildings designed by Bert Goldsmith and Frederick S. Dellenbaugh. The

Long Path The Long Path is a long-distance hiking trail beginning in New York City, at the West 175th Street subway station near the George Washington Bridge and ending at Altamont, New York, in the Albany area. While not yet a continuous trail, relyi ...

hiking trail passes through the center of town on its way to Sam's Point. Bear Hill is to the southwest of the hamlet.

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 474 people, 189 households, and 137 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 257 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.09%

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 ...

, 0.84% Native American, 1.48% from other races, and 3.59% 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 4.85% of the population. There were 189 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.92. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 31.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $64,500, and the median income for a family was $56,250. Males had a median income of $42,250 versus $55,556 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 CDP was $22,712. About 9.4% of families and 11.1% 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 19.1% of those under age 18 and none aged 65 or over.

Education

The CDP is in the

Ellenville Central School District Ellenville is a village within the town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, New York, United States. Its population was 4,167 at the 2020 census. History The area was originally called "Socconessing" by the first inhabitants, the Esopus Munsee of ...

.
Text list
/ref>

Notable people

* Edward Lamson Henry N.A., the painter of historical themes, lived in Cragsmoor and helped found an artist's colony. * Charles Courtney Curran, the painter known for 19th century 'en plein air' figurative work, and later for portraits, visited in 1903 and later built a summer home at Cragsmoor. *

Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler (character), Nightcrawler, Storm (Marvel Comics), Storm, Colossus (character), Colos ...

, ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

'' illustrator lived here for much of the 1980s and 90s.Horrigan, Jeremiah; December 2, 2006
X-Men envisioner Dave Cockrum dies at 63
''

Times-Herald Record The ''Times Herald-Record'', often referred to as ''The Record'' or ''Middletown Record'' in its coverage area, is an American daily newspaper published in Middletown, New York, covering the northwest suburbs of New York City. It covers Orange, ...

''; retrieved December 3, 2006.

References

External links

Cragsmoor Day
{{authority control Census-designated places in New York (state) Hamlets in New York (state) Shawangunks Wawarsing, New York Census-designated places in Ulster County, New York Hamlets in Ulster County, New York Populated places established in 1879 1879 establishments in New York (state)