Cortlandt 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 ...

Westchester County Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...

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 at the northwestern edge of the county, at the eastern terminus of the

Bear Mountain Bridge The Bear Mountain Bridge, ceremonially named the Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bridge, is a toll suspension bridge in New York State. It carries U.S. Route 6 in New York, US 6 and U.S. Route 202 in New York, US 202 across the Hudso ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,545. The town includes the

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 ...

s of Buchanan and

Croton-on-Hudson Croton-on-Hudson ( ) is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 8,327 at the 2020 United States census over 8,070 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Cortlandt as part of New York City's northern ...

History

The Bear Mountain Bridge Road and Toll House and the

Old Croton Dam The Old Croton Dam is a historic dam located in Yorktown, New York, Yorktown, Westchester County, New York, now lying submerged beneath the waters of the New Croton Reservoir. The dam was built on the Croton River between 1837 and 1842, and was t ...

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 ...

. Cortlandt is also known for its Revolutionary War history, specifically the location of the strategic Kings Ferry between Stony Point and

Verplanck's Point Verplanck's Point lies at the southernmost end of the hamlet of Verplanck in the town of Cortlandt, New York in the upper northwest corner of Westchester County. Both derive their name from the activities of the Verplanck family, established in ...

, which

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

's army used to cross the Hudson on its march to

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a town in York County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while ...

, in 1781.

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

's full-length oil portrait of '' Washington at Verplanck's Point'' exists in two versions.

Geography

The town's western borders are 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 the city of

Peekskill Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, north of New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across f ...

. Its northern borders are the towns of Philipstown and Putnam Valley in Putnam County. Its eastern border is the town of Yorktown. Its southern borders are the towns of New Castle and Ossining. 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 21.51%, is water.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 38,467 people in 13,517 households, including 10,137 families, in the town. The population density was . There were 14,065 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 88.60% White, 4.59% African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.57% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.35% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.19%. Of the 13,517 households 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.3% of households were one person and 8.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.22. The age distribution was 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median household income was $75,442 and the median family income was $89,053. Males had a median income of $59,949 versus $41,115 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,432. About 2.9% of families and 4.5% 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 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Commuter service to

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 ...

is available via the Cortlandt train station and the Croton-Harmon train station, served by

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 ...

. Croton-Harmon is also served by Amtrak. U.S. Route 9 passes through the town along the Hudson River side. The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

(AT) runs through a very small portion of the north west portion of the town near and over the

, which is the only section of the AT in Westchester County NY.

Government

Cortlandt is governed by a town board and the Town Supervisor is Dr. Richard Becker, who replaced Linda Puglisi as the longest-serving Town Supervisor in the 200+-year history of the town (30 years). The mayors of Buchanan and Croton are Theresa Knickerbocker and Brian Pugh, respectively. Law enforcement services in Cortlandt are provided by the

New York State Police The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police of the U.S. state of New York; it is part of the New York State Executive Department and employs over 5,000 sworn state troopers and 711 non-sworn members. The New York State Police are re ...

and the

Westchester County Department of Public Safety There are forty-five Law enforcement agency, local police agencies in Westchester County, New York. In recent years, rising economic costs have spurred some smaller communities to consolidate or contract their police services with other agencies. ...

. The villages of Buchanan and Croton-on-Hudson also have their own, independent police departments.

Communities and locations in Cortlandt

* Buchanan – the village of Buchanan *

Cortlandt Manor Cortlandt Manor is a hamlet (New York), hamlet—an unincorporated section—of the Cortlandt, New York, town of Cortlandt in northern Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, roughly surrounding Peekskil ...

– a hamlet in the Town of Cortlandt * Crompond – A hamlet partially in the Town of Cortlandt *

– the village of Croton-on-Hudson * Crugers – a hamlet of Cortlandt. *Furnace Woods * Montrose – a hamlet of Cortlandt. Includes Cortlandt station. * Mount Airy – a neighborhood *Oscawana – includes Oscawana Island *Pleasantside *Roe Park *Toddville *Valeria *Van Cortlandtville – The John Jones Homestead, Old St. Peter's Church, and Van Cortlandtville School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. * Verplanck – a hamlet of Cortlandt *Woodybrook

References

External links

Town of Cortlandt official website
{{authority control Towns in Westchester County, New York Towns in New York (state) Towns in the New York metropolitan area