LaGrange ( ) 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 ...

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later org ...

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 15,975 at the 2020 census. The town was named after the estate of the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

History

The

was originally established in 1821 as "Freedom" from parts of the towns of Beekman and Fishkill. Confusion with

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

, a town in Cattaraugus County that had been settled ten years earlier and established one year earlier, caused the name to be changed to "LaGrange" in 1828.

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 1.17%, is water. The town of LaGrange is located within the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

region of New York. The towns bordering LaGrange are Union Vale to the east, Beekman to the southeast, East Fishkill and

Wappinger The Wappinger ( ) were an Eastern Algonquian Munsee-speaking Native American people from what is now southern New York and western Connecticut. At the time of first contact in the 17th century they were primarily based in what is now Dutc ...

to the south,

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Town of Poughkeepsie, New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson River Valley region, midway between the core of the New ...

to the west, and Pleasant Valley to the north, with a small part of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

also bordering LaGrange.

Roads

Three state highways bisect the town and connect it with other towns in Dutchess County and the surrounding area. 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 ...

is a north–south parkway through LaGrange.

James Baird State Park James Baird State Park is a state park in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The park is located in the northern part of the Town of LaGrange, east of City of Poughkeepsie. History The park is named after James Baird (engineer and pr ...

, which provides a golf course, playground, sports fields, and hiking and cycling trails, is located in LaGrange along the Taconic Parkway. The parkway also serves as an important commuter road for LaGrange, connecting the town to points south, including White Plains and

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 ...

, to the south.

New York State Route 55 New York State Route 55 (NY 55) is a east-west state highway in southern New York, running from the Pennsylvania state line at the Delaware River in Barryville to the Connecticut state line at Wingdale. It is the only other state ...

is an east–west road that goes through the center of the town; Arlington High School, the Freedom Plains United Presbyterian Church, and multiple shops and stores are located on a two-mile section of Route 55 in Freedom Plains, a hamlet of LaGrange. In the summer and fall of 2014, three

traffic circle A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

s were added to this stretch of Route 55 in Freedom Plains in an effort to ease congestion and also to beautify this part of LaGrange. To the west, Route 55 connects LaGrange to the city of

, the closest urbanized area to LaGrange, ; to the east, Route 55 connects LaGrange to the town of Pawling and the Route 22 corridor. It is located halfway between Poughkeepsie and Pawling, about from both. New York State Route 82 is a highway that goes southwest–northeast through the town, from Hopewell Junction to Moores Mills. Route 82 connects LaGrange with Millbrook to the north and Hopewell Junction to the south. There are also several county roads that go in various parts of the town.

Parks and recreation

Freedom Park is the largest and most extensive park belonging to the town of LaGrange. At the park, there is a small, spring-fed lake in which patrons are permitted to swim under the supervision of

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

-trained lifeguards. There is a set of eight 25-yard lap lanes that enables the town to support a swim team. There is a concession that sells snacks at the lake. Freedom Park also boasts a bandstand and a large, permanent, open-air pavilion; there is a small playground as well. Each summer, a day camp is offered by the town at Freedom Park. Other parks in LaGrange include Stringham Park, an extensive complex of soccer fields located on Stringham Road in the west of the town, and

, which provides a golf course, playground, and cycling and hiking trails.

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 14,928 people, 5,085 households, and 4,103 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,240 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.98%

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 ...

, 2.41%

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 ...

, 0.12% Native American, 2.94% Asian, 1.14% from other races, and 1.41% 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 4.26% of the population. There were 5,085 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.2% 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, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.28. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $74,881, and the median income for a family was $80,724. Males had a median income of $61,806 versus $36,955 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 $27,872. About 1.7% of families and 3.7% 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 4.2% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Pierre A. Barker, former mayor of Buffalo, New York * John Gatins, Oscar-nominated screenwriter * Isaac R. Harrington, former mayor of Buffalo, New York * Anthony Van Wyck, former member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

Communities and locations in LaGrange

*Arthursburg – A hamlet at the southern town line. It is named after

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

, twenty-first president of the United States. *Billings – 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 ...

north of LaGrangeville. *Freedom Plains – A hamlet northwest of LaGrangeville. *

– A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

in the northern part of the town. *LaGrangeville (or La Grangeville)– A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town. **LaGrangeville is an area in LaGrange with the zip code of 12540. As of 2014, this area had a population of 8,221, which makes it the largest part of LaGrange. *Manchester Bridge – A hamlet in the western part of the town. *Moores Mill – A location in the northeastern part of the town. *Noxon – A location west of LaGrangeville. *Rombout Ridge – A location near the western town line. *Titus – A hamlet near the western town line.

Schools

Arlington High School and LaGrange Middle School of the

Arlington Central School District The Arlington Central School District (abbreviated ACSD) is one of thirteen public school districts serving residents of Dutchess County, New York. The district was created in 1924. Organization Coverage area The district's territory covers s ...

are in LaGrange, as are several of the School District's primary, elementary and intermediate schools.

References

External links

Town of LaGrange official websiteLaGrange Association LibraryArlington Central School District
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lagrange, New York 1821 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1821 Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area Towns in Dutchess County, New York Towns in New York (state)

Lagrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi Lagrangia