Schodack 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 ...

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...

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 12,965 at the 2020 census.U.S. Census, 2020, 'Schodack town, Rensselaer County, New York' The town name is derived from the Mahican word, Escotak. The town is in the southwestern part of the county. Schodack is southeast of Albany,

History

Prior to the arrival of the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, the region was at the heart of the

Mahican The Mohicans ( or ) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe that historically spoke an Algonquian language. As part of the Eastern Algonquian family of tribes, they are related to the neighboring Lenape, whose indigenous territory was ...

tribe. The location of their principal village was "Esquatak, the "fireplace of the nation." The town was partly explored by

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the Northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...

in 1609. The town was first settled by Europeans in the 17th century and was part of the

Manor of Rensselaerswyck Rensselaerswyck was a Dutch colonial patroonship and later an England, English Proprietary colony, manor owned by the Van Rensselaer (family), van Rensselaer family located in the present-day Capital District, New York, Capital District of New Yor ...

in the

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 ...

colony. The town was established in 1795, when Rensselaerwyck was divided. In 1896, part of the town was annexed to provide some territory for the Towns of Nassau and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. Blink Bonnie,

Elmbrook Farm Elmbrook Farm is a historic farm complex located at Schodack in Rensselaer County, New York. The farmhouse itself was built about 1830 and modified about twenty years later to include Greek Revival architecture. The complex also includes a barn (c ...

, the

Muitzes Kill Historic District Muitzes Kill Historic District is a national historic district located at Schodack in Rensselaer County, New York. It consists of 23 contributing buildings located in the hamlet of Muitzes Kill, or Muitzeskill (''kill'' is derived from archaic ...

, and the

Joachim Staats House and Gerrit Staats Ruin The Joachim Staats House and Gerrit Staats Ruin is a national historic district in the Town of Schodack in Rensselaer County, New York. History The Joachim Staats House and Gerrit Staats Ruin is located on Papscanee Island, a former island th ...

are sites within the Town of Schodack that have been 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 ...

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 (2.25%) is water. By area, it is the third largest town in

. The western town line is 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 ...

with Albany County on the opposite bank. The southern town boundary is the border of Columbia County. The New York Thruway Ext,

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

US Route 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Le ...

, and

US Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

pass through the town. The town of East Greenbush is to the north, the towns of Stuyvesant and Kinderhook in Columbia County are to the south, the town of Nassau is to the east, and the town of Coeymans is located across the

in Albany County in the west.

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 12,536 people, 4,737 households, and 3,500 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,942 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.54%

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 ...

, 0.68%

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 ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.68% 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 1.49% of the population. There were 4,737 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% 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, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $55,176, and the median income for a family was $63,622. Males had a median income of $40,090 versus $31,278 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 $24,560. About 2.3% of families and 4.3% 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 6.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of the town is encompassed by the Schodack Central School District, which is made up of three schools. Maple Hill High School and Maple Hill Middle school are located in Schodack, while Castleton Elementary school is located a few miles west, in the village of Castleton. A small portion of Schodack is located within the larger East Greenbush Central School District, and Green Meadow Elementary School is located near Schodack Center. Another small area, on Schodack's southern border, is served by the Ichabod Crane Central School District.

Notable people

* Elizabeth Jessup Eames (1813-1856), writer *

George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

, former US Congressman * Jaime Schultz, Major League Baseball pitcher for

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Communities and locations in Schodack

* Braeside – 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 ...

on the west side of Nassau Lake. * Brookview – A hamlet northeast of Castleton-on-Hudson along NY 150. * Castleton-on-Hudson – 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 ...

at the Hudson River in the southwestern part of the town. * East Schodack – A hamlet in the northeastern quadrant of the town, formerly known as Scotts Corners. * Lower Schodack Island – An island in the Hudson River near Schodack Landing. * Morey Park – A hamlet on the north side of Nassau Lake, near the eastern town line. * Muitzeskill – A hamlet east of Schodack Landing, named after a local stream. The

was listed on the

in 1974. * Nassau 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 ...

at the eastern town line, surrounded by the Nassau Lake census-designated place. * Rice Corners – A hamlet east of Schodack Center on the Columbia Turnpike near NY 150. * Rosecrans Park – A hamlet south of Nassau Lake near the village of Nassau. * Schodack Center – A hamlet near the center of the town on Routes 9 and 20. * Schodack Landing – A hamlet at the Hudson River in the southwestern part of the town. The Schodack Landing Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. *

Schodack Island State Park Schodack Island State Park (formerly known as Castleton Island State Park) is a state park that spans portions of Rensselaer, Greene, and Columbia counties, New York. The park is located between the Hudson River and Schodack Creek, and was ...

– 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 southwestern part of the town. * Shivers Corners – A hamlet in the north of East Schodack, near the intersections of East Schodack and Luther roads. * South Schodack – A hamlet north of Van Hoesen Station and east of Castleton-on-Hudson. * Stony Point – A hamlet near the Hudson River in the western part of the town. * Van Hoesen Station – A hamlet at the intersection of South Schodack Road and Van Hoesen Road on the Boston-Albany rail line.

References

External links

Town of Schodack homepage

{{authority control Towns in New York (state) Towns in Rensselaer County, New York 1795 establishments in New York (state)