Tusten 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 Sullivan County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 * ...

. The population was 1,405 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from Dr. Benjamin Tusten, a distinguished military leader killed when he refused to leave his troops at the Battle of Minisink. The Town of Tusten is located in the southwestern part of Sullivan county.

History

The town was previously part of the Towns of Mamakating and Lumberland in 1853. Benjamin Homans was the first settler, setting himself up by Narrowsburg. The Ten Mile River Baptist Church and Tusten Stone Arch Bridge 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 ...

. Tusten is also home to the historic Fort Delaware. Markers celebrating local history can be found on walker friendly paths around town.

Geography

The western town line, delineated by the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

, is the border of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. 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 (3.18%) is water.

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 1,415 people, 583 households, and 367 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,008 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 89.12%

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 ...

, 6.93%

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 ...

, 0.14% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 1.13% from other races, and 1.77% 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 3.60% of the population. There were 583 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,824, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $35,125 versus $25,938 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 $19,413. About 6.8% of families and 9.2% 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 8.9% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local Government The town of Tusten is governed under the New York state form of town government. The governing body is five members (one supervisor, four council members) whose members are elected directly by the voters

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

in general elections to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, except the supervisor, whose term is two years. As of 2024, members of the Tusten town board are Supervisor Bernard R. Johnson ( R, term as supervisor ends December 31, 2025), Councilwoman Cass Collins (D, term on board ends December 31, 2027) Councilman Bruce Gettel (D, term on board ends December 31, 2027), Councilman Kevin McDonough (D, term on board ends December 31, 2025), and Councilman Greg Triggs (D, term on board ends December 31, 2025). Crystal Weston (R, term ending December 31, 2025) is Town Clerk. Jane Luchsinger (D) is town Deputy Supervisor. Monthly town board meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month beginning at 6:30pm ET at the Tusten Town Hall at 210 Bridge Street in Narrowsburg, New York.

Communities and locations in Tusten

* Narrowsburg – 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 ...

by the Delaware River. It was formerly called Homans Eddy *Beaver Brook Corners (or Beaver Brook) – A hamlet in the eastern part of the town *Feagles Lake – A small

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 ...

east of Narrowsburg *Hunts Corners – A hamlet east of Narrowsburg on Route 52 *Lava – A hamlet east of Narrowsburg on Route 52 *Neweiden – A hamlet southeast of Narrowsburg on the Ten Mile River, formerly called Swamp Mills *Smith Switch – A location in the northwestern corner of the town by the Delaware River and on Route 97 *Ten Mile River – A small

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

and the site of a large summer camp maintained by the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

, located near Neweiden *Tusten – The hamlet of Tusten is located in the southwestern part of the town on Route 97

Notable people

* Benjamin Woodward, politician * Gustavus Adolphus Neumann, newspaper editor

References

External links

Town of Tusten, NY
{{authority control Towns in Sullivan County, New York Towns in New York (state) New York (state) populated places on the Delaware River