Wawayanda 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 Orange County,

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 7,534 as recorded by the 2020 census. The town of Wawayanda is in the western part of the county, south of Middletown.

History

The town of Wawayanda was established in 1849 from the town of

Minisink The Minisink or (more recently) Minisink Valley is a loosely defined geographic region of the Upper Delaware River valley in northwestern New Jersey (Sussex and Warren counties), northeastern Pennsylvania ( Pike and Monroe counties) and New York ...

. It had been first settled after the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. The name Wawayanda had historically been more broadly used to describe the region, even earlier than a 1769 map,Minisink Valley Genealogy: "The Fork or Branch at the Mouth of Mahacamack...1769"
Accessed April 3, 2022. which also shows the line of partition used to resolve the 50-years long

New York – New Jersey Line War The New York – New Jersey Line War (also known as the N.J. Line War) was a series of skirmishes and raids that took place for over half a century between 1701 and 1765 at the disputed border between two Thirteen Colonies, American colonies, the ...

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 nearly is land and (0.14%) is water. The town is bordered on the north by the city of Middletown and the town of Wallkill, east by the town of Goshen, south by the town of Warwick, southwest by the town of Minisink, west by the town of Greenville, with a very short shared border with the town of Mount Hope to the northwest. Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 6 (US 6, the Grand Army of the Republic Highway) are important east–west highways. New York State Route 17M (NY 17M) crosses the northern part of the town. NY 284 is a north–south highway.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,266. The racial makeup was 80.7% white, 12.2% Hispanic, 5.0% African-American, 1.9% Asian, and 0.2% Native American. 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 6,273 people, 2,095 households, and 1,719 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,174 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.86%

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 ...

, 1.75%

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 ...

, 0.37% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.90% from other races, and 1.50% 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 5.88% of the population. There were 2,095 households, out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.7% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 14.6% 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 2.98 and the average family size was 3.29. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $61,885, and the median income for a family was $67,479. Males had a median income of $42,491 versus $27,993 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 $21,856. About 2.8% 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 2.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Hamlets of Wawayanda

* Denton – 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 ...

near the eastern town line on NY 17M. * Gardnerville – a hamlet on County Route 62 (CR 62) in the southern part of the town. * Millsburgh – a hamlet south of South Centerville on CR 22. * New Hampton – a hamlet on US 6 in the northeastern part of Wawayanda. * Pellets Island – a location at the eastern town line. * Ridgebury – a hamlet east of Slate Hill. * Slate Hill – a hamlet on US 6 near the eastern town line. * South Centerville – a hamlet located on US 6 at CR 22, near the western town line.

Former town supervisors

Denise Quinn, (2020- ), Republican John Razzano, (2006–2020), Republican Wayne Skinner, (2004–2006), Democrat Thomas Deblock, (1996–2004), Republican Jeffrey K. Bridges Jr., (1992–1996), Republican Ed. Flynn, (1988–1992), Democrat Brice "Buzzy" Flynn, (1970–1988), Democrat

References

External links

Town of Wawayanda WebsiteTown of Wawayanda FacebookShannen Park FacebookSlate Hill Fire DistrictNew Hampton Fire Department
{{authority control Towns in Orange County, New York Towns in New York (state) Wallkill River Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area Towns in the New York metropolitan area