Ossining (town), New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ossining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 36,534 at the 2000 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.4 km² (15.6 mi²). 30.3 km² (11.7 mi²) of it is land and 10.1 km² (3.9 mi²) of it (25.06%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 36,534 people, 12,355 households, and 8,537 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,205.6/km² (3,123.0/mi²). There were 12,733 housing units at an average density of 420.2/km² (1,088.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 70.26% White, 14.28% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 4.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 7.34% from other races, and 3.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.93% of the population.
There were 12,355 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 34.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $65,485, and the median income for a family was $81,943. Males had a median income of $51,286 versus $40,618 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,195. About 5.0% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
Frederick Philipse bought the area which presently constitutes the Town of Ossining from the Sint Sinck Indians in 1685. His manor extended from Spuyten Duyvil Creek on the border between present day Manhattan and The Bronx to the Croton River.
The last lord of the manor, also named Frederick Philipse, was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War, so the State of New York confiscated the manor in 1779.
In 1813, the village of Sing Sing was incorporated.
In 1845, the New York State Legislature created a new town out of the northern part of what had been the Town of Mount Pleasant. A local Indian authority suggested the town be named Ossinsing, a different form of the name Sing Sing. One year later the last "s" was removed for ease in pronunciation.
In 1901, to prevent confusion of goods made in the village with Sing Sing prison-made items, local officials had the village name changed to Ossining as well.
In 1902 an area east of the village of Ossining, then known as Whitson's Crossing, was incorporated as the village of Briarcliff Manor.
Professional wrestler Matthew Kaye currently resides in Ossining.
[edit] Ossining Public Library
The Ossining Public Library, originally chartered in 1893 as the Sing Sing Public Library, serves the residents of the Village and Town of Ossining, and parts of Briarcliff Manor, Yorktown, and New Castle. The current collections of the library include over 100,000 books, 10,000 non-print items, and 300 newspaper and magazine titles. As a charter member of the 38-member Westchester Library System, the Ossining Public Library can also offer its patrons access to the 1 million+ holdings of the other county libraries. An ambitious ($15.8 million) building program was started in 2005 to replace its 1960s-era facility with a new 48,000 square foot building. The new Ossining Public Library is scheduled to open in January, 2007 and will add many new or enhanced services, including over 50 public Internet terminals, a 250-seat theater, an art gallery, a cafe, and the county's first radio frequency (RFID) circulation system. The building program was initiated and supervised by Edward Falcone, the library's director since 1992. In late 2006, Mr. Falcone left Ossining to assume the Deputy Director's position at the Yonkers (NY) Public Library.
