Pawling (town), New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pawling is a town in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 7,521 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Catherine Pawling, the daughter of Henry Beekman, who held the second largest land patent in the county.
The Town of Pawling is in the southeast part of the county. The town has a village of Pawling.
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[edit] History
A part of the town was involved in a boundary problem involving New York and Connecticut. A section of the town, "the Oblong," was settled by Quakers in the 18th Century, probably around 1720. The Quaker Meeting House is still standing today, and open for visitors. George Washington established his headquarters in the town for two months. The town was founded in 1788, but part of the town was used to form the Town of Dover in 1807.
The town's burial place, Pawling Cemetery, located on the west Side of Route 22, is the final resting place for New York Governor and Presidential Candidate Thomas E. Dewey (1902-1971) (best known for the erroneous headline of "Dewey Defeats Truman" during the 1948 United States Presidential race), United States Navy Rear Admiral John Lorimer Worden (1818-1897), commander of the ironclad USS Monitor during the American Civil War, motion picture actress Silvana Mangano (1930-1989), Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient John J. Toffey (1844-1911), and United States Congressman Ralph Waldo Gwinn (1884-1962), who represented New York's 27th District from 1945 to 1959.
In December of 1972, a severe fire at a Plutonium fabrication plant in Pawling caused an "undisclosed" amount of plutonium to be scattered within and beyond the grounds, resulting in the plant's permanent shutdown.
The oldest public golf course in the United States, the Dutcher Golf Course, is also is in Pawling, and still in use.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 116.5 km² (45.0 mi²). 114.4 km² (44.2 mi²) of it is land and 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (1.80%) is water.
The south town line is the border of Putnam County, New York, and the east town line is the border of Connecticut.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 7,521 people, 2,823 households, and 1,987 families residing in the town. The population density was 65.7/km² (170.2/mi²). There were 3,101 housing units at an average density of 27.1/km² (70.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.43% White, 1.46% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.85% of the population.
There were 2,823 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% 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 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $61,380, and the median income for a family was $70,056. Males had a median income of $47,143 versus $35,063 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,043. About 1.7% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Communities and locations in the Town of Pawling
- Baker Corner -- A hamlet east of Hurd Corners.
- Holmes -- A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
- Hurd Corners -- A hamlet north of Pawling village.
- Mizzen Top --
- Quaker Hill -- A hamlet near the east town line, northeast of Pawling village.
- Pawling -- The Village of Pawling.
- West Pawling -- A hamlet on Route 55, northwest of Pawling village.
- Whaley Lake -- A lake by the west town line.
- Woodinville -- A hamlet west of Pawling village.
[edit] Notable people, past and present
- Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) Christian preacher and author of The Power of Positive Thinking and a founder of Guideposts magazine, died in town.
- Lowell Thomas developed the Quaker Hill community in Pawling, where he lived when not on the road.
- John Lorimer Worden, Union admiral and commander of the U.S.S. Monitor in its famous fight with the Merrimack, is buried in the Pawling Cemetery.
