Port Jervis, New York

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City of Port Jervis
A view of Port Jervis showing the bridge to Matamoras, PA at right and New Jersey's High Point on the Kittatinny Ridge in the background.
Nickname: "River City, Gateway to the Upper Delaware"
Port Jervis in relation to other cities in the region
Coordinates: 41°22′32″N, 74°41′20″W
Country	United States of America
State	New York
County	Orange
Settled	1690
Incorporated as Village of Peenpack; renamed Port Jervis shortly thereafter	1853
Re-incorporated as city	1907
Government type	Mayor-council
Mayor	Gary W. Lopriore
Area
- City	7 km²  (2.7 sq mi)
- Land	6.6 km²  (2.5 sq mi)
- Water	0.5 km² (0.6 sq mi)  6.64%
Elevation	~122 m  (~400 ft)
Population
- City (2000)	8,860
- Density	1,346.8/km² (3,494.1/sq mi)
ZIP Code	12771
Area code(s)	845
Website: http://www.portjervisny.org

Port Jervis, is a United States city in Orange County, New York. The population was 8,860 at the 2000 census.

The city of Port Jervis neighbors the point where the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania adjoin. Port Jervis was a port on the Delaware and Hudson Canal and is also known as the "River City." The town is named in honor of John B. Jervis, the chief engineer on the canal.

The communities of Germantown (which is now actually Port Jervis' West End) and Huguenot are adjacent to Port Jervis. The towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the city across the respective state borders. The Orange County Town of Deerpark is to the north.

The town is the last stop on the 95-mile-long (151 km) commuter railroad line from Hoboken, New Jersey and New York City that is contracted to NJ Transit by the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company (the line itself continues on to Binghamton, but passenger service beyond Port Jervis was discontinued in 1971).

[edit] History

The Erie Depot, built in 1892, was the largest station on the Erie Railroad's Delaware Division.

The first fully developed settlement in the area was established circa 1690, and a land grant of 1,200 acres (4.8 km²) was formalized on October 14, 1697. The settlement was originally known as Peenpack, and was still known as such when it was raided and burned before the Battle of Minisink in 1779. Over the next two decades, the town was rebuilt and more roadways were developed to better connect Peenpack with the eastern parts of Orange County.

After the construction of the Delaware and Hudson Canal in 1826, trade brought more money and development to the area. A village was incorporated in 1853. The town was renamed Port Jervis in the mid-19th century and grew steadily into the 1900s. In 1907 it became a city.

Being at the confluence of the Delaware and its largest tributary has sometimes led to flooding problems. Some residents remain displaced after the most recent occurrence in April 2005.

[edit] Geography

The city is on the north bank of the Delaware River. The Neversink, the Delaware's largest tributary, also joins it at this point. The two sometimes flood in periods of heavy rainfall. Near the point where the two rivers merge, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey come together.

Port Jervis is located at 41°22′32″N, 74°41′20″W (41.375459, -74.688794)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.0 km² (2.7 mi²). 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (6.64%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

The NY-NJ-PA Tri-State marker located in Port Jervis at the confluence of the Delaware and Neversink rivers.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 8,860 people, 3,533 households, and 2,158 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,346.8/km² (3,494.1/mi²). There were 3,851 housing units at an average density of 585.4/km² (1,518.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.80% White, 4.50% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.19% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.45% of the population.

There were 3,533 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,241, and the median income for a family was $35,481. Males had a median income of $31,851 versus $22,274 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,525. About 14.2% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] External links

• City of Port Jervis
• PortJervisNY.com
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 41.375459° -74.688794°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA