Somers, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Somers is a town located in Westchester County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 18,346.
The Town of Somers is in the northeast part of the county.
Somers is primarily a residential community known for being the "cradle of the American circus". It grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, after International Business Machines and Pepsi built large corporate facilities within it. The Metro-North Commuter Railroad provides service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with an average commute time to of an hour to 42nd Street in Manhattan. The commute to Manhattan by passenger vehicle is approximately between 50 minutes and 1 hour.
Contrary to the stereotypes of northern Westchester, Somers is not a rural town. With a population of over 20,000, Somers is strongly suburban.
The Purdys section of Somers was featured on a 2006 episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Contents |
[edit] History
The town was established as Stephentown in 1788. Confusion with another New York town named Stephentown led the town to change its name to Somerstown. In 1808, the name was changed to Somers to honor Richard Somers, a naval captain from New Jersey that died in combat.
Somers became known as the "cradle of the American Circus" after Hachaliah Bailey bought an African Elephant, which he named "Old Bet". Bailey intended to use the elephant for farm work but the number of people it attracted caused Bailey to take her throughout the northeast. Bailey's success caused numerous others to tour with exotic animals, and during the 1830's the old style circus and Bailey's attractions merged to form the modern circus.
Old Bet died on tour in 1827. Bailey later erected the Elephant Hotel in Somers in honor of Old Bet, and it was purchased by the town in 1927. It is a town landmark and the elephant remains a symbol of the town to this day.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 83.6 km² (32.3 mi²). 77.8 km² (30.0 mi²) of it is land and 5.7 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 6.88% water.
The north town line is the border of Putnam County, New York.
US Route 202 passes through the town.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 18,346 people, 6,802 households, and 5,169 families residing in the town. The population density was 235.8/km² (610.7/mi²). There were 7,098 housing units at an average density of 91.2/km² (236.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.84% White, 1.71% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.86% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 2.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,802 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% 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 3.06.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $89,528, and the median income for a family was $103,950. Males had a median income of $78,678 versus $45,367 for females. The per capita income for the town was $40,414. 2.0% of the population and 1.2% of families were below the poverty line. 1.6% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
[edit] Communities and locations in Somers
- Amawalk Reservoir -- A reservoir in the north part of the town adjacent to US-202 and NY-118.
- Granite Springs --
- Green Briar
- Golden's Bridge --
- Heritage Hills --
- Horton Estates --
- Lake Lincolndale -- A hamlet north of Lincondale, near the north county line.
- Lincolndale -- A hamlet by the intersection of US-202 and NY-138.
- Purdys
- Shenorock -- A hamlet near the north county line by NY-118.
- Somers -- The hamlet of Somers.
- Yorktown Heights
- Whitehall Corners --
[edit] Points of interest
Lake Purdys is a community in the Town Of Somers
