Willsboro, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willsboro is a town in Essex County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,903.
The Town of Willsboro is in the eastern part of the county.
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[edit] History
The region was first settled by Europeans in 1765 by William Gilliland. Originally called "Milltown" by its founder (for the saw mill located on the falls of the Boquet River, located in the center of the town), it was renamed "Willsborough" (subsequently shortened to "Willsboro") shortly after the Revolutionary War, in honor of the founder.
While the town has always had a thriving farming tradition, through most of its history Willsboro's main employer was a paper mill (which produced the wood pulp used in the making of paper). When this paper mill closed in the 1960s, the town faced hard economic times and relied heavily on tourist dollars. Recently, new industries have moved to the town, most notably a wallastonite mine, curtain and funiture manufacturers, and numerous web-based service companies. It is also becoming a bedroom community for the city of Plattsburg, to the north.
[edit] Geography
The east town line, marked by Lake Champlain, is the border of Vermont. The Bouquet River enters Lake Champlain in the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 190.1 km² (73.4 mi²). 110.6 km² (42.7 mi²) of it is land and 79.5 km² (30.7 mi²) of it (41.81%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,903 people, 803 households, and 549 families residing in the town. The population density was 17.2/km² (44.6/mi²). There were 1,468 housing units at an average density of 13.3/km² (34.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.42% White, 0.26% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.26% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population.
There were 803 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,715, and the median income for a family was $40,272. Males had a median income of $30,244 versus $20,917 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,209. About 3.8% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Communities and locations in Willsboro
- Hatch Point -- The northernmost part of the town, on the north tip of Willsboro Point.
- Long Pond -- A pond near the north town line.
- Reber -- A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
- Willsboro -- The hamlet of Willsboro, in the eastern part of the town on Route 22. Also a resort community near the point where the Bouquet river enters Lake Champlain.
- Willsboro Bay -- A bay between Willsboro Point and the mainland.
- Willsboro Point -- A peninsula into Lake Champlain.
- Willsboro Point -- A hamlet on the east shore of Willsboro Point.
