Bethlehem, New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bethlehem is a town in Albany County, New York, USA. The population was 31,304 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Bethlehem is south of the City of Albany. Bethlehem includes the following hamlets: Delmar, Elsmere, Slingerlands, Glenmont, Selkirk, South and North Bethlehem. Route 9W passes through the town. The town is named after the biblical Bethlehem.

Contents 1 History 2 Politics 3 Education 4 Geography 4.1 Location and adjacent areas 5 Demographics 6 Communities and locations in Bethlehem 7 External links

[edit] History

When Henry Hudson sailed up the river that would eventually bear his name, he is thought to have landed at what is now the town of Bethlehem. The spot where he is presumed to have landed is commemorated at the town's Henry Hudson Park. The town was established in 1793 from the Town of Watervliet. In 1832, part of the town was used to form the Town of New Scotland. The actual town of Bethlehem was founded on March, 12.

The Town's earliest growth took place in Normansville, named for its location along the Normanskill, a creek, which forms the town's border with Albany, NY. Normansville still exists today, though it is unnoticed by most living in Bethlehem since it is accessible only by one downhill road (which has no outlet). In the mid 1800s the Delaware and Hudson railroad initiated service into the hamlet then called Adamsville, renaming the hamlet Delmar. Delmar has become the most populated hamlet and its Delaware Avenue is the site of the present day town hall, police station, justice court, and public library, as well as numerous businesses. The railroad discontinued passenger service in the 1960s and its tracks started being removed in the year 2000 with the last of the track removed in 2005. The Town has continued to grow, and is today considered to be an affluent suburb of the city of Albany, NY.

[edit] Politics

Town government has been dominated for over 100 years by the Republican party, but is now controlled by the Democrats. In a 2003 election, Teresa Egan was elected the first Democratic town supervisor in over a century. The Democrat takeover was solidified by the 2005 election of two more Democrat board members and the reelection of Egan. In 2007 Egan resigned her post.

During the 2005 supervisor election, 20 year old Victor Rodriguez, a former Public Works employee for the Town at its sewer treatment plant, ran as a write-in candidate for the position after being denied a ballot position by the Albany County Board of Elections, and by the NYS Supreme Court because his petitions did not meet minimum requirements outlined by state law. The Voter Rights Party, founded by Rodriguez, has become a statewide party with small pockets of supporters within the town and state of New York.

[edit] Education

Most Town residents live within the Bethlehem Central School District. The town has five public elementary schools -- Hamagrael, Elsmere, Slingerlands, Glenmont and Clarksville. A sixth elementary school is scheduled for construction. It is to be named Eagle Elementary School, the result of a district-wide student vote. Elementary schools include students up to grade 5. The Bethlehem Central Middle School educates children in grades 6, 7 and 8, while the Bethlehem Central High School includes grades 9-12. The High School also features a Lab School, a school-within-a-school created to experiment with new methods of teaching and learning.

The Town also includes the School of Saint Thomas the Apostle, a Catholic school for grades K-8 located across from the Catholic church.

The school district offers Continuing Education classes in a variety of topics for adult learners of all ages.

The Town also provides busing and most textbooks for families who choose to educate their children in private schools. The nearby City of Albany includes several noted private schools and academies, including the Albany Academy for Boys, the Albany Academy for Girls, the Doane Stuart School, the Christian Brothers Academy, and Bishop Maginn High School.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 128.4 km² (49.6 mi²). 126.4 km² (48.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (1.55%) is water.

[edit] Location and adjacent areas

The town is in Albany County, New York, United States. The east town line, defined by the Hudson River, is the border of Rensselaer County, New York. To the north, the town shares a border with Albany, the capital of New York State, and the Town of Guilderland. To the west is the Town of New Scotland, and to the south is the Town of Coeymans.

The New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) passes through the town.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 31,304 people, 12,112 households, and 8,551 families residing in the town. The population density was 247.6/km² (641.3/mi²). There were 12,459 housing units at an average density of 98.6/km² (255.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.74% White, 2.26% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population.

There were 12,112 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $63,169, and the median income for a family was $77,211. Males had a median income of $52,433 versus $36,739 for females. The per capita income for the town was $31,492. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Communities and locations in Bethlehem

• Beckers Corners -- A hamlet in the south part of the town at Route 9W.
• Bethlehem Center -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town.
• Bethlehem Heights -- A location north of South Bethlehem.
• Callahans Corners -- A location at the southwest corner of the town.
• Cedar Hill -- A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, east of the Thruway.
• Delmar, New York -- A hamlet near the center of the town and the location of the town government.
• Elsmere -- A hamlet east of and adjacent to Delmar.
• Glenmont, New York -- A hamlet in the eastern part of the town.
• Henry Hudson Park A park east of Cedar Hill at the Hudson River.
• Houcks Corners -- A hamlet south of Delmar.
• Karlsville -- A hamlet in the north part of the town.
• Kenwood -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town.
• Mallorys Corners -- A location in the south part of the town.
• Meyers Corners -- A location in the south part of the town.
• Normansville -- A hamlet in the north part of the town and home of the world famous yellow brick road. It was formerly known as "Adamsville."
• North Bethlehem -- A hamlet at the north town line in the northeast part of the town.
• Selkirk, New York -- A hamlet east of South Bethlehem.
• Slingerlands -- A hamlet immediately west of Delmar and near the west town line.
• Spawn Hollow -- A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
• South Albany -- A hamlet in the south part of the town, north of South Bethlehem.
• South Bethlehem -- A hamlet in the south part of the town.
• Wemple -- A hamlet in the southeast part of the town.

[edit] External links

• Bethlehem official website
• Bethlehem Central School District website