Lake George (town), New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake George is a town in Warren County, New York, USA. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,578 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the lake, Lake George. Lake George is the county seat of Warren County.
The Town of Lake George is on the eastern border of the county. Within the town is a village named Lake George.
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[edit] History
The lake was discovered by Father Isaac Jogues in August 1642. He was later captured by Mohawks, escaped, and returned home to France. In 1646, he was sent on a political mission to the Iroquois to propose a treaty of peace, and at that point named the lake "Lac du Saint Sacrement" (The Lake of the Blessed Sacrament).
In 1755, the lake was renamed "Lake George", in honor of King George II by General Johnson.
Lake George was also the site of Fort William Henry, named in honor of Prince William Henry, grandson of King George II, by General Johnson. The fort, its surrender by Marquis de Montcalm after a six-day siege by the French and Indians, and the following massacre all in 1757 were used by James Fenimore Cooper as the background for his famous novel, The Last of the Mohicans. The fort was reconstructed and opened to the public as a museum in 1953.
The Town of Lake George was established in 1810 as the "Town of Caldwell" from parts of the towns of Bolton, Queensbury, and Thurman. In 1962 the town changed its name to the Town of Lake George.[1]
The town has been a major tourist area in the eastern Adirondacks for more than 100 years.
The town is also home to Wiawaka, a historic retreat center which was founded in 1903 for female textile workers from Troy but operates as a nonprofit for everyone today.
The home of pro skier Mark Fragassi.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.7 square miles (84.7 km²), of which, 30.2 square miles (78.3 km²) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.3 km²) of it (7.49%) is water.
The east town line is the border of Washington County, New York. The Northway, Interstate 87, passes through the town.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,578 people, 1,533 households, and 1,002 families residing in the town. The population density was 118.3 people per square mile (45.7/km²). There were 2,456 housing units at an average density of 81.2/sq mi (31.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.74% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 1,533 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 103.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,125, and the median income for a family was $48,789. Males had a median income of $31,134 versus $22,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,311. About 3.6% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Communities
These communities and locations are on the shores of Lake George in the Towns of Lake George, Bolton and Queensbury:
- Big Hollow -- A hamlet west of Lake George village.
- Brayton -- A hamlet by the east town line.
- Kattskill Bay -- a hamlet at the southeast shore of Lake George next to Buck Mountain on Pilot Knob Road. Three peninsula hamlets lie to the south.
- Rockhurst -- The first of three peninsula hamlets in the Town of Queensbury on the southeast shore of Lake George.
- Cleverdale -- The middle peninsula hamlet in the Town of Queensbury on the southeast shore of Lake George.
- Harris Bay -- A bay at the south end of Lake George created by the peninsulas of Cleverdale and Assembly Point.
- Assembly Point -- The southern most peninsula on the southeast side of Lake George in the Town of Queensbury.
- Crosbyside -- A hamlet northeast of Lake George village.
- Diamond Point -- A hamlet north of Lake George village on the west shore of Lake George.
- Fort William Henry -- The reconstructed historic fort is in Lake George village.
- Lake George -- The Village of Lake George is located at the south end of Lake George.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Town of Lake George, NY
- Lake George Historical Association
- Lake George information
- More Lake George information
- Stories and Poetry of Lake George
- Lake George Chamber of Commerce
- Wiawaka Official Site
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