Wallkill, Orange County, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wallkill is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 24,659 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Wallkill is centrally located in the county. Interstate 84 crosses the south part of the town and crosses New York State Route 17 at Middletown. Routes 6 17K, 211 and 302 also cross portions of the town.
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[edit] History
The town was established in 1772, but part of the town was lost upon the formation of Ulster County, New York.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 62.8 square miles (162.5 km²), of which, 62.2 square miles (161.0 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (0.92%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 24,659 people, 8,866 households, and 6,330 families residing in the town. The population density was 396.6 people per square mile (153.1/km²). There were 9,283 housing units at an average density of 149.3/sq mi (57.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 80.70% White, 9.34% African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.31% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.40% of the population.
There were 8,866 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,625, and the median income for a family was $57,088. Males had a median income of $40,145 versus $29,788 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,654. About 7.7% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
The current supervisor of the Town of Wallkill is John Ward. The town also has four councilmen: John King, Eric Valentin, Kevin Mulqueen, and James McCarey.
[edit] Police Department
The Town of Wallkill Police Department is a full-time police force, led by Chief Robert Hertman and Deputy Chief John Quinn. The Town of Wallkill Police Department is one of the first, if not only, police departments in the nation to be placed under a Federal Monitor and to have come off the same. The Town of Wallkill is one of the biggest townships in Orange County in both size and population, yet the Police Department is understaffed by most other agencies in the area's standards.[citation needed] One reason for this is a low salary (Town of Wallkill Police Department is one of the lowest paid in Orange County) as well as not having a contract signed since 2006. The Town of Wallkill also suffers from an influx of new officers only to see them leave soon after.[citation needed]
[edit] Fire Departments
The Town of Wallkill is broken into Six Fire Districts: the Circleville, Howells, Mechanicstown, Silver Lake, Pocatello, and Washington Heights Fire Districts.
[edit] Shopping
The Town of Wallkill is home to many retail stores, shopping centers, and restaurants, many of which are located along New York State Route 211. The Galleria at Crystal Run, which opened in 1992, and Orange Plaza are located in the town.
[edit] Town of Wallkill Golf Club
The town is home to the Town of Wallkill Golf Club. This 18 hole town-owned course opened in 1991 and was designed by landscape architect Steve Esposito.
[edit] Communities and locations in and around the Town of Wallkill
- Baileyville -- A hamlet near Howells.
- Crystal Run -- A hamlet south of Michigan Corners.
- Circleville -- A hamlet north of Scotchtown.
- East Middletown -- A village southeast of Middletown.
- Fair Oaks -- A hamlet north of Middletown.
- Howells -- A hamlet northwest of Middletown.
- Mechanicstown -- A hamlet south of Middletown.
- Michigan Corners -- A hamlet near Scotchtown east of Middletown.
- Middletown -- The City of Middletown borders the west side of the Town of Wallkill.
- Phillipsburg -- A hamlet southeast of Middletown on the Wallkill River.
- Pilgrim Corners -- A hamlet west of Middletown.
- Rockville -- A hamlet south of Circleville.
- Scotchtown -- A hamlet east of Middletown.
- Silver Lake -- A small lake east of Middletown.
- Van Burenville -- A village to the northeast of town near Mount Hope.
- Washington Heights -- A hamlet northwest of Middletown.
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
