Canaan, New York

Canaan, New York
—  Town  —
Lace House, Canaan, NY
Canaan, New York
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New York
County Columbia
Government
 • Type Town Council
 • Town Supervisor Rick Keaveney (D, R)
 • Town Council
Area
 • Total 37.0 sq mi (95.7 km2)
 • Land 36.7 sq mi (95.1 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation 981 ft (299 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 1,820
 • Density 49.6/sq mi (19.1/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 12029
Area code(s) 518
FIPS code 36-12056
GNIS feature ID 0978781

Canaan is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,820 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Canaan is in the northeast part of the county.

Contents

History

The first settlers arrived around 1759. The town was founded in 1772 as "Kings District." The name was changed to "Canaan" in 1788. One of the oldest sections of Canaan is Frisbie Street, settled in 1770 by Gideon Frisbie, who emigrated from Canaan, Connecticut.[1] Frisbie Street fronts what was once the Albany-Boston stagecoach route.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.0 square miles (96 km2), of which, 36.7 square miles (95 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of it (0.65%) is water.

The east town line is the border of Massachusetts.

Interstate 90 passes through the town.

It is between the end of the Massachusetts Turnpike and the beginning of the New York State Thruway.

It is the easternmost town in the New York foothills of the Berkshire Mountains.

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,820 people, 643 households, and 414 families residing in the town. The population density was 49.6 people per square mile (19.1/km²). There were 970 housing units at an average density of 26.4 per square mile (10.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.80% White, 8.63% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 1.21% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population.

There were 643 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 28.6% 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 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the town the population was spread out with 34.2% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 137.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,607, and the median income for a family was $62,656. Males had a median income of $44,063 versus $37,083 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,209. About 2.7% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Canaan

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ Pg. 1 - "Most Likely To Succeed" - Alan Gelb 1990 ISBN 0312925662
  2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963. 
  4. ^ 'The Rev Eleazar Root Dead,' New York Times, August 5, 1887

External links