Hoosick, New York

Hoosick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 6,759 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Hoosick is in the northeast corner of the county.

History

The town is one of the original towns of the county and was created as a town in 1788, before the creation of Rensselaer County. The region was formerly the District of Hoosick (1772) and previously the Hoosick Patent (1688).

The Battle of Bennington of the American Revolution was fought in the town northeast of the community of Walloomsac.

Past residents of note

Among the notable natives of Hoosick are:

• Chester Arthur, US President lived in Hoosick for a period of time.
• (Big Band Singers) Bob Eberly and Ray Eberle
• Simon Fraser - Born in Mapletown, town of Hoosick. He was an explorer who charted much of what is now British Columbia. A river, mountain, and university there are named after him.
• Eugene Goossen (1921–1997), art critic and historian^[1], and his wife Patricia Johanson (b.1940), noted environmental sculptor, in Buskirk hamlet.
• Harriet Hoctor - Dancer
• Jenny Holzer, famous post-modern installation artist, currently resides in Hoosick.
• Grandma Moses (1860-1961) - Famous painter whose work was first discovered in a Hoosick Falls drugstore in 1938^[2], is buried in Hoosick.
• John Palmer (1785–1840), who served two non-consecutive terms in the United States Congress.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.2 square miles (164 km²), of which, 63.0 square miles (163 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.21%) is water.

The north town line is the boundary of Washington County, New York, and the east town line is the border of Vermont. The Hoosic River is an important waterway in the town.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 6,759 people, 2,620 households, and 1,823 families residing in the town. The population density was 107.3 people per square mile (41.4/km²). There were 2,892 housing units at an average density of 45.9 per square mile (17.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.96% White, 0.49% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population.

There were 2,620 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,304, and the median income for a family was $46,442. Males had a median income of $35,899 versus $24,211 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,614. About 5.3% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Hoosick

• Buskirk (formerly "Buskirk Bridge") – A hamlet in the northwest corner of the town on Route 67.
• Eagle Bridge – A hamlet east of Buskirk on Route 67.
• East Buskirk – A hamlet south of Buskirk on Route 103.
• East Hoosick – A hamlet east of Hoosick Falls near the east town line.
• Hoosick (or "Hoosick Corners") – A hamlet south of Hoosick Falls in the southeast part of the town.
• Hoosick Falls – The Village of Hoosick Falls is near the center of the town.
• Hoosick Junction – A location northwest of Hoosick Falls.
• North Hoosick (formerly "St. Croix") – A hamlet north of Hoosick Falls on Route 22.
• Potterville – A hamlet in the southwest part of the town on Route 7.
• Southwest Hoosick – A hamlet near the west town line and south of West Hoosick.
• Trumanville – A former community, now part of Hoosick Falls.
• Walloomsac – A hamlet east of North Hoosick on Route 67.
• West Hoosick – A hamlet west of Hoosick Falls and near the west town line.
• White Creek Station – A location in the northeast corner of the town.

References

Further reading

• Anderson, George Baker (1897). Landmarks of Rensselaer County New York. Syracuse, New York: D. Mason and Company. OCLC 1728151. http://www.archive.org/stream/landmarksofrenss00ande#page/n5/mode/2up. 
• Hayner, Rutherford (1925). Troy and Rensselaer County New York: A History. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc. OCLC 22524006. 
• Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett (1880). History of Rensselaer Co., New York with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck. OCLC 3496287. 
• Weise, Arthur James (1880). History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County from the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time. Troy, New York: J. M. Francis & Tucker. OCLC 6637788. http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924064123015#page/n5/mode/2up. 

External links

• Town of Hoosick and Village of Hoosick Falls
• Early history of Hoosick, NY