| Beekman, New York | |||
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Beekman, New York
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | New York | ||
| County | Dutchess | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Town Council | ||
| • Town Supervisor | Daniel J. French (D) | ||
| • Town Council |
Members' List
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 30.3 sq mi (78.4 km2) | ||
| • Land | 30.0 sq mi (77.7 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 430 ft (131 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| • Total | 11,452 | ||
| • Density | 381.7/sq mi (147.4/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Zip Code | 12570 | ||
| Area code(s) | 845 | ||
| FIPS code | 36-05452 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0978718 | ||
| Website | www.townofbeekman.com | ||
Beekman is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The population was 11,452 at the 2000 census. The name is from Henry Beekman, an early land owner.
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The "Beekman" name became attached to the area in 1697, from Henry Beekman, a Kingston native, who had numerous land stakes in Dutchess County. The town had also been occupied by the Wappinger Indians, before the first European settlers arrived around 1710. The Beekman Patent, granted to Beekman in 1697, was the second largest land holding in Dutchess County.[1] In 1737, Beekman became an official Precinct and local government was erected. 1788 was the initial period of establishing towns and counties in the newly independent state of New York, but parts were removed subsequently to form other towns. Beekman contributed part of its territory to the newer Towns of La Grange (1821) and Union Vale (1827). Iron ore extraction and smelting were important in the early economy.
Beekman saw its first place of worship shortly thereafter, a Lutheran Church located off Beach Rd, was frequented by German emigrants. The Quaker family, well known in the area for being one of the initial settlers, created a meeting house in 1771 in Gardner Hollow, named the Apoquague Preparative Meeting. The church attracted most of the population at the time, and those who did not worship there frequented St. Denis Church, a Catholic Church, just beyond the East Fishkill border.
Beekman began its "boom" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as the communities of Sylvan Lake, Beekmanville and Clove Valley were in the active mining business. Many townsfolk that settled in town during this time were Irish men, escaping the Potato Famine and sent their families to Beekman as well, which was the beginning of diversity in Beekman. However, the mining industry died out in the late 19th century, with very few remains today. The most notable one, the "Beekman Furnace" is still intact on Furnace Road, just off of Clove Valley Road.
After the demise of the mining business in the late 19th century, Beekman saw another boom in the 20th century, with housing developments such as Dalton Farms, the first gas stations, and construction of the first supermarket in town, Shoprite(now Stop & Shop), signalling a big boom.
Today Beekman has a total population of 14,000, being one of the fastest growing towns in the entire country, very few farms are remaining as commerce and industry increasingly shape the non residential areas of the town.
Beekman is located in the southeasten end of Dutchess County, about 60 minutes north of New York City. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.3 square miles (78 km2), of which, 30.0 square miles (78 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (0.86%) is water.
Since 1907 Beekman has operated under a Council-Manager form of government. The Town Supervisor is the chief administrative officer of the city selected to carry out the directives of the Council. The Manager monitors the city's fiscal condition and enforces its ordinances and laws. The Town Supervisor is also involved in the discussion of all matters coming before Council yet has no final vote. The Town Board is the legislative body consisting of the Town Supervisor and four council members. The Town Supervisor serves as the presiding officer of the Council. The Council functions to set policy, approve the annual budget, appoint the Town Supervisor and Town Clerk, and enact local laws, resolutions & ordinances.
The Beekman Fire District is the fire department that covers the Town Of Beekman. By keeping buildings up to code, controlling illegal occupancies, monitoring the safety of living-areas and issuing licenses and permits, the department works to control the potential for dangerous situations. Operating out of their main station on Beekman-Poughquag Road, the fire district has all of their equipment in one place. The department is capable of handling fires, rescues, extrications, medical emergencies, hazardous material incidents and natural disasters. The BFD operates a varied fire apparatus fleet of Two engines, one ladder, two tankers, one rescue, one utility, one brush truck and a BLS Ambulance. ALS EMS calls are handled by TransCare whom are contracted to provide the town one ambulance to provide 24/7 ambulance service. In the event of numerous calls within a short amount of time, TransCare ambulances are pulled from neighboring town's Pawling and Union Vale. The BFD does have some of the better response times in Southeast Dutchess County as on most calls at least one apparatus responds within one minute.
Headquarters 316 Beekman-Poughquag Rd
Police protection to the Town of Beekman is provided by the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police. The DCSO have a substation located in the middle of town. When someone calls 911, the call is routed to the Dutchess 911 center in Poughkeepsie, New York and then police are polled for, and the closest unit responds. The MTA Police also cover the Depot Hill section of Beekman as the Metro-North Railroad Beacon Line passes through town with a grade crossing on Depot Hill Road.
Beekman has no medical facilities, but within a short distance from Beekman are three medical centers. Saint Francis Hospital SFH and Vassar Brothers Medical Center VBH are located in nearby Poughkeepsie, New York. Putnam Hospital Center PHC is located in Carmel, New York in Putnam County.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 11,452 people, 3,751 households, and 3,034 families residing in the town. The population density was 381.7 people per square mile (147.4/km²). There were 4,180 housing units at an average density of 139.3 per square mile (53.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.24% White, 2.42% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.38% of the population.
There were 3,751 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.41.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $65,610, and the median income for a family was $72,066. Males had a median income of $51,739 versus $32,119 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,437. About 3.6% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Although Beekman has no major highways, it does have 2 major thoroughfares. Route 55 crosses from the Pawling town line to the Union Vale town line and is a direct route into the City Of Poughkeepsie. Route 216 goes from Route 55 into the town of East Fishkill where it meets up with Route 52.
Metro-North Railroad's Beacon Line runs through the south end of town along Greenhaven road and Depot Hill Road, this line is currently a non-revenue line with no station stops, however is used for equipment moves between Beacon, Southeast and Danbury.
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