Essex, New York

Essex, New York
Town

The Octagonal Schoolhouse in the hamlet of Boquet

Location in Essex County and the state of New York
Coordinates: 44°16′41″N 73°24′35″W / 44.27806°N 73.40972°W / 44.27806; -73.40972
Country United States
State New York
County Essex
Government
 • Type Town Council
 • Town Supervisor Edward J. Gardner
 • Town Council
Area[1]
 • Total 37.60 sq mi (97.38 km2)
 • Land 31.63 sq mi (81.92 km2)
 • Water 5.97 sq mi (15.46 km2)
Elevation 266 ft (81 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 671
 • Estimate (2016)[2] 642
 • Density 20.30/sq mi (7.84/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 12936
Area code(s) 518
FIPS code 36-031-24768
GNIS feature ID 0978946
Website www.essexnewyork.com

Essex is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 671 at the 2010 census.[3] The town is named after locations in England.

The town is on the eastern edge of the county. It is 17 miles (27 km) south-southwest of Burlington, Vermont, which is on the opposite shore of Lake Champlain, 32 miles (51 km) south of Plattsburgh, 94 miles (151 km) south of Montreal, Quebec, and 135 miles (217 km) north of Albany, New York.[4] Essex is inside the Adirondack Park.

History

View of a home in Essex circa 1875

Essex was part of a land grant made to Louis Joseph Robart by King Louis XV of France. The land grant was lost after the British took over the region after 1763.

The region was first settled around 1765 with the intention of forming a baronial estate like those of the lower Hudson River for landowner and investor, William Gilliland.

The town was formed from a part of the town of Willsboro in 1805. It was an important shipbuilding location and port, but that economy collapsed after 1849 with the beginning of railroad lines in the region.

The Essex Village Historic District, Foothills Baptist Church, and the Octagonal Schoolhouse are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.6 square miles (97.4 km2), of which 31.6 square miles (81.9 km2) is land and 6.0 square miles (15.5 km2), or 15.88%, is water.[3]

The eastern border of Essex is the Vermont state line in the middle of Lake Champlain.

New York State Route 22 is a north-south highway in Essex.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18201,223—
18301,54326.2%
18401,6818.9%
18502,35139.9%
18601,633−30.5%
18701,600−2.0%
18801,462−8.6%
18901,437−1.7%
19001,333−7.2%
19101,276−4.3%
19201,025−19.7%
19301,1168.9%
19401,002−10.2%
19501,0121.0%
1960880−13.0%
1970837−4.9%
19808805.1%
1990687−21.9%
20007133.8%
2010671−5.9%
Est. 2016642[2]−4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
The Foothills Baptist Church in Boquet

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 713 people, 302 households, and 202 families residing in the town. The population density was 22.5 people per square mile (8.7/km²). There were 522 housing units at an average density of 16.5 per square mile (6.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.72% White, 0.14% Native American, and 0.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.14% of the population.

There were 302 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the town, the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,596, and the median income for a family was $40,104. Males had a median income of $26,905 versus $19,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,087. About 10.8% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education and culture

Most of Essex is served by Willsboro Central School District, though the Westport Central School District is also used. Additionally, some travel across Lake Champlain to Vermont or drive north to Plattsburgh for private school.

For twenty years, the Essex Theatre Company, located near the ferry dock in the Masonic Lodge, has continuously produced stage plays and broadway musicals for summertime enjoyment - and also occasional winter entertainment programs.

The entire town is situated among quaint shops, cafes, and restaurants, including the newly renovated Essex Inn. Most notable for their placement on the National Register of Historic Places, the entire town is included on the Registry.

Periodically there are adult education programs, such as a history lecture series, at the Whallonsburgh Grange.[8][9]

Public transport

Air service transport is provided by Plattsburgh International Airport (30 miles to north), and Burlington International Airport (across the lake via the ferry in Essex, to Burlington, Vermont). Both are within easy driving distance. Burlington International Airport serves international customers, and Plattsburgh International Airport serves regional and national carriers.

Ferry service between Essex and Charlotte, Vermont, is provided by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company. This became a year-round route in 1998.[10]

This route is used by many residents for access to medical care, jobs, school, and shopping. While most years in the past decade the ferry service has run year-round, the ice-breaking ferries usually used on this route were redeployed to Crown Point to fill in for the Champlain Bridge which was demolished in 2009.[11][12][13][14][15]

The first ferry service in Essex began operation around 1790.[16][17]

Amtrak service is available in Westport, 10 miles (16 km) to the south.

Access to medical care

Essex is in a rural area in the Adirondack Park, so most of its access to medical care is via the ferry operated by Lake Champlain Transportation. The nearest emergency room is Elizabethtown Community Hospital, a 25-bed rural hospital with eighteen on its active medical staff,[18] which is a 17-mile (27 km) drive. Further away, accessible via 20-minute ferry and a significant drive, is the emergency room of Fletcher Allen Hospital,[19] a large, full-service hospital affiliated with the University of Vermont. An important fully staffed hospital and full-service emergency room is at CVPH Medical Center, in Plattsburgh, approximately 35 miles (56 km) to the north.[20]

Communities and locations in Essex

Notable people

Some notable Essex residents, past and present, include:

References

  1. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 4, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Essex town, Essex County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  4. ↑ Google Maps
  5. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  6. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  8. ↑ Whallonsburgh Grange Lyceum Series.
  9. ↑ North Country Public Radio UpNorth Forum
  10. ↑ Tom Gresham, "The Job That Comes and Goes: In the pilothouse with Lake Champlain's ferry captains". Adirondack Life, July/August 2007.
  11. ↑ Brian Mann, "Critics say ferry closure would cause 'ordeal' in Champlain Valley", North Country Public Radio, November 11, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Essex Neighbors Fear Ice Will Close Ferry: Commuters Say Ferry Service Needs a Solution", WPTX, October 22, 2010.
  13. ↑ Matt Sudkoski, "Winter ferry closures worry Essex, N.Y.-Charlotte riders". Burlington Free Press, October 25, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Commuters fight for year-round ferry", WCAX, November 10, 2010.
  15. ↑ Lohr MckInstry, "Essex-Charlotte ferry reopens". Plattsburgh Press-Republican, March 22, 2010.
  16. ↑ Jan Peden, History of Essex, New York: An Introductory Sketch. Historic Essex (Essex Community Heritage Organization).
  17. ↑ David C. Hislop, Jr., Essex on Lake Champlain, p. 34.
  18. ↑ Medical Staff & Specialty Physicians, Elizabethtown Community Hospital.
  19. ↑ Directions from Essex, NY to 111 Colchester Avenue, Burlington, VT, Google Maps.
  20. ↑ Google Maps.
  21. ↑ Children’s author Kellogg visits Norwood students, NorthJersey.com, June 18, 2010.

Coordinates: 44°18′36″N 73°21′09″W / 44.31000°N 73.35250°W / 44.31000; -73.35250

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