Shawangunk, New York

Shawangunk
Town
Location in Ulster County and the state of New York.
Coordinates: 41°36′59″N 74°13′59″W / 41.61639°N 74.23306°W / 41.61639; -74.23306Coordinates: 41°36′59″N 74°13′59″W / 41.61639°N 74.23306°W / 41.61639; -74.23306
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Ulster
Government
• Supervisor	John Valk Jr.^[1]
Area^[2]
• Total	56.55 sq mi (146.46 km²)
• Land	56.06 sq mi (145.18 km²)
• Water	0.49 sq mi (1.28 km²)
Elevation	335 ft (102 m)
Population (2010)^[3]
• Total	14,332
• Estimate (2016)^[4]	14,063
• Density	250.87/sq mi (96.86/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
FIPS code	36-66674
GNIS feature ID	0979486

Town hall, in Wallkill.

Shawangunk is a town in southwestern Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 14,332 at the 2010 census.^[3] Like the neighboring mountain range, for which it is named, it is pronounced either as the Munsee Lenape, Shawangunk /ˈʃɑːwəŋɡʌŋk/, or as the colonial Shongum /ˈʃɑːn.ɡʌm/ SHAHN-gum by local residents. (See Shawangunk Ridge.)

History

Shawangunk was first settled by Europeans around 1670. The region was organized as a precinct in 1743, and became the Town of Shawangunk in 1788. The town's name comes from the Dutch translation of the Munsee Lenape. The Lenape pronunciation for the town was "Scha-WAN-gunk." In Lenape, "Schawan," means "it is smokey air." This was given as referring to the nearby Catskill Mountains which were known as the "Hidden Mountains." The mountain ridge that runs from southwest to northeast creates a heavy humidified atmosphere that would make the Lenape believe the area had smokey air. A Lenape linguist, Raymond Whritenour suggests that the name comes from the burning of a Munsee fort by the Dutch in the year 1663. This fort was nearby a creek later known as the Shawangunk Kill and also what is now known as Old Fort Road. The burning of the fort signaled the end of the Second Esopus War and helped spread the name to the nearby ridge by the early 1700s. Present day citizens of Shawangunk refer to themselves as living in Wallkill, Pine Bush, or other hamlets depending on which part they live in. This has been in part due to the large size and growing population of the town.^[5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.5 square miles (146 km²), of which, 56.2 square miles (146 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.

The south town line and half of the east town line is the border of Orange County, New York.

The Wallkill River flows through the eastern half of town and lends it its name, which it flows through, while the western (Walker Valley) half climbs the slopes of the eponymous mountains.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	2,128		—
1820	3,372		—
1830	3,681		9.2%
1840	3,886		5.6%
1850	4,036		3.9%
1860	2,870		−28.9%
1870	2,823		−1.6%
1880	2,910		3.1%
1890	2,456		−15.6%
1900	2,406		−2.0%
1910	2,548		5.9%
1920	2,087		−18.1%
1930	2,127		1.9%
1940	3,117		46.5%
1950	3,561		14.2%
1960	4,604		29.3%
1970	5,749		24.9%
1980	8,186		42.4%
1990	10,081		23.1%
2000	12,022		19.3%
2010	14,332		19.2%
Est. 2016	14,063	^[4]	−1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6]

As of 2009, there were 12,652 people, 4,333 households, and 2,557 families residing in the town. The population density was 225 people per square mile . There were 3,754 housing units at an average density of 66.8 per square mile (25.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 83% White, 7.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.86% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.96% of the population.^[7]

There were 3,433 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the town, the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 134.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 144.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,366, and the median income for a family was $59,975. Males had a median income of $40,967 versus $29,608 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,402. About 4.4% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Housing stats

Total:4,333
Occupied:3,877
Owner Occupied:3,092
Population in Owner Occupied:8,890
Renter Occupied:795
Population in Renter Occupied:1,917
Households with Individuals under 18:1,465
Vacant:446
Vacant for rent:87
Vacant for sale:66^[8]

Geology

Something the Shawangunk town and mountain ridge have long been known for is their geology. Rising 2,000 feet above the town are the Shawangunk Mountains primarily consisting of quartz.^[9] The mountains were created over 10,000 years ago during the last ice age when retreating glacial ice carved out the Shawangunk Mountains and the surrounding Catskills.^[10] To this day the beautiful quartz landscapes can be seen from miles away drawing tourists and climbing enthusiasts from all over the world.^[11] The mountainous area is also known for its water bodies of high acidity. Three of the "Sky Lakes," in Minnewaska State Park Presereve are so acidic they cannot support any wildlife.^[12] The high acidity is caused by the high quartz makeup of the soil which aids in the runoff of acidic rains.^[13] The high acidity in the water does lead to an abundance of rare plant species that normally do not grow in Northeastern New York. Clusters of Quercus illcifolia and Pinus rigida can be found throughout the region.^[14]

Communities and locations in Shawangunk

Ellenville – Also Part of the Town of Wawarsing
Awosting – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town.
Bruynswick – A hamlet near the north town line on County Route 7.
Crawford – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town, south of Awosting.
Dwaarkill – A hamlet north of Red Mills, located on County Route 7.
Galeville – A former hamlet in the eastern part of the town, north of Wallkill. Galeville is on the west bank of the Wallkill River. Once home to Galeville Army Air Base, now Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge.
New Hurley – A former hamlet on Route 208.
Pine Bush – A hamlet in Orange County; the ZIP Code extends into much of western Shawangunk.
Red Mills – A hamlet at the south town line and north of Pine Bush.
Rutsonville
Shawangunk Kill – A small stream in the town.
Ulsterville – A hamlet west of Pine Bush, located on Route
Watchtower – A census-designated-place (CDP) that is entirely made up of the residents of Watchtower Farms, a printing facility that draws tens of thousands of visitors every year.^[15] It is owned and operated by the Watchtower Society (a legal entity of Jehovah's Witnesses) and has been in operation since 1963.^[16]
Walker Valley – A hamlet in the southwest part of the town on Route 52. Walker Valley is west of Pine Bush.
Wallkill – A hamlet at the east town line.
Shawangunk Correctional Facility – A New York State prison, north of Wallkill.
Wallkill Correctional Facility – A state prison north of Wallkill.

References

↑ Town of Shawangunk, (n.d.). Shawangunk town officials . Retrieved from website: http://www.shawangunk.org/officials-departments.html
↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 5, 2017.
1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
↑ Town of Shawangunk, (n.d.). About shawangunk . Retrieved from website: http://www.shawangunk.org/about-shawangunk.html
↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ Onboard Informatics. (n.d.). Shawangunk, new york. Retrieved from Citydata.org
↑ Town of Shawangunk, (n.d.). Housing statistics and demographics. Retrieved from website: http://www.shawangunk.org/about-shawangunk.html
↑ Bernet, M. (2007). Diagenesis and provenance of silurian quartz arenites in south-eastern new york state. Sedimentary Geology, 201(1-2), 43-65.
↑ DiPietro, J. A. (2013). Chapter 23 – the appalachian orogenic belt: An example of compressional mountain building. Landscape Evolution in the United States, 375-408.
↑ Olson, R. (2006, February 18). The gunks. Retrieved from http://www.mountainproject.com/v/the-gunks/105798167
↑ OPRHP. Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, (2010). Minnewaska state park preserve master plan: Executive summary. Albany : OPRHP.
↑ Kirby, C. S. (2008). Groundtruthing and potential for predicting acid deposition impacts in headwater streams using bedrock geology, gis, angling, and stream chemistry. Science of The Total Environment, 393(2-3), 249-261.
↑ Latham, R. E. (2003). Shrubland longevity and rare plant species in the northeastern united state. Forest Ecology and Management, 185(1-2), 21-39.
↑ http://www.mullermartini.com/Desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-274/28_read-1914/
At the request of Watchtower, Muller Martini has designed a very "tour-friendly" layout of the machinery for efficient "visitor management". Every year, the plant, which is based in Wallkill, about two hours from New York, welcomes 50,000 visitors.
↑ The Watchtower, September 15, 1983, page 27

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shawangunk, New York.

Municipalities and communities of Ulster County, New York, United States
County seat: Kingston
City	Kingston
Towns	Denning Esopus Gardiner Hardenburgh Hurley Kingston Lloyd Marbletown Marlborough New Paltz Olive Plattekill Rochester Rosendale Saugerties Shandaken Shawangunk Ulster Wawarsing Woodstock
Villages	Ellenville New Paltz Saugerties
CDPs	Accord Clintondale Cragsmoor East Kingston Gardiner Glasco High Falls Highland Hillside Hurley Kerhonkson Lake Katrine Lincoln Park Malden-on-Hudson Marlboro Milton Napanoch Phoenicia Pine Hill Plattekill Port Ewen Rifton Rosendale Hamlet Saugerties South Shokan Stone Ridge Tillson Walker Valley Wallkill Watchtower West Hurley Woodstock Zena
Other hamlets	Bearsville Big Indian Boiceville Brown's Station Centerville Chichester Cottekill Katsbaan Krumville Lew Beach‡ Modena Mt. Pleasant Mt. Tremper Olivebridge Oliverea Palentown Seager Shady Spring Glen Sundown Tabasco Veteran West Park West Saugerties West Shokan Willow
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Hudson River watershed
Tributaries	Batten Kill Black Meadow Creek Bowery Creek Breakneck Brook Canajoharie Creek Caroga Creek Casperkill Catskill Creek Cayadutta Creek Cedar River Claverack Creek Clove Brook Cobleskill Creek Coeymans Creek Coxsackie Creek Cross River Croton River East Branch Croton River East Branch Sacandaga River East Canada Creek Eightmile Creek Esopus Creek Fall Kill Fishkill Creek Fonteyn Kill Fulmer Creek Hannacrois Creek Honnedaga Brook Hoosic River Jackson Creek Jan De Bakkers Kill Kaaterskill Creek Kayaderosseras Kinderhook Creek Kisco River Lake Creek Little Shawangunk Kill Maritje Kill Miami River Mill Creek Mohawk River Moodna Creek Moordener Kill Moyer Creek Muddy Kill Neepaulakating Creek Normans Kill Nowadaga Creek Onesquethaw Creek Oriskany Creek Otsquago Creek Otter Kill Papakating Creek Peekskill Hollow Creek Pocantico River Pochuck Creek Poesten Kill Potic Creek Quassaick Creek Roeliff Jansen Kill Rondout Creek Sacandaga River Sauquoit Creek Saw Kill Saw Mill River Sawyer Kill Schoharie Creek Schroon River Shawangunk Kill Sparkill Creek Sprout Creek Steele Creek Stockport Creek Stony Clove Creek Taghkanic Creek Tenmile Creek Tin Brook Titicus River Verkeerder Kill Vloman Kill Wallkill River Walloomsac River Wappinger Creek Wawayanda Creek West Branch Papakating Creek West Branch Sacandaga River West Canada Creek Wynants Kill
Lakes	Alcove Reservoir Ashokan Reservoir Basic Creek Reservoir Beacon Reservoir Bog Brook Reservoir Cedar Lake Chadwick Lake Chub Lake Cross River Reservoir Croton Falls Reservoir Dyken Pond East Branch Reservoir East Caroga Lake Fall Lake Franklinton Vlaie Garnet Lake Glenmere Lake Great Sacandaga Lake Great Vlaie Henderson Lake Honnedaga Lake Indian Lake Lizard Pond Lake Maratanza Muscoot Reservoir Lake Neepaulin New Croton Reservoir Notch Lake Piseco Lake Lake Pleasant Queechy Lake Rondout Reservoir Sacandaga Lake Saratoga Lake Sturgeon Pool Surprise Lake Sylvan Lake Lake Tear of the Clouds Thompson Pond Titicus Reservoir Trout Lake West Caroga Lake Whaley Lake Winnisook Lake
Towns	Albany Alpine Amsterdam Bayonne Beacon Bedford Beekman Bennington Bethlehem Blooming Grove Carmel Catskill Cliffside Park Clifton Park Cohoes Colonie Cortlandt East Fishkill East Greenbush Edgewater Englewood Cliffs Fishkill Fort Lee Glenville Gloversville Greenburgh Guilderland Halfmoon Herkimer Hoboken Hyde Park Jersey City Kingston Kirkland LaGrange Lloyd Malta Middletown Milton Monroe Montgomery Moreau Mount Pleasant New Castle New Hartford New Paltz New Windsor New York City Newburgh Niskayuna North Adams North Bergen Ossining Peekskill Plattekill Poughkeepsie Queensbury Rome Rotterdam Saugerties Schenectady Shawangunk Somers Southeast Sparta Tenafly Troy Utica Vernon Wallkill Wappinger Warwick Weehawken West New York Whitestown Wilton Yonkers Yorktown
Landmarks	Adirondack Mountains Adirondack Park Ashokan Bridge Blenheim Bridge Buskirk Bridge Catskill Mountains Champlain Canal Cohoes Falls Copeland Bridge Delaware and Hudson Canal Eagleville Bridge East River Erie Canal George Washington Bridge Harlem River Helderberg Escarpment Hudson Highlands State Park Kaaterskill Clove Kaaterskill Falls Kill Van Kull Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge Mid-Hudson Bridge Newburgh–Beacon Bridge The Palisades Perrine's Bridge Plotter Kill Preserve Pollepel Island Popolopen Rexleigh Bridge Rip Van Winkle Bridge Salisbury Center Bridge Schoharie Bridge Shushan Bridge Sleepy Hollow Statue of Liberty Taconic Mountains Tappan Zee Bridge Verkeerderkill Falls Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Walkway over the Hudson Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge West Canada Lake Wilderness Area West Point

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