Princetown, New York

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Princetown, New York
Schenectady County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Princetown highlighted.svg
Location in Schenectady County and the state of New York.
Coordinates: 42°47′59″N74°4′38″W / 42.79972°N 74.07722°W / 42.79972; -74.07722
Country United States
State New York
County Schenectady
Government
  Type Town board
   Supervisor Louis Esposito (R)
Area
[1]
  Total
24.21 sq mi (62.71 km2)
  Land23.93 sq mi (61.97 km2)
  Water0.29 sq mi (0.74 km2)
Elevation
1,053 ft (321 m)
Population
 (2020) [2]
  Total
2,024
  Estimate 
(2016) [3]
2,105
  Density84/sq mi (32/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
12056
Area code 518
FIPS code 36-59861
GNIS feature ID0979399
Website www.princetown.net
Liddle House - the oldest extant house in Princetown, built c. 1790 Liddle House, State Route 7 Vicinity, Princetown, Schenectady County, NY HABS NY,47-PRINC,1-1.tif
Liddle House - the oldest extant house in Princetown, built c. 1790

Princetown is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 2,024 at the 2020 census. [4] [2] It is in the central part of the county, west of the town of Rotterdam.

Contents

History

Old store and post office, Kelly's Station Princetown, New York (444447615).jpg
Old store and post office, Kelly's Station

The town of Princetown was established in 1798 by the New York State Legislature, combining lands formerly known as Corry's Bush and land belonging to the Dutch Reformed Church in Schenectady. [5] It was named for John Prince, a New York State assemblyman from Albany County who lived in Schenectady proper at the time. [6] [7] Many of the early settlers of the town were from Scotland, [8] and for almost all of its history, the town has been rural with an economy based in agriculture. Today the town is mostly a mix of farming and exurban development with a little light industry.

In the past,[ when? ] the town had seven one-room schools. [9] The Princetown Academy and Female Seminary, established in 1853, was an educational institution sponsored by the local Presbyterian Church. Although it attracted a substantial student body—exceeding 400 students by 1854, including individuals from Cuba, Germany, and Scotland—it primarily served the surrounding region. The institution ceased operations in 1856 due to financial mismanagement. [10] The Academy was located in the former hamlet of Princetown (Center).

In the south end of the town was Cheeseman's Tavern (c. 1784) located in the hamlet of Gifford's (Corners). Its owner, Joshua Cheeseman, was for a few years, a regionally well-known shinplaster banker, producing a number of paper notes used across the region. [11]

In the north end of the town, on the border with Duanesburg, was the location of the estate of George William Featherstonaugh, which was the subject of several Thomas Cole paintings. Featherstonaugh was an English-American geographer and geologist also especially interested in the use of rail transportation to modernize farming.

Geography

The north town line is the border of Montgomery County, and the south town line is the border of Albany County. The town of Rotterdam is to the east, and the town of Duanesburg is to the west. The center of Princetown is 7 miles (11 km) west of downtown Schenectady.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.2 square miles (62.7 km2), of which 23.9 square miles (62.0 km2) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km2), or 1.18%, is water. [12]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1820 1,075
1830 819−23.8%
1840 1,20146.6%
1850 1,031−14.2%
1860 996−3.4%
1870 846−15.1%
1880 826−2.4%
1890 732−11.4%
1900 694−5.2%
1910 684−1.4%
1920 487−28.8%
1930 472−3.1%
1940 55317.2%
1950 77440.0%
1960 91217.8%
1970 1,40554.1%
1980 1,80428.4%
1990 2,03112.6%
2000 2,1325.0%
2010 2,115−0.8%
2020 2,024−4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [13]

In the 2000 census, [14] there were 2,132 people, 797 households, and 611 families residing in the town. The population density was 88.7 inhabitants per square mile (34.2/km2). There were 835 housing units at an average density of 34.7 per square mile (13.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.69% White, 0.19% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.

There were 797 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.05.

According to demographic data, the population of the town was distributed with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% between 18 and 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% aged 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. The gender ratio was 105.8 males for every 100 females, and among individuals aged 18 and over, there were 102.2 males for every 100 females.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,250, and the median income for a family was $63,077. Males had a median income of $45,750 versus $28,362 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,292. About 1.6% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Princetown

Notable people

References

  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. 1 2 US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Results, Princetown, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Princetown%20town,%20Schenectady%20County,%20New%20York
  3. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Princetown town, Schenectady County, New York". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  4. Mastrean, Irma (1990). Princetown, Portrait of a Town. Schenectady, NY: The Princetown Historical Society. p. 28.
  5. Mastrean, Irma (1990). Princetown, Portrait of a Town. Schenectady, NY: The Princetown Historical Society. p. 2.
  6. University of the State of New York Bulletin. University of the State of New York. 1914. p. 57.
  7. Mastrean, Robert (1990). Princetown, Portrait of a Town. Schenectady, NY: The Princetown Historical Society. p. 3.
  8. Mastrean, Irma (1990). Princetown, Portrait of a Town. Schenectady, NY: The Princetown Historical Society. p. 45.
  9. Mastrean, Irma (1990). Princetown, Portrait of a Town. Schenectady, NY: The Princetown Historical Society. p. 53.
  10. 1 2 Mastrean, Irma (1990). Princetown, Portrait of a Town. Schenectady, NY: The Princetown Historical Society. p. 33.
  11. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Princetown town, Schenectady County, New York". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  14. 1 2 Mastrean, Irma (1990). Princetown, Portrait of a Town. Schenectady, NY: The Princetown Historical Society. p. 31.
  15. Mastrean, Irma (1990). Princetown, Portrait of a Town. Schenectady, NY: The Princetown Historical Society. p. 100.
  16. 'Wisconsin Blue Book 1871,' Biographical Sketch of Nelson Fryer, pg. 378

42°46′44″N74°03′52″W / 42.77889°N 74.06444°W / 42.77889; -74.06444