Bethel, New York
Encyclopedia
Bethel is a town
in Sullivan County
, New York
, USA
. The population has been estimated at 4,532 in 2007.
The town received worldwide fame after it became the host of the 1969 Woodstock Festival
, which was originally planned for Wallkill, New York
, but was relocated to Bethel after Wallkill withdrew.
The Town of Bethel was established in 1809 from the Town of Lumberland
.
By the middle of the 19th century, a tourist industry began to grow. Bethel was home to numerous hotels that were part of the "Borscht Belt
" and numerous sleepaway camps for most of the 20th century, including Camp Ma-Ho-Ge, Camp Chipinaw, and Camp Ranger
– all on Silver Lake.
The Town of Bethel was brought to the world's attention in 1969 when nearly 500,000 people gathered at Max Yasgur
's Farm for "Three Days of Peace and Music". The documentary
made about Woodstock
released in 1970 showed interviews with numerous Bethel residents, including Art Vassmer, co-owner of Vassmers General Store in Kauneonga Lake. A movie called "Taking Woodstock
" was released in August 2009 based on the book of the same title by Elliot Tiber
, whose parents owned the nearby El Monaco Motel in White Lake and played a pivotal role in bringing the Woodstock nation to Bethel.
In 2006, Bethel Woods
opened on the original Woodstock site as a state-of-the-art performing arts venue. In early 2008, a multi-media Woodstock "interpretive" museum opened near the old Yasgur's Farm to complement the concert space, which hosted the New York Philharmonic
, Wynton Marsalis
, Diane Reeves, Chris Botti
, the Goo Goo Dolls
, the Boston Pops Orchestra
, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in its inaugural season. Highlights of the Center's 2007 season were performances by Lynyrd Skynyrd
/Marshall Tucker Band
, Bob Dylan
, Richie Havens
/Arlo Guthrie
, Earth, Wind & Fire
, and repeat performances of the New York Philharmonic
and the Boston Pops Orchestra
. 2008's season featured The New York Philharmonic
, the Boston Pops Orchestra
, Steely Dan
, the Allman Brothers, and sold-out performances by the Jonas Brothers
and the last concert of the season, featuring Heart
, Journey
, and Cheap Trick
. The 2009 season was headlined by Brad Paisley
and his band "The Drama Kings".
, the town has a total area of 90 square miles (233.1 km²), of which, 85.4 square miles (221.2 km²) of it is land and 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²) of it (5.13%) is water. One of the most attractive features of Bethel is its access to numerous lakes, all within a five minute drive of each other. They include White Lake, its northern portion known as Kauneonga Lake, Silver Lake, and Lake Superior, which is part of the state park with the same name.
The Town of Bethel, which is primarily rural in character, was part of the old Borscht Belt
Catskills resort area. Although some bungalow colonies continue to exist, catering to a largely Orthodox Jewish clientele during the summer, most of the old resorts which had their heyday from the 1930s to the early 1970s have long since closed.
of 2000, there were 4,362 people, 1,649 households, and 1,101 families residing in the town. The population density
was 51.1 people per square mile (19.7/km²). There were 3,641 housing units at an average density of 42.6 per square mile (16.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.35% Caucasian, 11.28% Latin American or Latino of any race, 4.61% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 2.80% from other races
, and 1.40% from two or more races.
There were 1,649 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples
living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 108.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,017, and the median income for a family was $37,321. Males had a median income of $35,025 versus $24,438 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $25,335. About 9.4% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
. In 2008, an interactive museum commemorating Woodstock and the Baby Boomer
generation opened at Bethel Woods.
On July 1, 2006, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened on the site of the original Woodstock Festival
and hosted the New York Philharmonic
. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young closed out the inaugural season in August 2006, bringing the foursome back to Bethel for the first time since August 1969. The summer 2007 concert lineup at Bethel Woods began on June 2007 with the bandsChicago and America. Other performers during the summer of 2007 included the New York Philharmonic, Bob Dylan
, Brad Paisley
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
with The Marshall Tucker Band
, Earth, Wind & Fire
, Arlo Guthrie
, Richie Havens
, and others.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Sullivan County
Sullivan County, New York
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,547. The county seat is Monticello. The name is in honor of Major General John Sullivan, who was a hero in the American Revolutionary War...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population has been estimated at 4,532 in 2007.
The town received worldwide fame after it became the host of the 1969 Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
, which was originally planned for Wallkill, New York
Wallkill, Orange County, New York
Wallkill is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 24,659 at the 2000 census.The Town of Wallkill is centrally located in the county. Interstate 84 crosses New York State Route 17 in the southern part of the town. U.S...
, but was relocated to Bethel after Wallkill withdrew.
History
The first settlers arrived around 1795 near the present communities of Bethel and White Lake.The Town of Bethel was established in 1809 from the Town of Lumberland
Lumberland, New York
Lumberland is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 1,939 at the 2000 census.The Town of Lumberland is in the southwest part of the county.- History :...
.
By the middle of the 19th century, a tourist industry began to grow. Bethel was home to numerous hotels that were part of the "Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
" and numerous sleepaway camps for most of the 20th century, including Camp Ma-Ho-Ge, Camp Chipinaw, and Camp Ranger
Camp Ranger
Camp Ranger was a summer sleepaway camp on Silver Lake in Bethel, New York in Sullivan County. . Prior to 1967 camp Hillel was camp Ge Wahna. The official Camp colors were Gray and Red...
– all on Silver Lake.
The Town of Bethel was brought to the world's attention in 1969 when nearly 500,000 people gathered at Max Yasgur
Max Yasgur
Max B. Yasgur was an American farmer, best known as the owner of the dairy farm in Bethel, New York at which the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held between August 15 and August 18, 1969....
's Farm for "Three Days of Peace and Music". The documentary
Woodstock (film)
Woodstock is a 1970 American documentary on the Woodstock Festival that took place in August 1969 at Bethel in New York. Entertainment Weekly called this film the benchmark of concert movies and one of the most entertaining documentaries ever made...
made about Woodstock
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
released in 1970 showed interviews with numerous Bethel residents, including Art Vassmer, co-owner of Vassmers General Store in Kauneonga Lake. A movie called "Taking Woodstock
Taking Woodstock
Taking Woodstock is a 2009 American comedy-drama film about the Woodstock Festival of 1969, directed by Ang Lee. The screenplay by James Schamus is based on the memoir Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte.The film premiered at the 2009 Cannes...
" was released in August 2009 based on the book of the same title by Elliot Tiber
Elliot Tiber
Elliot Tiber, born Elliot Teichberg in 1935, is an artist and screenwriter who has written a memoir about the Woodstock Festival, held in Bethel, New York in 1969....
, whose parents owned the nearby El Monaco Motel in White Lake and played a pivotal role in bringing the Woodstock nation to Bethel.
In 2006, Bethel Woods
Bethel Woods
The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit performing arts center and museum located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York which took place on a parcel of the original Max Yasgur's Dairy Farm....
opened on the original Woodstock site as a state-of-the-art performing arts venue. In early 2008, a multi-media Woodstock "interpretive" museum opened near the old Yasgur's Farm to complement the concert space, which hosted the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
, Diane Reeves, Chris Botti
Chris Botti
Christopher Stephen "Chris" Botti , is an American trumpeter and composer. In 2007, Botti was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album. On December 4, 2009, he was nominated for three more Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album and Best Long Form Music Video...
, the Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
, the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in its inaugural season. Highlights of the Center's 2007 season were performances by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
/Marshall Tucker Band
Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
/Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
, and repeat performances of the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
and the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
. 2008's season featured The New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
, Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, the Allman Brothers, and sold-out performances by the Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
and the last concert of the season, featuring Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
, Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
, and Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
. The 2009 season was headlined by Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
and his band "The Drama Kings".
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 90 square miles (233.1 km²), of which, 85.4 square miles (221.2 km²) of it is land and 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²) of it (5.13%) is water. One of the most attractive features of Bethel is its access to numerous lakes, all within a five minute drive of each other. They include White Lake, its northern portion known as Kauneonga Lake, Silver Lake, and Lake Superior, which is part of the state park with the same name.
The Town of Bethel, which is primarily rural in character, was part of the old Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
Catskills resort area. Although some bungalow colonies continue to exist, catering to a largely Orthodox Jewish clientele during the summer, most of the old resorts which had their heyday from the 1930s to the early 1970s have long since closed.
Demographics
At the time of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,362 people, 1,649 households, and 1,101 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 51.1 people per square mile (19.7/km²). There were 3,641 housing units at an average density of 42.6 per square mile (16.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.35% Caucasian, 11.28% Latin American or Latino of any race, 4.61% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 2.80% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.40% from two or more races.
There were 1,649 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 108.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,017, and the median income for a family was $37,321. Males had a median income of $35,025 versus $24,438 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $25,335. About 9.4% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Bethel
- Bethel – The hamletHamlet (place)A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Bethel, located on Route 17B. - Black Lake – A community on Route 55, south of the lakeLakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, Black Lake. - Briscoe – A hamlet near the north town line on Route 144.
- Bushville – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town on Route 75.
- Hurd Settlement – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town.
- Kauneonga Lake – A hamlet at the junction of Routes 141 and 55. This community was formerly called North White Lake.
- Lake Superior State ParkLake Superior State ParkLake Superior State Park is a state park located on a small lake, Lake Superior, in the Town of Bethel in Sullivan County, New York. The park is operated by the Sullivan County Parks Department under license from the Palisades Interstate Park Commission....
– located on a small lake, named Lake Superior. - Mongaup Valley – A community northeast of Smallwood.
- SmallwoodSmallwood, New YorkSmallwood is a hamlet in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 566 at the 2000 census.Smallwood is in the southeast part of the Town of Bethel. It is a hamlet within the town of Bethel, originally founded as the vacation community "Mountain Lakes," but later renamed after...
– A hamlet, originally founded as the vacation community "Mountain Lakes," but later renamed after its founder A.N. Smallwood. - Sullivan County International (MSV) – The airport is northeast of Kauneonga Lake.
- White LakeWhite Lake, New YorkWhite Lake is an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Bethel, Sullivan County, New York on the southeast shore of a lake of the same name. It was the closest community to the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969....
– A hamlet on Route 17B that contains the Town Hall and is the largest community in the town.
Woodstock Festival
In 1998 a concert was given at the original site and this helped ignite the vision of philanthropist Alan Gerry and daughter Robyn to acquire the land and build what was to become Bethel Woods Center for the ArtsBethel Woods
The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit performing arts center and museum located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York which took place on a parcel of the original Max Yasgur's Dairy Farm....
. In 2008, an interactive museum commemorating Woodstock and the Baby Boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
generation opened at Bethel Woods.
On July 1, 2006, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened on the site of the original Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
and hosted the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young closed out the inaugural season in August 2006, bringing the foursome back to Bethel for the first time since August 1969. The summer 2007 concert lineup at Bethel Woods began on June 2007 with the bandsChicago and America. Other performers during the summer of 2007 included the New York Philharmonic, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
with The Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
, Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
, Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
, and others.