Halcott, New York
Encyclopedia
Halcott is a town
in Greene County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 258 at the 2010 census.
The Town of Halcott is located in the southwestern corner of the county.
.
In 1900, the town population was 272.
, the town has a total area of 23 square miles (59.6 km²), all of it land.
Halcott is in the Catskill Mountains
. The west and south town lines are the border of Delaware County
. The northern and eastern borders are the range of mountains from Bearpen Mountain to Halcott Mountain
, beyond which lies the neighboring Town of Lexington
. The town is basically the valley of Vly Creek, and ringed by mountains on three sides. Most access to the town is from the south, via the Delaware County village
of Fleischmanns
.
The pass between Bearpen and neighboring Vly Mountain is traversed by Halcott Mountain Road, an unimproved county highway which reaches 2,800 ft (853.4 m) at the col
, making it the highest elevation free public through road in New York State. It is also the only route between Halcott and the rest of Greene County. Like Hardenburgh
in neighboring Ulster, to reach the rest of the county via a paved road one must leave and go through a portion of either Ulster or Delaware counties.
This geographic isolation also means that Halcott is the only place in Greene County whose telephones are in the 845 area code
.
, there were 193 people, 84 households and 54 families residing in the town. The population density
was 8.4 per square mile (3.2/km²). There were 288 housing units at an average density of 12.5 per square mile (4.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.45% White, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 84 households of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples
living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.70.
Age distribution was 18.7% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.3 males.
The median household income
was $31,094, and the median family income was $40,000. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $21,627. About 14.5% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.4% of those sixty five or over.
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 Greene County
Greene County, New York
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 258 at the 2010 census.
The Town of Halcott is located in the southwestern corner of the county.
History
The first recorded settlers, the Valkenburg family, arrived around 1813, although some non-permanent settlers had attempted to live in the area about 1790. The town was established in 1851 from the Town of LexingtonLexington, New York
Lexington is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 805 at the 2010 census.The Town of Lexington is in the southwest part of Greene County.- History :The town was first settled around 1788....
.
In 1900, the town population was 272.
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 23 square miles (59.6 km²), all of it land.
Halcott is in the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
. The west and south town lines are the border of Delaware County
Delaware County, New York
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
. The northern and eastern borders are the range of mountains from Bearpen Mountain to Halcott Mountain
Halcott Mountain
Halcott Mountain is one of the Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. It is mostly located in Greene County, with some of its lower slopes in Delaware and Ulster counties. Its exact summit elevation has not been officially determined, but the highest contour line on the mountain is...
, beyond which lies the neighboring Town of Lexington
Lexington, New York
Lexington is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 805 at the 2010 census.The Town of Lexington is in the southwest part of Greene County.- History :The town was first settled around 1788....
. The town is basically the valley of Vly Creek, and ringed by mountains on three sides. Most access to the town is from the south, via the Delaware County village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Fleischmanns
Fleischmanns, New York
Fleischmanns is a village in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 351 at the 2000 census. Fleischmanns is in the town of Middletown.- History :Early settlers of this area came from Germany, England, Holland and Ireland...
.
The pass between Bearpen and neighboring Vly Mountain is traversed by Halcott Mountain Road, an unimproved county highway which reaches 2,800 ft (853.4 m) at the col
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
, making it the highest elevation free public through road in New York State. It is also the only route between Halcott and the rest of Greene County. Like Hardenburgh
Hardenburgh, New York
Hardenburgh is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 208 at the 2000 census.The Town of Hardenburgh is located in the western part of Ulster County. The town is inside the Catskill Park.- History :...
in neighboring Ulster, to reach the rest of the county via a paved road one must leave and go through a portion of either Ulster or Delaware counties.
This geographic isolation also means that Halcott is the only place in Greene County whose telephones are in the 845 area code
Area code 845
Area code 845 is a telephone area code which serves the Hudson Valley counties of Rockland, Putnam, Orange, most of Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan, plus parts of Delaware, Greene, and Columbia counties...
.
Demographics
At the 2000 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...
, there were 193 people, 84 households and 54 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 8.4 per square mile (3.2/km²). There were 288 housing units at an average density of 12.5 per square mile (4.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.45% White, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 84 households of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% 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, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.70.
Age distribution was 18.7% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.3 males.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
was $31,094, and the median family income was $40,000. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,417 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 $21,627. About 14.5% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.4% of those sixty five or over.
Communities and locations in Halcott
- Halcott Center – A 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...
near the south town line, in Greene County. This is the only named community in the town, and how most mail is addressed. The town's post office was located in this area until 1985, when its 12437 ZIP codeZIP CodeZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
was retired and mail service was merged with the 12430 post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
in neighboring FleischmannsFleischmanns, New YorkFleischmanns is a village in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 351 at the 2000 census. Fleischmanns is in the town of Middletown.- History :Early settlers of this area came from Germany, England, Holland and Ireland...
located in Delaware CountyDelaware County, New YorkDelaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
. The hamlet of Halcottsville is to the west, also in Delaware County. - Halcott MountainHalcott MountainHalcott Mountain is one of the Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. It is mostly located in Greene County, with some of its lower slopes in Delaware and Ulster counties. Its exact summit elevation has not been officially determined, but the highest contour line on the mountain is...
– A mountainMountainImage:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
east of the town in the Catskill Park. It is one of the Catskill High PeaksCatskill High PeaksThe Catskill High Peaks are all of the mountains in New York's Catskill Mountains above 3,500 ft in elevation whose summits are separated either by one-half mile or a vertical drop of at least 250 ft between it and the next nearest separate summit...
. The summit and much of the mountain are actually in Lexington. - Vly Creek – A stream that flows southward past Halcott Center. The town is its basin.
- Vly Mountain – A mountain along the northeast town line, also one of the Catskill High Peaks.
- Bearpen Mountain – Another of the Catskill High Peaks, with a summit of 3600'.