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West Point, New York

 
West Point, New York

 
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West Point, New York
 
 
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West Point is a federal military reservation (and a census-designated place
Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a type of Place identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as city, towns and villages....
) located North of the Village of Highland Falls
Highland Falls, New York

Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 3,678 at the 2000 census....
 in Orange County, New York
Orange County, New York

Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie , New York–Newburgh , New York–Middletown, Orange County, New York, NY Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York City–Newark, New Jersey–Bridgeport, Connecticut...
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York

Poughkeepsie is a city in New York, United States which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, located in the Hudson River midway between New York City and Albany, New York....
–Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York

Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, 60 miles north of City of New York, and south of Albany, New York, on the Hudson River....
–Middletown
Middletown, Orange County, New York

File:First Congregationalist Church of Middletown.jpgMiddletown is a city in Orange County, New York, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains....
, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area

The Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in New York's Hudson Valley, anchored by the cities of Poughkeepsie , New York, Arlington, New York, Newburgh , New York, and Middletown, Orange County, New York....
 as well as the larger New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
–Newark
Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest City in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey. Newark has a population of 281,402, making it not only List of Municipalities in New Jersey but also the 65th List of United States cities by population Newark is also home to major corporations, such as Prudential Financial....
–Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in and the former county seat of Fairfield County, Connecticut, the city had an estimated population of 137,912 in 2006 and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area....
, NY-NJ
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
-CT
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
-PA
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 Combined Statistical Area
New York metropolitan area

The New York metropolitan area or Tri-State Region is the most populous metropolitan area in the United States and is also List of metropolitan areas by population....
. The United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational United States Service academies located at West Point, New York, New York....
 is located at West Point and has often been called "The Point."
Point was a fortified site during the Revolutionary War.






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West Point Painting
West Point is a federal military reservation (and a census-designated place
Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a type of Place identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as city, towns and villages....
) located North of the Village of Highland Falls
Highland Falls, New York

Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 3,678 at the 2000 census....
 in Orange County, New York
Orange County, New York

Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie , New York–Newburgh , New York–Middletown, Orange County, New York, NY Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York City–Newark, New Jersey–Bridgeport, Connecticut...
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York

Poughkeepsie is a city in New York, United States which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, located in the Hudson River midway between New York City and Albany, New York....
–Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York

Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, 60 miles north of City of New York, and south of Albany, New York, on the Hudson River....
–Middletown
Middletown, Orange County, New York

File:First Congregationalist Church of Middletown.jpgMiddletown is a city in Orange County, New York, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains....
, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area

The Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in New York's Hudson Valley, anchored by the cities of Poughkeepsie , New York, Arlington, New York, Newburgh , New York, and Middletown, Orange County, New York....
 as well as the larger New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
–Newark
Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest City in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey. Newark has a population of 281,402, making it not only List of Municipalities in New Jersey but also the 65th List of United States cities by population Newark is also home to major corporations, such as Prudential Financial....
–Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in and the former county seat of Fairfield County, Connecticut, the city had an estimated population of 137,912 in 2006 and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area....
, NY-NJ
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
-CT
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
-PA
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 Combined Statistical Area
New York metropolitan area

The New York metropolitan area or Tri-State Region is the most populous metropolitan area in the United States and is also List of metropolitan areas by population....
. The United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational United States Service academies located at West Point, New York, New York....
 is located at West Point and has often been called "The Point."

History

West Point was a fortified site during the Revolutionary War. Originally picked due to the abnormal S-curve in the Hudson at this point, it was founded by one of the best military engineers of the time, Polish General Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Tadeusz Kosciuszko

Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kosciuszko of Roch III Coat of Arms was a Poland military leader who is regarded as a national hero in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and the United States....
. It was manned by a small garrison of Continental soldiers through the entirety of the war. Although plans dictated a great iron chain would be laid across the Hudson at this point in order to impede British Navy vessels, there are no documented instances of its success. The site consisted of multiple redoubts
Redoubt

A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on Earthworks s, though others are constructed of stone or brick....
, including Fort Putnam, which is still preserved in a Revolutionary-period design. In perhaps the most infamous act of treason in American history, General Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold V was a General officer during the American Revolutionary War who originally fought for the American Continental Army, but switched sides to the British Empire....
 attempted to turn the site over to the British Army in 1780 for a bribe
Bribery

Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the Offer and acceptance, Gift, Offer and acceptance, or Solicitation of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other pers...
 consisting of a commission as a Brigadier General in the British Army and a cash reward of £
Pound sterling

----The pound sterling , subdivided into 100 pence , is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependency and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory....
20,000 (about $1.3M in 2009 dollars). However, Arnold's plot failed when British Major John André
John André

Major John Andr? was a United Kingdom army officer hanged as a secret agent during the American Revolutionary War. This was due to an incident in which he assisted Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York, to the British Army....
 was captured as a spy by the Americans. Arnold received a decreased cash reward of 6,000 pounds ($349,999).

In 1937, the West Point Bullion Depository was constructed; in 1988 it became the West Point Mint
West Point Mint

The West Point Mint Facility was erected in 1937, near the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Originally the West Point Bullion Depository, it gained official status as a branch mint of the United States Mint on March 31, 1988....
, as a branch of the United States Mint
United States Mint

The United States Mint primarily produces circulating currency for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The main Mint facility is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and branch mint are located in Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California; and West Point, New York....
.

Geography

West Point is located at (41.370933, -74.042851). According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 CDP has a total area of 25.1 square miles (64.9 km²); 24.3 square miles (63.0 km²) land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) water. West Point and the contiguous village of Highland Falls, New York
Highland Falls, New York

Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 3,678 at the 2000 census....
, are on the west bank of the Hudson River
Hudson River

The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk , the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York....
.

Demographics

As of the census
Census

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....
 of 2000, there were 7,138 people, 996 households, and 939 families residing in the CDP. 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 293.4 per square mile (113.3/km²). There were 1,044 housing units at an average density of 42.9/sq mi (16.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.31% White, 9.09% African American, 0.50% Native American, 3.35% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 1.64% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, and 2.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.56% of the population.

There were 996 households out of which 75.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 87.8% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.7% were non-families. 5.4% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.53 and the average family size was 3.66.

The age distribution is 21.9% under the age of 18, 51.2% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 3.8% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 207.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 259.7 males. All of these statistics are typical for military bases.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $56,516, and the median income for a family was $56,364. About 2.0% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

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