Patterson, New York
Encyclopedia
Patterson is a town in Putnam County
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...

, 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 town is in the northeast part of the county. Interstate 84
Interstate 84 (east)
Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway extending from Dunmore, Pennsylvania at an interchange with Interstate 81 to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, at an interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike . I-84 has mile-log junction numbering in Pennsylvania; otherwise, exit numbers are roughly sequential...

 passes through the southwest part of the town. The population was 11,306 at the 2000 census. The town is named after early farmer Matthew Paterson. The reason Patterson was spelled with two "t"s was due to the looseness in which Paterson spelled his own last name.

History

The town was first settled around 1720 in the "Oblong," which was a disputed area in southeastern New York also claimed by the colony of Connecticut. The Oblong was a strip of land approximately 2.9 km wide between Dutchess County New York and Connecticut, ceded to New York in the 1731 Treaty of Dover. Between 1720 and 1776 a large number of mostly Connecticut families settled in the southern Oblong who could not settle west of it because that land was privately owned by the Phillipse Family, who owned virtually all of the rest of the future Putnam County. The first such settlers were the Hayt family, who built a house at The Elm in 1720. Another early settler was Jacob Haviland, who settled Haviland Hollow in 1731. The first village in Putnam County, the hamlet of Patterson, was originally called Frederickstown, which lent its name to the eastern part of the future Putnam County other than the oblong, which was called Southeast Precinct (not the same as the current town of Southeast). In 1788, when a portion of the Oblong was chartered as the Town of Southeast
Southeast, New York
Southeast is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 17,316 at the 2000 census. The town is in the southeast part of the county. Interstate 84, Interstate 684, US Route 202, and US Route 6 pass through the town.- History :...

, the remainder of the region was chartered as the Town of Fredericktown. In 1795, Fredericktown township was split up into three parts: the Town of Carmel, the Town of Franklin which was renamed the Town of Patterson in 1808, and the remnant of the town, which was the Town of Frederick
Kent, New York
Kent is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 14,009 at the 2000 census. The name is that of an early settler family. The town is the north-central part of the Putnam County. Many of the lakes are reservoirs for New York City....

 for a while, but was renamed the Town of Kent in 1817. Also in 1795, the Town of Southeast took on its current shape by losing its northern half to Franklin (Patterson) and expanded on its west.

People

  • Pete Seeger
    Pete Seeger
    Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...

     - musician
  • Jed Taylor
    Jed Taylor
    Jed Taylor is an American Radio Announcer, radio and music producer and host of the "Our 70's Radio Show" on Sunday nights 8pm est on 100.7FM WHUD http://www.whud.com/-Early years:...

     - Radio Announcer, Music Producer

Geography

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 town has a total area of 32.9 square miles (85.2 km²), of which, 32.3 square miles (83.7 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (1.95%) is water.

The north town line is the border of Dutchess County
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...

, 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...

, and the east town line is the border of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

.

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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 11,306 people, 3,529 households, and 2,678 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 350.4 people per square mile (135.3/km²). There were 3,746 housing units at an average density of 116.1 per square mile (44.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.28% White, 3.56% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.95% 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 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.01% of the population.

There were 3,529 households out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 106.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $66,250, and the median income for a family was $75,746. Males had a median income of $50,161 versus $37,975 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 $26,103. About 3.7% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Two main thoroughfares run through Patterson, NY State Route 22 & State Route 311. State Route 22 runs through every town on the East side of Putnam County, and runs directly through the Business District of Patterson. I-84
Interstate 84 in New York
Interstate 84 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Dunmore, Pennsylvania, to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, in the Eastern United States. In New York, I-84 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Port Jervis to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster...

 passes in the southwest and houses Exit 18 for Route 311. Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...

 has rail commuter rail service to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 via the Harlem Line, with the Patterson
Patterson (Metro-North station)
Patterson is a Metro-North Railroad station that serves the residents of Patterson, New York via the Harlem Line. Trains leave for New York City every two hours, and about every 30 minutes during rush hour...

 train station in the town center.

Communities and locations in Patterson

  • Barnum Corners – A hamlet west of Putnam Lake.
  • Camp Brady – A location in the western part of the town.
  • Cascade Farm and Farm School Inc. – A small Community Supported Agricultural farm on Harmony Road off Rte. 292 in Patterson.
  • Fields Corners – A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
  • Haines Corners – A hamlet southwest of Haviland Hollow.
  • Haviland Hollow – A hamlet northwest of Putnam Lake.
  • Patterson – A hamlet in the north part of the town.
  • Putnam Lake
    Putnam Lake, New York
    Putnam Lake is a hamlet and census-designated place located in the eastern part of the Town of Patterson in Putnam County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 3,855. Putnam Lake is adjacent to the Connecticut border, which is crossed by a number of local streets...

     – A hamlet west of the lake
    Lake
    A 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,...

     named Putnam Lake, which is in the eastern part of the town by the Connecticut border.
  • Steinbeck Corners – A hamlet in the southern part of the town.
  • Thunder Ridge – A ski area located north of Putnam Lake.
  • West Patterson – A hamlet west of Patterson hamlet.
  • Haviland Hollow Farm – A polo
    Polo
    Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...

     and equestrian
    Equestrianism
    Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

     facility, built on historic Colonial River Farm located on East Branch Road in Patterson.
  • Watchtower Educational Center, a religious school, office, and residence complex operated by Jehovah's Witnesses
    Jehovah's Witnesses
    Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...

    ’ Watchtower Society; the facility draws thousands of domestic and international visitors each year to its free guided tours and by-invitation educational programs.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK