Roxbury, New York
Encyclopedia
Roxbury is a town
in Delaware County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 2,509 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Roxbury is at the eastern end of the county.
John Burroughs
. A memorial site has been placed by his birthplace. Jay Gould
, the Railroad financier, was also born in the town. The Main Street Historic District
includes the Jay Gould Memorial Church and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1988. Other sites on the National Register of Historic Places include the First Old School Baptist Church of Roxbury and Vega Cemetery
, Isaac Hardenbergh House
, Second Old School Baptist Church of Roxbury
, Walter Stratton House
, and Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot and Mill Complex
. Author Walter R. Brooks
was a resident. He began visiting Roxbury in 1937 and he and his wife Anne moved to a home on Main Street in 1948, where he lived until his death in 1958. He wrote a number of books while in Roxbury, including many titles in the popular "Freddy the Pig" series.
and Schoharie County
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 87.6 square miles (226.9 km²), of which, 87.2 square miles (225.8 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (0.52%) is water.
The East Branch
of the Delaware River
has its source in a pond behind a tire shop just south of Grand Gorge.
of 2000, there were 2,509 people, 1,078 households, and 719 families residing in the town. The population density
was 28.8 people per square mile (11.1/km²). There were 2,026 housing units at an average density of 23.2 per square mile (9.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.33% White, 0.44% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races
, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.
There were 1,078 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples
living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,214, and the median income for a family was $40,721. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $28,958 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,177. About 11.4% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 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 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...
, 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 2,509 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Roxbury is at the eastern end of the county.
History
The town was the birthplace and the home of naturalistNatural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
John Burroughs
John Burroughs
John Burroughs was an American naturalist and essayist important in the evolution of the U.S. conservation movement. According to biographers at the American Memory project at the Library of Congress,...
. A memorial site has been placed by his birthplace. Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
, the Railroad financier, was also born in the town. The Main Street Historic District
Main Street Historic District (Roxbury, New York)
Main Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Roxbury in Delaware County, New York. The district contains 86 contributing buildings, three contributing sites, three contributing structures, and one contributing object...
includes the Jay Gould Memorial Church and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988. Other sites on the National Register of Historic Places include the First Old School Baptist Church of Roxbury and Vega Cemetery
First Old School Baptist Church of Roxbury and Vega Cemetery
First Old School Baptist Church of Roxbury and Vega Cemetery is a historic Baptist church and cemetery located at Roxbury in Delaware County, New York. The church was built in 1856 and is a rectangular, front gabled frame building in the meeting house form....
, Isaac Hardenbergh House
Isaac Hardenbergh House
Isaac Hardenbergh House, also known as The Hardenbergh Manor, is a historic home located at Roxbury in Delaware County, New York, United States. It was built about 1790 and consists of a 2-story, five-bay center-entrance stone structure with a smaller -story frame addition built about 1820...
, Second Old School Baptist Church of Roxbury
Second Old School Baptist Church of Roxbury
Second Old School Baptist Church of Roxbury is a historic Baptist church building on City Rd. 41 in Roxbury, Delaware County, New York. It is a 2-story, three-by-four-bay wood-frame building constructed in 1832–1833. The interior features a traditional meeting house plan...
, Walter Stratton House
Walter Stratton House
Walter Stratton House is a historic home located at Roxbury in Delaware County, New York, United States. It was built in 1828 and is a small -story building on a deep fieldstone basement with a gable roof. It has a 1-story recessed frame wing. Also on the property is a 1-story frame garage...
, and Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot and Mill Complex
Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot and Mill Complex
Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot and Mill Complex is a historic railroad depot and national historic district located at Roxbury in Delaware County, New York. The district contains five contributing buildings and one contributing structure...
. Author Walter R. Brooks
Walter R. Brooks
Walter Rollin Brooks was an American writer best remembered for his short stories and children's books, particularly those about Freddy the Pig and other anthropomorphic animal inhabitants of the "Bean farm" in upstate New York.Born in Rome, New York, Brooks attended college at the University of...
was a resident. He began visiting Roxbury in 1937 and he and his wife Anne moved to a home on Main Street in 1948, where he lived until his death in 1958. He wrote a number of books while in Roxbury, including many titles in the popular "Freddy the Pig" series.
Geography
The eastern town lines border Greene CountyGreene 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...
and Schoharie County
Schoharie County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
.
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 87.6 square miles (226.9 km²), of which, 87.2 square miles (225.8 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (0.52%) is water.
The East Branch
East Branch Delaware River
The East Branch Delaware River, approximately 75 miles long in the U.S. state of New York, is one of two branches, along with the West Branch, that join to form the Delaware River. It flows through a mountainous area on the southwestern edge of the Catskill Park. For a long stretch it serves...
of the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
has its source in a pond behind a tire shop just south of Grand Gorge.
Demographics
As 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 2,509 people, 1,078 households, and 719 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 28.8 people per square mile (11.1/km²). There were 2,026 housing units at an average density of 23.2 per square mile (9.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.33% White, 0.44% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.28% 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 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.
There were 1,078 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% 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, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,214, and the median income for a family was $40,721. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $28,958 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 $20,177. About 11.4% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations
- Hamlet of Roxbury – The Hamlet of Roxbury (on Route 30New York State Route 30New York State Route 30 is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 17 in the Southern Tier to the Canadian border in the state's North Country, where it continues into Quebec as Route 138. On a regional level,...
) was once an incorporated village. - Grand GorgeGrand Gorge, New YorkGrand Gorge is a hamlet in Roxbury, Delaware County, New York, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 12434...
– A hamlet in the northern part of the town, where routes 23New York State Route 23New York State Route 23 is an east–west state highway in the eastern portion New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 26 in the Central New York town of Cincinnatus to the Massachusetts state line in the Berkshire Mountains, where it continues east as...
and 30 intersect. - Grand Gorge Station – West of Grand Gorge.
- Hardscrabble – North of the Hamlet of Roxbury.
- Hubbell Corners – Northeast of the Hamlet of Roxbury on Route 30.
- More Settlement – North of the Hamlet of Roxbury on Route 30.
- West Settlement – West of the Hamlet of Roxbury.