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Greene County, New York

Coordinates: 42°17′N 74°08′W / 42.29°N 74.13°W / 42.29; -74.13
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Greene, New York or Greene (village), New York.

Greene County
County
The Greene County Court House in Catskill, NY
The Greene County Court House in Catskill, NY
Flag of Greene County
Flag
Official seal of Greene County
Seal
Map of New York highlighting Greene County
Location within the U.S. state of New York
Map of the United States highlighting New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°17′N 74°08′W / 42.29°N 74.13°W / 42.29; -74.13
Country United States
State New York
FoundedMarch 3, 1800
Named forNathanael Greene
SeatCatskill
Largest villageCatskill
Area
 • Total658 sq mi (1,700 km2)
 • Land647 sq mi (1,680 km2)
 • Water11 sq mi (30 km2)  1.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total47,931[1]
 • Density74.1/sq mi (28.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district19th
Websitewww.greenegovernment.com

Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,931.[2] Its county seat is Catskill.[3] The county's name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene.[4] The county is part of the Capital District region of the state.

History

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Nathanael Greene, commander in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War and namesake of Greene County.

On March 25, 1800, Greene County was created by the partitioning of Albany (360 Square Miles) and Ulster (270 Square Miles) counties, producing a county of 630 square miles (1,600 km2).[5]

On April 3, 1801, 90 square miles (230 km2) of land was transferred from Delaware and Ulster counties, raising the total area to 720 square miles (1,900 km2). This transferred Prattsville, Vly Mountain, Halcott Center, Bushnellsville, Highmount, Shandaken, Lanesville, and Pine Hill within Greene County.[6]

On May 26, 1812, Greene County lost 20 square miles (52 km2) to Ulster County, lowering the total area to 690 square miles (1,800 km2), reassigning Pine Hill, Highmount, and Shandaken to Ulster County.[7]

On April 15, 1814, the county borders were re-surveyed, and the line adjusted with no change in area.[8]

On April 17, 1822, the border was again surveyed, with no change in area, but Palenville was found to be inside Greene County.[9]

On April 23, 1823, the border was again resurveyed, and the Hudson River border with Columbia County realigned accordingly.[10]

On March 3, 1836, 30 square miles (78 km2) of area was lost to Schoharie County, reducing the total area to 660 square miles (1,700 km2), and reassigning Manorkill, producing the Greene County that exists today.[11]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 658 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 647 square miles (1,680 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.7%) is water.[12] Greene County is located in southeast central New York State, just west of the Hudson River and south of Albany.

The northern and eastern regions are mostly low-lying flatlands. Along the Hudson River the lowest elevation is at sea level. The southern and western areas rise sharply into the Catskill Mountains.

Catskill Park takes up much of the south central region. The park contains some of the tallest peaks south of the Adirondacks. For example, the highest elevation is Hunter Mountain, at approximately 4,040 feet (1,230 m) above sea level; In addition, there are many picturesque waterfalls in the park such as the famed, Kaaterskill Falls.

The entirety of Greene County is in the 19th Congressional District, and is represented by Republican Marc Molinaro.

Adjacent counties

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National protected area

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Demographics

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Kaaterskill High Peak in the Town of Hunter
Thomas Cole Mountain in Greene County.
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
180012,584—
181019,53655.2%
182022,99617.7%
183029,52528.4%
184030,4463.1%
185033,1268.8%
186031,930−3.6%
187031,832−0.3%
188032,6952.7%
189031,598−3.4%
190031,478−0.4%
191030,214−4.0%
192025,796−14.6%
193025,8080.0%
194027,9268.2%
195028,7452.9%
196031,3729.1%
197033,1365.6%
198040,86123.3%
199044,7399.5%
200048,1957.7%
201049,2212.1%
202047,931−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15]
1990-2000[16] 2010-2020[2]
Kaaterskill Falls is in Greene County

2020 Census

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Greene County Racial Composition[17]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 39,494 82.4%
Black or African American (NH) 2,159 4.5%
Native American (NH) 100 0.21%
Asian (NH) 500 1.04%
Pacific Islander (NH) 3 0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH) 2,566 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3,109 6.5%

2000 census

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As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 48,195 people, 18,256 households, and 12,067 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 inhabitants per square mile (29/km2). There were 26,544 housing units at an average density of 41 units per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.76% White, 5.53% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.52% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 4.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.8% were of Irish, 17.8% Italian, 17.5% German, 8.6% American and 6.9% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.3% spoke English, 2.8% Spanish, 1.5% German and 1.3% Italian as their first language.

There were 18,256 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.00% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,493, and the median income for a family was $43,854. Males had a median income of $35,598 versus $25,346 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,931. About 8.6% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

As of the 2010 census, the racial makeup of the county was 90.3% White, 5.7% African American, 0.3% Native American and 0.8% Asian. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.9% of the population.[19]

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Greene County, New York[20]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 14,271 56.64% 10,346 41.07% 577 2.29%
2016 13,073 59.29% 7,405 33.58% 1,572 7.13%
2012 11,174 54.06% 9,030 43.69% 464 2.25%
2008 12,059 53.99% 9,850 44.10% 426 1.91%
2004 12,996 58.02% 8,933 39.88% 469 2.09%
2000 11,332 53.72% 8,480 40.20% 1,283 6.08%
1996 8,712 43.29% 8,251 41.00% 3,161 15.71%
1992 9,390 44.31% 6,924 32.67% 4,877 23.01%
1988 11,874 61.46% 7,265 37.61% 180 0.93%
1984 14,150 70.50% 5,858 29.19% 62 0.31%
1980 11,286 57.88% 6,488 33.28% 1,724 8.84%
1976 11,370 59.02% 7,740 40.18% 154 0.80%
1972 14,313 72.96% 5,260 26.81% 45 0.23%
1968 10,954 60.87% 5,499 30.56% 1,544 8.58%
1964 7,842 43.82% 10,034 56.07% 18 0.10%
1960 11,878 64.84% 6,441 35.16% 1 0.01%
1956 14,262 78.91% 3,811 21.09% 0 0.00%
1952 12,907 74.07% 4,504 25.85% 15 0.09%
1948 10,566 66.52% 4,955 31.20% 362 2.28%
1944 9,807 65.10% 5,231 34.73% 26 0.17%
1940 10,153 61.10% 6,425 38.67% 38 0.23%
1936 9,060 56.41% 6,744 41.99% 256 1.59%
1932 7,334 51.43% 6,794 47.64% 133 0.93%
1928 9,529 66.71% 4,440 31.08% 316 2.21%
1924 7,503 61.56% 3,951 32.42% 734 6.02%
1920 6,323 61.50% 3,498 34.02% 461 4.48%
1916 3,649 49.06% 3,622 48.70% 167 2.25%
1912 2,711 36.29% 3,647 48.82% 1,113 14.90%
1908 4,191 50.42% 3,711 44.64% 411 4.94%
1904 4,527 52.27% 3,845 44.39% 289 3.34%
1900 4,395 49.32% 4,269 47.90% 248 2.78%
1896 4,540 53.46% 3,688 43.43% 264 3.11%
1892 3,914 47.63% 3,771 45.89% 532 6.47%
1888 4,460 48.27% 4,494 48.64% 286 3.10%
1884 4,167 47.56% 4,152 47.39% 442 5.05%

Greene County is considered a Republican stronghold. It was one of only eleven counties in New York that did not vote for Bill Clinton in 1996, a strong year for Democrats. It supported John McCain by a margin just under ten points in 2008 over Barack Obama, another Democratic year. In 2012, 54.1 percent of the county's voters chose Republican challenger Mitt Romney, and 43.7 percent chose Democratic incumbent Obama, despite it being again a Democratic year. In 2016, 59 percent of the county's voters chose Donald Trump while 34 percent chose Hillary Clinton. It has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964, and before that it previously did so in 1912.

In some elections, certain towns in Greene County have had a plurality that have voted Democratic, though the county remains very Republican.

Communities

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Towns

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Villages

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Census-designated places

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Hamlets

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Notable people

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  • John Adams, (1778–1854), born in Oak Hill, United States Congressman[21]
  • Levi Hill, claimed early inventor of color photography
  • Jeff "The Drunk" Curro Howard Stern Wack Packer
  • Blossom Dearie, (1924-2009), jazz singer
  • John B. Terry, (1796-1874), pioneer, merchant, soldier, and Wisconsin territorial legislature, born in Coxsackie
  • Thurlow Weed, (1797-1882), born in Acra, NY. Newspaper publisher, politician, and party boss
  • Edwin L. Drake, (1819-1880), invented method to drill oil from the ground, born in Greenville
  • Scott Adams, born and raised in Windham, NY; an American cartoonist, creator of the Dilbert comic strip and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, business, and general speculation.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "US Census 2020 Population Dataset Tables for New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Greene County, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 143.
  5. ^ New York. Laws of New York., 1800, 23rd Session, Chapter 51; Page 493
  6. ^ New York. Laws of New York., 1801, 24th Session, Chapter 123, Page 290.
  7. ^ New York. Laws of New York.1812, 35th Session, Chapter 46, Page 382.
  8. ^ New York. Laws of New York.1814, 37th Session, Chapter 211, Page 275.
  9. ^ New York. Laws of New York.1822, 45th Session, Chapter 243, Page 257.
  10. ^ New York. Laws of New York.1823, 46th Session, Chapter 251, Page 377.
  11. ^ New York. Laws of New York.1836, 59th Session, Chapter 31, Page 33.
  12. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  13. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  14. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  15. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  16. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  17. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Greene County, New York".
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  19. ^ American Fact Finder, U.S. Census, 2010, Greene County, New York, https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF Archived June 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine [1] Archived April 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  21. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.

Further reading

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42°17′N 74°08′W / 42.29°N 74.13°W / 42.29; -74.13

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