Fort Montgomery, New York
Encyclopedia
Fort Montgomery is a hamlet
(and census-designated place
) in Orange County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 1,418 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie
–Newburgh
–Middletown
, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area
as well as the larger New York
–Newark
–Bridgeport
, NY-NJ
-CT
-PA
Combined Statistical Area
.
Fort Montgomery is in the southeast corner of the Town of Highlands
, on U.S. Route 9W
.
.
Fort Montgomery is located at 41°20′15"N 73°58′58"W (41.337469, -73.982746).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (2.00%) is water.
, a fortification of the American Revolution
, stormed by the British on October 6, 1777. Although a loss for American forces, the battle delayed the British from sailing up the Hudson River in time to relieve Burgoyne's forces at Saratoga. After the demolition of the fort, American defenses centered on West Point, New York
, upriver, and the location was not re-used militarily.
The town subsequently became the site of a major ore dock
. Ore from the Forest of Dean Mine was shipped via a railroad and an aerial tramway
to the dock, where it was loaded into steamboat
s on the Hudson. Coal for the mine machinery travelled in the opposite direction. Some ore was also mined in the immediate vicinity of Fort Montgomery. The West Shore Railroad
was constructed through the town in the early 1880s.
Local mining activity was relatively ephemeral, and the large Forest of Dean Mine was shut down in 1931. With the loss of its main industry, the town sank into decline, accelerated by the end of railroad passenger service in 1958.
Today the hamlet is a well known stop on the Appalachian trail
due to the close proximity to the trail of its post office, food, and lodging.
of 2000, there were 1,418 people, 574 households, and 393 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 965.0 per square mile (372.4/km²). There were 611 housing units at an average density of 415.8/sq mi (160.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.60% White, 1.76% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races
, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.99% of the population.
There were 574 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples
living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $62,578, and the median income for a family was $65,708. Males had a median income of $45,781 versus $36,146 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $24,520. About 1.5% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Hamlet (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...
(and census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population 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 cities, towns and villages...
) in Orange County
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
, 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 1,418 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
–Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York
Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States, north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. Newburgh is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area, which includes all of Dutchess and Orange counties. The Newburgh area was...
–Middletown
Middletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
, 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, with the cities of Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, and Middletown, and the Arlington census-designated place as...
as well as the larger New York
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...
–Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
–Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
, NY-NJ
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
-CT
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...
-PA
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Combined Statistical Area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
.
Fort Montgomery is in the southeast corner of the Town of Highlands
Highlands, New York
Highlands is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,484 at the 2000 census.The Town of Highlands is on the eastern border of the county....
, on U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
.
Geography
Fort Montgomery is on the west bank of the Hudson RiverHudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
.
Fort Montgomery is located at 41°20′15"N 73°58′58"W (41.337469, -73.982746).
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 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (2.00%) is water.
History
The town is named after the first Fort MontgomeryFort Montgomery
Fort Montgomery is the name of a fortification built on the Hudson River during the American Revolution. It was one of the first major investments by the Americans in strategic construction projects...
, a fortification of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, stormed by the British on October 6, 1777. Although a loss for American forces, the battle delayed the British from sailing up the Hudson River in time to relieve Burgoyne's forces at Saratoga. After the demolition of the fort, American defenses centered on West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, upriver, and the location was not re-used militarily.
The town subsequently became the site of a major ore dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
. Ore from the Forest of Dean Mine was shipped via a railroad and an aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
to the dock, where it was loaded into steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
s on the Hudson. Coal for the mine machinery travelled in the opposite direction. Some ore was also mined in the immediate vicinity of Fort Montgomery. The West Shore Railroad
West Shore Railroad
The West Shore Railroad was the final name of a railroad from Weehawken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City, north along the west shore of the river to Albany, New York and then west to Buffalo...
was constructed through the town in the early 1880s.
Local mining activity was relatively ephemeral, and the large Forest of Dean Mine was shut down in 1931. With the loss of its main industry, the town sank into decline, accelerated by the end of railroad passenger service in 1958.
Today the hamlet is a well known stop on the Appalachian trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
due to the close proximity to the trail of its post office, food, and lodging.
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 1,418 people, 574 households, and 393 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 965.0 per square mile (372.4/km²). There were 611 housing units at an average density of 415.8/sq mi (160.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.60% White, 1.76% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 1.55% 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 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.99% of the population.
There were 574 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% 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 31.5% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $62,578, and the median income for a family was $65,708. Males had a median income of $45,781 versus $36,146 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 CDP was $24,520. About 1.5% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.