Keene, New York | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location inEssex County and the state ofNew York | |
| Coordinates:44°15′22″N73°47′32″W / 44.25611°N 73.79222°W /44.25611; -73.79222 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Essex |
| Established | 1808 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Town Supervisor | Joe Pete Wilson [D] |
| • Town Council | Members' List
|
| Area | |
• Total | 156.62 sq mi (405.64 km2) |
| • Land | 155.94 sq mi (403.89 km2) |
| • Water | 0.68 sq mi (1.75 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,358 ft (414 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,144 |
| • Density | 7.3/sq mi (2.83/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
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| Area code | 518 |
| FIPS code | 36-031-39067 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979113 |
| Website | www |
Keene is atown in centralEssex County,New York, United States. It includes thehamlets of Keene, Keene Valley, and St. Huberts, with a total population of 1,144 as of the2020 census[2]
The town is part of theAdirondack Park, and includes 15 of the 46High Peaks, includingMount Marcy, New York's highest mountain, and the rest of theGreat Range. It also includes the Ausable Lakes, the source of theAusable River. Trailheads for many of the High Peaks are located within the town, along with the Johns Brook Lodge of theAdirondack Mountain Club.
The earliest settlement in the present village of Keene Center was in 1787.[3]: 20 The town of Keene was created from splitting parts of the towns ofJay andElizabethtown on March 19, 1808. This originally included currentNorth Elba, but that was split in 1849 from the original Keene. The area is mountainous with bedrock close to the surface in most areas, leaving littlearable land. It has a low population due to the unsuitable and often unstable soil in the region. A road along the Ausable River fromJay was extended south to Keene Center about 1797, but it was often deemed almost impassible due to the structure of the area.[4] The town of Keene organized the first school district in the Adirondacks, which held its first recorded trustee meeting in 1813.[3]: 32
Early development in the area was based on lumber and iron extraction; however, exporting lumber was difficult due to lack of transportation, and most was used locally.[4] The first sawmill was built in 1823 and was quickly followed by forges and gristmills.[4] The riverbed region of Keene sprouted the first community, Keene Central, and Keene Flats (renamed Keene Valley in 1883[5]) was developed by 1840. In 1892, after theAdirondack Mountain Reserve acquired the land, a privately tolled and maintained road to Lower Ausable Lake was constructed.[5]
In 2011, the town completed a grassroots project to bringbroadband service to more than 97% of the homes in Keene, and installing the service in every home with a student in the town's public school. The extension of this network into rural areas makes it unique in the Adirondack Park.[6]
TheHurricane Mountain Fire Observation Station, Slater Bridge (St. Huberts) andWalton Bridge are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[7]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 156.6 square miles (405.6 km2), of which 155.9 square miles (403.9 km2) is land and 0.69 square miles (1.8 km2), or 0.43%, is water.[8]
Many of theHigh Peaks of the Adirondack Park are in or near the town, includingMount Marcy, elevation 5,343 feet (1,629 m), the highest point in New York. The Garden, one of the most popular trailheads in the Adirondacks, is located in the hamlet of Keene Valley and is the eastern end of the Johns Brook Trail, leading to Johns Brook Lodge, Mount Marcy, and the heart of the High Peaks Region.
The Lower Ausable Lake and the northern half of the Upper Ausable Lake are in the town of Keene.[9] The East Branch of theAusable River flows north out of the Lower Ausable Lake and passes through the hamlets of St. Huberts, Keene Valley and Keene before entering theTown of Jay. The Hull's Fallscascade near Keene is a local scenic site.[10]
New York State Route 9N changes from north–south to east–west south of Keene hamlet, at the foot of Spruce Hill.New York State Route 73 changes from east–west to north–south just north of the hamlet of Keene.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 605 | — | |
| 1830 | 787 | 30.1% | |
| 1840 | 730 | −7.2% | |
| 1850 | 756 | 3.6% | |
| 1860 | 784 | 3.7% | |
| 1870 | 720 | −8.2% | |
| 1880 | 910 | 26.4% | |
| 1890 | 1,258 | 38.2% | |
| 1900 | 1,394 | 10.8% | |
| 1910 | 1,227 | −12.0% | |
| 1920 | 1,032 | −15.9% | |
| 1930 | 1,001 | −3.0% | |
| 1940 | 1,060 | 5.9% | |
| 1950 | 938 | −11.5% | |
| 1960 | 726 | −22.6% | |
| 1970 | 763 | 5.1% | |
| 1980 | 919 | 20.4% | |
| 1990 | 908 | −1.2% | |
| 2000 | 1,063 | 17.1% | |
| 2010 | 1,105 | 4.0% | |
| 2020 | 1,144 | 3.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] | |||
As of thecensus[12] of 2000, there were 1,063 people, 443 households, and 279 families residing in the town. The population density was 6.8 inhabitants per square mile (2.6/km2). There were 984 housing units at an average density of 6.3 per square mile (2.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.68%White, 0.09%African American, 0.19%Native American, 0.47%Asian, 0.09% fromother races, and 0.47% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.38% of the population.
There were 443 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% weremarried couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. Of all households, 31.4% were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90.
The population distribution by age was as follows: 21.8% under 18 years old; 5.9% between 18 and 24 years old, 22.3% between 25 and 44 years old, 30.4% from 45 to 64 years old, and 19.6% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,226, and the median income for a family was $44,250. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $22,083 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $17,037. About 1.4% of families and 4.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Donaldson, Alfred L. (1921).A History of the Adirondacks. New York: The Century Co. RetrievedDecember 14, 2013.
Municipalities and communities ofEssex County, New York,United States | ||
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| Other hamlets | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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