Congers, New York | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nicknames: The Hamlet by the Lakes, C Hood | |
 Location inRockland County and the state ofNew York | |
  Congers, New York Location within the state of New York | |
| Coordinates:41°8′47″N73°56′39″W / 41.14639°N 73.94417°W /41.14639; -73.94417 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Rockland |
| Town | Clarkstown |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.93 sq mi (10.18 km2) |
| • Land | 3.19 sq mi (8.25 km2) |
| • Water | 0.75 sq mi (1.93 km2) |
| Elevation | 177 ft (54 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 8,532 |
| • Density | 2,678.7/sq mi (1,034.25/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 10920 |
| Area code | 845 |
| FIPS code | 36-17739 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0947282 |
Congers (English pronunciation:/ˈkɒŋgəɹz/ⓘ) is a suburbanhamlet andcensus-designated place in the town ofClarkstown,Rockland County,New York, United States. It is located north ofValley Cottage, east ofNew City, acrossLake DeForest, south ofHaverstraw, and west of theHudson River. It lies 19 miles (31 km) north ofNew York City'sBronx boundary. As of the2020 census, the population was 8,532.[2]
Congers is located at41°8′47″N73°56′39″W / 41.14639°N 73.94417°W /41.14639; -73.94417 (41.146445, −73.944036).[3]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km2), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (18.39%) is water. The high percentage of Congers that sits under water is due to the hamlet's emplacement within and between four lakes: Congers Lake, Rockland Lake, Swartwout (also Swarthout) Lake, and the county reservoir, Lake DeForest. Congers is adjacent toRockland Lake State Park, along theHudson River.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7,123 | — | |
| 1990 | 8,003 | 12.4% | |
| 2000 | 8,303 | 3.7% | |
| 2010 | 8,363 | 0.7% | |
| 2020 | 8,532 | 2.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[4] | |||
As of thecensus[5] of 2000, there were 8,303 people, 2,695 households, and 2,244 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,635.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,017.7/km2). There were 2,743 housing units at an average density of 870.8 per square mile (336.2/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.2%White, 1.8%African American, 0.2%Native American, 8.6%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 2.1% fromother races, and 2.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 7.6% of the population.
There were 2,695 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.36. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
Congers was settled in the late 17th century by Dutch, German and English settlers. It was known asCedar Grove Corner and thenWaldberg, which in German means "forest mountain". It is named after New York State SenatorAbraham Bogart Conger (1814 - 1887).[6]
In the 19th century the Congers railroad station, three churches, a school, the firehouse and the Central and Globe hotels were built. The first floor of the then Globe hotel on the southeastern corner of Congers Road is presently the Last Chance Saloon. The Clarktown Dutch Reformed Church still stands at the corner of Congers Road and Kings Highway.
Kings Highway was the first major road in the county and for many years the only road from New York toAlbany.
Nine structures in Congers have recognized historical markers dating back to the 18th century, including the DeBaum House on Kings Highway, the Smith House on Gilchrest Road and the Snedeker House, where theGeorge Washington is believed to have spent a night in his role as commander-in-chief of Colonial forces during theAmerican Revolution.
The Swartout estate, which was occupied by George Swartout, was part of a large tract of land confiscated by the government about 1777. It was purchased by GeneralJacobus Swartwout, who was a top ally of Washington, and member of a family who traced their residence in Rockland County to 1660.
Lake DeForest, a reservoir with a capacity of over 5 billion gallons, was built in 1955-1956. It is named after Henry L. Deforest, President of the Spring Valley Works and Supply Company.
Several roads are named after Union Civil War generals, includingGrant,Burnside,Sheridan,Sherman, andRosecrans avenues.
A memorial in honor of 1st Lieutenant Raymond B. Jauss is located at the park adjacent to the railroad crossing at the center of town. Jauss received a Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in World War I, and was killed on July 15, 1918 nearCrezancy, France. He was a graduate of Columbia University and his family had a summer home in Congers. Jauss was married to a childhood sweetheart - and fellow Congers resident - Harriet James; their wedding occurred two days before he sailed for Europe.
Congers had regular passenger train service along theNew York Central Railroad'sWest Shore Railroad fromWeehawken, New Jersey (opposite Midtown Manhattan) north to Newburgh, Kingston and Albany until 1958. A shortened commuter service continued toWest Haverstraw until 1959.[7][8]
Catholics in Congers initially attended St. Peter's Church in Haverstraw. Rev. Thomas McGare of St. Peter's built St Paul's Church, Clarkstown's firstCatholic church, on Lake Road in the early 1890s. In 1901 Rev. John A. Nageleisen built mission stations inRockland Lake, Bardonia, and New City.[9]
Congers has one public elementary school, Lakewood Elementary. Congers Elementary School was shut down in 2013 due to unsafe cracks in the structure.[10] Today the building remains as a day care facility.[11] Public school students from Congers attend Felix Festa Middle School in West Nyack andClarkstown North High School in New City. Congers is also the home ofRockland Country Day School, which accepts students in grades PreK-12 and was founded in 1959.
TheNew York Raiders are asemi-professionalrugby league football team that currently plays in theAmerican National Rugby League (AMNRL) competition. They play their home games atRockland Lake State Park, and are a team partner of theCanberra Raiders of Australia'sNational Rugby League (NRL).
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Municipalities and communities ofRockland County, New York,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Villages | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other hamlets | ||
