Fishkill, New York | |
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 Location of Fishkill, New York | |
  Fishkill, New York | |
| Coordinates:41°32′3″N73°53′57″W / 41.53417°N 73.89917°W /41.53417; -73.89917 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Dutchess |
| Town | Fishkill |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village Board of Trustees |
| • Mayor | Kathleen Martin |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.84 sq mi (2.16 km2) |
| • Land | 0.83 sq mi (2.15 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 220 ft (67 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,166 |
| • Density | 2,603.37/sq mi (1,005.44/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 12524 |
| Area code | 845 |
| FIPS code | 36-25967 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0977519 |
| Website | vofishkill |
Fishkill is avillage within thetown of Fishkill inDutchess County,New York, United States. The village is in the eastern part of the town of Fishkill onU.S. Route 9. It is north ofInterstate 84.NY 52 is the main street. It is part of theKiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh, NYMetropolitan Statistical Area as well as the largerNew York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PACombined Statistical Area. The first U. S. Post Office in New York state was established in Fishkill bySamuel Loudon, its first Postmaster.
Fishkill is located in the former territory of theWappinger people. It was part of theRombout Patent granted toFrancis Rombouts, Gulian VerPlanck, andStephanus Van Cortlandt ofNew Amsterdam in 1685. The name "Fishkill" evolved from twoDutch words,vis (fish) andkil (stream or creek).[3] In 1714, Dutch immigrants settled in the area. The village of Fishkill was a significant crossroads in the overland transportation network in the 18th and 19th centuries. TheQueen's Highway, connectingAlbany to New York City, intersected with a major overland route fromNew England to theHudson River.[4] Among the first to occupy the land now within the village limits were Johannes Ter Boss and Henry Rosecrance.[5]
During theAmerican Revolution printerSamuel Loudon fled from New York City during the British occupation of that city and set up a post office in Fishkill, which became the first post office in New York state. Here Loudon also continued printing a revolutionary newspaper called,The New York Packet and The American Advertiser which he founded while in New York City.[6][7]
The thirdNew York Provincial Congress convened in Fishkill in May 1776. Fishkill became part of one of the largest colonial military encampments during the Revolutionary War.General Washington's aide-de-campAlexander Hamilton took residence here. The Trinity Church, on Hopewell Avenue in the village, was organized in 1756 and the structure built in 1760. It was used as a hospital during the Revolutionary War.[4] TheDutch Reformed church was used as a military prison. American spyEnoch Crosby was held there briefly with Loyalist recruits before being allowed to escape.[8]
In 1871, construction began for a schoolhouse on Church Street. The site used for the schoolhouse belonged to the Fishkill Reformed Church and was formerly used as pasture land for the pastor's cow.[9] In 1876, a great fire destroyed many of the old wooden buildings, which were then replaced by brick ones.[10]
In 1996, the animal rights groupPETA (led by the organization's president at the time, Jack Earnhardt) suggested the town (and, presumably, the village, as well) change its name to something less suggestive of violence toward fish.[11] The town declined this change because the name is not meant to suggest violence but instead comes from the Dutch who originally settled the land in which "kil" means "creek". Various other communities also contain the word "Kill" with various prefixes, and a creek in theCatskills calledBeaver Kill is a tributary of theDelaware River. Both "Catskill" and "Beaver Kill" could be considered to promote animal violence when their names are improperly understood. This led then-mayor George Carter to joke that if Fishkill is renamed, the Catskills should also be renamed, presumably to the Catsave Mountains.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.3 square kilometres (0.89 sq mi), all land. The village population was 2,171 at the 2010 census.[12]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 737 | — | |
| 1880 | 682 | −7.5% | |
| 1890 | 745 | 9.2% | |
| 1900 | 589 | −20.9% | |
| 1910 | 516 | −12.4% | |
| 1920 | 479 | −7.2% | |
| 1930 | 553 | 15.4% | |
| 1940 | 720 | 30.2% | |
| 1950 | 841 | 16.8% | |
| 1960 | 1,033 | 22.8% | |
| 1970 | 913 | −11.6% | |
| 1980 | 1,555 | 70.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,957 | 25.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,735 | −11.3% | |
| 2010 | 2,171 | 25.1% | |
| 2020 | 2,166 | −0.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
At the2000 census, there were 1,735 people, 965 households, and 400 families in the village. The population density was 1,978.8 inhabitants per square mile (764.0/km2). There were 1,011 housing units at an average density of 443.6 /km2 (1,153.0 /sq mi). Theracial makeup of the village was 93.72% White, 2.77%African American, 0.17%Native American, 1.15%Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 6.05% of the population wereHispanic or Latino of any race. 22.9% were ofItalian, 20.2%Irish, 11.2%German, 7.3%American and 5.4%English ancestry according toCensus 2000.
Of the 965 households 14.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.2% were married couples living together, 6.9% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 58.5% were non-families. 53.9% of households were one person and 32.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.80 and the average family size was 2.74.
The age distribution was 14.1% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 30.5% 65 or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 74.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.3 males.
The median household income wasUS$36,344 and the median family income wasUS$59,737. Males had a median income ofUS$48,750 versusUS$31,898 for females. The per capita income for the village wasUS$26,504. 8.4% of the population and 4.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 8.8% are under the age of 18 and 8.9% are 65 or older.
Property value is based on purchase price of properties in the area instead of actual land value causing higher property taxes to existing and new home owners.
U.S. Route 9 leads north 5 miles (8 km) toWappingers Falls, north 12 miles (19 km) toPoughkeepsie, and south 19 miles (31 km) toPeekskill.New York State Route 52 leads west 5 miles (8 km) toBeacon and east 7 miles (11 km) to theTaconic State Parkway inEast Fishkill.Interstate 84 passes 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village, with access from Exit 44 (NY 52 southwest of the village) and Exit 46 (US 9 south of the village). Via I-84 it is 7 miles (11 km) west toNewburgh across the Hudson River and 31 miles (50 km) southeast toDanbury, Connecticut.New York City is 70 miles (110 km) to the south via the Taconic Parkway orNew York State Thruway.
Fishkill is served by the bus routes "A", "B", and "F", operated byDutchess County Public Transit.[14][15]
The largest employer in the village isGap Inc. In 2000, the facility opened; in 2001, it expanded. In 2014, the company announced plans to add 1,200 jobs over a 5-year period and investUS$96 million into the distribution center. However, on 2016-08-29, a massive fire at the Gap distribution center[16] left hundreds of people out of work. 600 employees were safely evacuated from the facility on Merritt Boulevard just before 23:00 EDT, when the fire appeared to have started on the second floor and quickly spread.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Media related toFishkill, New York at Wikimedia Commons
Fishkill, New York travel guide from WikivoyageMunicipalities and communities ofDutchess County, New York,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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