Wilmington, New York

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For other places with the same name, see Wilmington (disambiguation).

Wilmington is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 1,131 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Wilmington, Delaware.

The Town of Wilmington is on the county's north border and is southwest of Plattsburgh.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Communities and locations in Wilmington
5 External links

[edit] History

The town was first settled around 1812.

The town was formed in 1821 from the Town of Jay. At that time the town was called "Dansville." In 1822, the name was changed, as suggested by a settler from Delaware, to "Wilmington" due to confusion with another "Dansville" in New York. In 1848, part of the town was partitioned off to form the Town of St. Armand.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, the tourist industry began to develop in the town.

"Santa's Workshop," one of the nation's first theme parks for children, is located near the community of North Pole. Whiteface Mountain (4,870 feet) was the site of alpine events for the 1980 Olympics.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 169.5 km² (65.4 mi²). 168.8 km² (65.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (0.46%) is water.

The north town line is the border of Clinton County. At the northwest corner is the corresponding corner of Franklin County.

The West Branch of the Au Sable River flows northward through the center of the town.

New York State Route 431, an east-west highway known as Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway, intersects New York State Route 86, a north-south highway in Wilmington village.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 1,131 people, 460 households, and 304 families residing in the town. The population density was 6.7/km² (17.4/mi²). There were 734 housing units at an average density of 4.3/km² (11.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.59% White, 0.09% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.62% of the population.

There were 460 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,432, and the median income for a family was $43,077. Males had a median income of $27,604 versus $21,328 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,052. About 6.6% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Communities and locations in Wilmington

Haselton -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town on County Road 12 and the Au Sable River.
High Falls Gorge -- A location on NY-86, south of Wilmington village.
North Pole -- A community and theme park northwest of Wilmington village on NY-431.
Wilmington -- The hamlet of Wilmington is at the junction of Routes NY-86 and NY-431 and the Au Sable River, near the town's center. The community is a resort and skiing center.