Poughkeepsie (city), New York

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Poughkeepsie's Mid-Hudson Bridge

Poughkeepsie is a city in New York and serves as the county seat of Dutchess County, located in the Hudson River Valley roughly midway between New York City and Albany. As of the 2000 census, the city of Poughkeepsie had a population of 29,871.

Commuter service to New York City is available by train, served by Metro-North Railroad, the city being the northern terminus of Metro-North's Hudson Line. Amtrak also stops in Poughkeepsie, continuing north along the Hudson River to Albany station (actually located across the Hudson river in Rensselaer).

IBM has a large campus in Poughkeepsie (still referred to by many as IBM's "Main Plant"). A factory on site once built the IBM Stretch Computer as well as later machines such as the IBM System/360 model 195. However, the main IBM campus is actually in the Town of Poughkeepsie, a separate municipality from the City of Poughkeepsie.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Educational Institutions
5 External links

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History

Poughkeepsie was founded in 1687, the name derived from a Native American word (roughly U-puku-ipi-sing), meaning "campsite by small water", referring to a stream feeding into the Hudson.

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Geography

The City of Poughkeepsie is bordered by the Hudson River on the west and by the Town of Poughkeepsie on the north, east and south. Outside of municipal designations, the City and Town of Poughkeepsie are generally viewed as a single place.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.8 km² (5.7 mi²). 13.3 km² (5.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 9.65% water.

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Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 29,871 people, 12,014 households, and 6,559 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,243.8/km² (5,806.2/mi²). There are 13,153 housing units at an average density of 988.0/km² (2,556.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 52.84% White, 35.71% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.29% from other races, and 4.10% from two or more races. 10.64% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 12,014 households out of which 28.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.8% are married couples living together, 19.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% are non-families. 35.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 3.15.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $29,389, and the median income for a family is $35,779. Males have a median income of $31,956 versus $25,711 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,759. 22.7% of the population and 18.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.3% of those under the age of 18 and 13.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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Educational Institutions

The area is home to several colleges: Vassar (one of the Seven Sisters), Marist, and Dutchess Community, all of which are in the Town of Poughkeepsie. In nearby Hyde Park to the north, is the Culinary Institute of America.

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