Port Jervis, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Port Jervis | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
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| Nickname(s): River City, Gateway to the Upper Delaware | |
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| Coordinates: 41°22′32″N 74°41′20″W / 41.37556°N 74.68889°WCoordinates: 41°22′32″N 74°41′20″W / 41.37556°N 74.68889°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Orange |
| Settled | 1690 |
| Incorporated as Village of Peenpack; renamed Port Jervis shortly thereafter | 1853 |
| Re-incorporated as city | 1907 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Mayor-council |
| - Mayor | Gary W. Lopriore (D) |
| Area | |
| - Total | 2.7 sq mi (7 km2) |
| - Land | 2.5 sq mi (6.6 km2) |
| - Water | 0.6 sq mi (0.5 km2) 6.64% |
| Elevation | 400 ft (122 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 8,860 |
| - Density | 3,494.1/sq mi (1,346.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP Code | 12771 |
| Area code(s) | 845 |
| FIPS code | 36-59388 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0960971 |
Port Jervis is a city in Orange County, New York. The population was 8,860 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.
The city of Port Jervis neighbors the point where the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania adjoin. Port Jervis was a port on the former Delaware and Hudson Canal. It is also known as the "River City." The town is named in honor of John B. Jervis, the chief engineer on the canal.
The communities of Germantown (which is now actually Port Jervis' West End) and Huguenot are adjacent to Port Jervis. The towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the city across the respective state borders. The Orange County town of Deerpark, to the north, is the home of the last stop on the 95-mile-long (151 km) Port Jervis Line, which is a commuter railroad line from Hoboken, New Jersey and New York City that is contracted to NJ Transit by the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company (the line itself continues on to Binghamton and Buffalo, but passenger service beyond Port Jervis was discontinued in 1966).
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[edit] History
The first fully developed settlement in the area was established circa 1690, and a land grant of 1,200 acres (4.8 km2) was formalized on October 14, 1697. The settlement was originally known as Mahackamack, and was still known as such when it was raided and burned before the Battle of Minisink in 1779. Over the next two decades, the town was rebuilt and more roadways were developed to better connect Mahackamack with the eastern parts of Orange County.
After the construction of the Delaware and Hudson Canal in 1828, trade brought more money and development to the area. A village was incorporated in 1853. The town was renamed Port Jervis in the mid-19th century and grew steadily into the 1900s. On July 26, 1907, it became a city.
On June 2, 1892, Port Jervis residents lynched Robert Jackson, a black man accused of assaulting a white woman. The New York Times reported that over 1,000 people witnessed the hanging.[1] This is the only recorded lynching of a black man in New York state.[4]
Being at the confluence of the Delaware and its largest tributary has sometimes led to flooding problems. Some residents remain displaced after the most recent occurrence in April 2005.
On July 14, 2007, a large parade was held in Port Jervis to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the city's founding. Fire departments and marching bands from the surrounding area marched in the parade.
The Fireman's Day Parade, one of the city's longest and most popularly celebrated traditions, is an annual event held every second Saturday in the month of July.
During the early 20th century, Port Jervis had a strong Ku Klux Klan presence and for many years the Fireman's Day Parade route was the same as that used during Ku Klux Klan rallies. The KKK's activity in Port Jervis was documented as recently as 2005 through the handing out of business cards by one man in a failed effort to revive Klan activity. [2]
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Port Jervis include:
- Ed and Lou Banach, 1984 Summer Olympics wrestling Medalists lived in Port Jervis and Graduated from Port Jervis Senior High School.[3]
- Samuel Fowler (1851-1919), represented New Jersey's 4th congressional district in the U.S. Representative from 1893-1895.[4]
- Hunter S. Thompson, Gonzo Journalist, lived near Port Jervis in Cuddebackville early in his career, until he was fired from the local newspaper after physically assaulting[neutrality disputed] a vending machine.[citation needed]
- Stephen Crane 19th century American author (1871-1900) wrote the Red Badge of Courage while staying at his brother William's house on East Main Street.[5]
- The city is the birthplace of Baseball Hall of Famer Bucky Harris.[6]
- The Kalin Twins, Hal (1934-2005) and Herbie (1934-2006), were one hit wonders whose record When made the top 5 in the U.S. and was number one for five weeks in the U.K. in 1958.
- E. Arthur Gray (1925-2006) the longest serving Mayor of Port Jervis who was later a New York State Senator.[7]
[edit] Geography
Port Jervis is located at 41°22′32″N 74°41′20″W / 41.375459°N 74.688794°W (41.375459, -74.688794).[8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.6 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2) of it (6.64%) is water.
The city is on the north bank of the Delaware River. The Neversink, the Delaware's largest tributary, also joins it at this point. The two sometimes flood in periods of heavy rainfall. Near the point where the two rivers merge, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey come together.
US 6, US 209, NY 42, and NY 97 pass through Port Jervis. Interstate 84 passes to the south.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 8,860 people, 3,533 households, and 2,158 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,494.1 people per square mile (1,346.8/km2). There were 3,851 housing units at an average density of 1,518.7/sq mi (585.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 82.4% White, 10.2% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.19% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.5% of the population.
There were 3,533 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,241, and the median income for a family was $35,481. Males had a median income of $31,851 versus $22,274 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,525. About 14.2% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Source
- Port Jervis, Osterberg and Krakowiak, 2006
[edit] References
- ^ "Lynched at Port Jervis…". New York Times. June 2, 1892. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=990DE1DD1538E233A25750C0A9609C94639ED7CF.
- ^ New York Times, et al, circa 1923 to 2007, Also see Ku Klux Klan outfit, Port Jervis, Orange County, New York, 1920
- ^ Rimer, Sara. "PORT JERVIS CELEBRATES ITS CONQUERING HEROES", The New York Times, September 3, 1984. Accessed October 10, 2007. "The Banach boys, as everyone knows them here, came back home this weekend, and as the townspeople celebrated their own Olympic gold medalists with a day of marching bands, waving flags and heartfelt speeches, all the hard times and disasters Port Jervis had endured seemed at last forgotten."
- ^ Samuel Fowler, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed September 4, 2007.
- ^ [1], New York State Historical Marker, PortJervisNY.com
- ^ [2], Interesting Facts about Port Jervis, New York, PortJervisNY.com
- ^ [3], Interesting Facts about Port Jervis, New York, PortJervisNY.com
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
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