Kerhonkson, New York

Kerhonkson
hamlet and CDP
Center of town along Route 209
Nickname: K-Town/ Ghost Town
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Hudson Valley
County	Ulster
Town	Rochester
River	Rondout Creek
Elevation	262 ft (80 m)
Coordinates	41°46′28″N 74°17′51″W / 41.77444°N 74.29750°WCoordinates: 41°46′28″N 74°17′51″W / 41.77444°N 74.29750°W
Area	5.3 sq mi (14 km^2)
Population	1,684 (2010)
Density	326.5/sq mi (126/km^2)
Timezone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code	12446
Area code	845
Exchange	626
FIPS code	36-39397
GNIS feature ID	0954549
Location in Ulster County and the state of New York.
Website: www.townofrochester.net

Kerhonkson /kərˈhɒŋksən/ is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 1,684 at the 2010 census.

Kerhonkson is a small hamlet which, along with Accord, makes up the Town of Rochester on US 209, just south of the town's boundary with the Town of Wawarsing and just north of where US 44 ends and NY 55 joins 209 south. The town is home to Kerhonkson Elementary school, one of two elementary schools within the Rondout Valley Central School District. Soyuzivka, a Ukrainian resort and cultural center is located here.

Geography

Kerhonkson is located at 41°46′28″N 74°17′51″W / 41.774485°N 74.297480°W.^[1]

It is located in the Shawangunk Mountains, famous for the rock climbing and biodiversity of the Shawangunk Ridge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.3 square miles (14 km²), all land.

Demography

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 1,732 people, 707 households, and 463 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 326.5 per square mile (126.2/km²). There were 816 housing units at an average density of 153.8/sq mi (59.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.17% White, 1.91% African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 2.66% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.58% of the population.

There were 707 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,597, and the median income for a family was $43,500. Males had a median income of $32,008 versus $24,412 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $19,594. About 6.4% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

History

Before the burning of Kingston on October 12, 1777 all the important documents and government officials were moved to Kerhonkson, remaining for two weeks until they were moved to Albany.

Kerhonkson is also the site of a colonial fort that protected the early settlers from Indian attacks. The fort was located on Deyo's Hill.^[3]

Peg Leg Bates owned and operated The Peg Leg Bates Country Club in Kerhonkson, New York, from 1951 to 1987. This made Bates the first black resort owner in Ulster County in the Catskill Mountains, the famous Borscht Belt of Jewish resorts, hotels, and bungalow colonies.

Congregation Tifereth Yehuda Veyisroel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.^[4]

World records

Kerhonkson contained what was once the world's largest garden gnome, constructed in 2005; it is situated on Route 209 in front of Kelder's Farm and is named Gnome Chomsky.^[5] There are two other, larger gnomes that now hold the distinction of being the world's largest.^[6]

References

1. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
2. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. "NYS Museum: Historic Markers". New York State Museum. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
4. "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 6/16/14 through 6/27/14. National Park Service. 2013-09-06.
5. Horrigan, Jeremiah. "Kerhonkson gnome pursues Guinness record". Times Herald Record. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
6. Ward, Terence P. (2011-05-12). "Will Rondout be the Valley of the Giants?". Shawangunk Journal. Ellenville, NY: Electric Valley Media LLC. Retrieved 2011-05-18.

External links

• Kerhonkson travel guide from Wikivoyage