Keene, New York

Keene is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,063 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Keene, New Hampshire. The Town of Keene is centrally located the county and is south of Plattsburgh. All of the town is in the Adirondack Park, the largest state park in the nation. 12 miles from Keene is Lake Placid, New York, host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, and 13 miles from Keene is Wilmington, home of Whiteface Mountain, site of the alpine events of the 1980 Winter Olympics.

History

Early settlers began arriving around 1797 and built around Keene village, with early industry based on lumber and iron ore. The Town of Keene was formed in 1808 from parts of Elizabethtown and Jay. In 1848, part of Keene was used to form the Town of North Elba. By the end of the 19th Century, Keene was primarily a tourist area.

Geography

Mount Marcy from Mount Haystack.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 156.6 square miles (405.6 km²), of which, 156.1 square miles (404.2 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (0.37%) is water. Many of the High Peaks of the Adirondack Park are in or near the town, including Mount Marcy, the highest elevation in New York. The Garden, one of the most popular trail heads in the Adirondacks, is located in Keene Valley, and is the eastern end of the Johns Brook Trail, leading to Johns Brook Lodge, Mount Marcy, and the heart of the High Peaks Region. New York State Route 9N, changes from north-south to east-west south of Keene village. New York State Route 73 changes from east-west to north-south in the same place.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 1,063 people, 443 households, and 279 families residing in the town. The population density was 6.8 people per square mile (2.6/km²). There were 984 housing units at an average density of 6.3/sq mi (2.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.68% White, 0.09% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population. There were 443 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,226, and the median income for a family was $44,250. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,037. About 1.4% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Keene

• Cascade — A former community in the western part of Keene.
• Glenmore — A hamlet east of Keene village, located on County Road 13.
• Keene (formerly "Keene Center") — A hamlet in the north-central part of the town on Routes NY-73 and NY-9N.
• Keene Valley (formerly "Keene Flats") — A hamlet south of Keene village on NY-73. It has always been principally a vacation area.
• Lower Ausable Lake — A lake in the southwest part of Keene.
• Mount Marcy — The highest peak in the state is in the western part of the town, southwest of Keene Valley and St. Huberts.
• St. Huberts — A hamlet in the south part of the town on NY-73.
• Upper Ausable Lake — A lake partly in the town at the south town line.

External links

• Town of Keene, NY
• Town of Keene information
• The Adirondack Mountain Club
• Keene early history
• Keene area information
• Summary history of Keene

Coordinates: 44°15′22″N, 73°47′32″W

•  • e Municipalities and communities of Essex County, New York
County seat: Elizabethtown (village)
Towns	Chesterfield | Crown Point | Elizabethtown | Essex | Jay | Keene | Lewis | Minerva | Moriah | Newcomb | North Elba | North Hudson | Schroon | St. Armand | Ticonderoga | Westport | Willsboro | Wilmington
Villages	Keeseville | Lake Placid | Port Henry | Saranac Lake | Ticonderoga
CDP	Mineville-Witherbee
Hamlet	Elizabethtown