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Bethlehem, New York

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Bethlehem is a town located in Albany County, New York in the USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 31,304.

The Town of Bethlehem is south of the City of Albany. Bethlehem is comprised of five hamlets: Delmar, Elsmere, Slingerlands, Glenmont, and Normanskill. Route 9W passes through the town. The town is named after the biblical Bethlehem.

History

When Henry Hudson saild up the river that would eventually bear his name, he is thought to have landed at what is now the town of Bethlehem. The spot where he is presumed to have landed is comemorated at the town's Henry Hudson Park. The town was established in 1793 from the Town of Watervliet. In 1832, part of the town was used to form the Town of New Scotland.


The Town's earliest growth took place in Normanskill, named for its location along the Normanskill, a creek, which forms town's border with Albany, NY. In the mid 1800's the Delaware and Hudson railroad initiated service into the hamlet then called Adamsville, renaming the hamlet Delmar. Delmar has become the most populated hamlet and its Delaware Avenue is the site of the present day town hall, police station, justice court, public library, as well as numerous businesses. The railroad discontinued passenger service in the 1960's and its tracks started being removed in the year 2000 with the last of the track removed in 2005. The Town has continued to grow, and is today considered to be an affluent suburb of the city of Albany, NY.

Politics

The town, controlled for over one hundred years by the republican party, is now controlled by the Democrats. In a 2003 election, Teresa Egan was elected the first Democratic town supervisor in over a century. The Democrat takeover was solidified by the 2005 election of two more Democrat board members and the reelection of Egan.

During the 2005 supervisor election, 20 year old Victor Rodriguez ran as a write-in candidate for the position after being taken off the ballot by the Conservative party. Recently, the Voter rights party, founded by Rodriguez, has started growing within the town and within Albany County. After the loss by the Republicans in 2005, the local committee has loss a lot of support within the town, and many expect that the Voter rights party may take over as a major party in town.

Education

Most Town residents live within the Bethlehem Central School District. The town has five public elementary schools -- Hamagrael, Elsmere, Slingerlands, Glenmont and Clarksville. Elementary schools include students up to grade 5. The Bethlehem Central Middle School educates children in grades 6, 7 and 8, while the Bethlehem Central High School includes grades 9-12. The High School also features a Lab School, a school-within-a-school created to experiment with new methods of teaching and learning.

The Town also includes the School of Saint Thomas the Apostle, a Catholic school for grades K-8 located across from the Catholic church.

The school district offers Continuing Education classes in a variety of topics for adult learners of all ages.

The Town also provides busing and most textbooks for families who choose to educate their children in private schools. The nearby City of Albany includes several noted private schools and academies, including the Albany Academy for Boys, the Albany Academy for Girls, the Doane Stuart School, the Christian Brothers Academy, and Bishop Maginn High School.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 128.4 km² (49.6 mi²). 126.4 km² (48.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.55% water.

Location and adjacent areas

The town is located in Albany County, New York. The east town line, defined by the Hudson River, is the border of Rensselaer County, New York. To the north, the town shares a border with Albany, the capital of New York State. To the west is the Town of New Scotland, and to the south is the Town of Coeymans.

The New York State Thruway ( Interstate 90 } passes through the town.

Demographics

File:Bethlehem.gif

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 31,304 people, 12,112 households, and 8,551 families residing in the town. The population density is 247.6/km² (641.3/mi²). There are 12,459 housing units at an average density of 98.6/km² (255.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 94.74% White, 2.26% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.74% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 12,112 households out of which 36.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% are married couples living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% are non-families. 25.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.53 and the average family size is 3.06.

In the town the population is spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $63,169, and the median income for a family is $77,211. Males have a median income of $52,433 versus $36,739 for females. The per capita income for the town is $31,492. 3.1% of the population and 2.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.6% of those under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Communities and locations in Bethlehem

  • Beckers Corners -- A hamlet in the south part of the town at Route 9W.
  • Bethlehem Center -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town.
  • Bethlehem Heights -- A location north of South Bethlehem.
  • Callahans Corners -- A location at the southwest corner of the town.
  • Cedar Hill -- A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, east of the Thruway.
  • Delmar, New York -- A hamlet near the center of the town and the location of the town government.
  • Elsmere -- A hamlet east of and adjacent to Delmar.
  • Glenmont, New York -- A hamlet in the eastern part of the town.
  • Henry Hudson Park A park east of Cedar Hill at the Hudson River.
  • Houcks Corners -- A hamlet south of Delmar.
  • Karlsville -- A hamlet in the north part of the town.
  • Kenwood -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town.
  • Mallorys Corners -- A location in the south part of the town.
  • Meyers Corners -- A location in the south part of the town.
  • Normansville -- A hamlet in the north part of the town and home of the world famous yellow brick road. It was formerly known as "Adamsville."
  • North Bethlehem -- A hamlet at the north town line in the northeast part of the town.
  • Selkirk, New York -- A hamlet east of South Bethlehem.
  • Slingerlands -- A hamlet immediately west of Delmar and near the west town line.
  • Spawn Hollow -- A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
  • South Albany -- A hamlet in the south part of the town, north of South Bethlehem.
  • South Bethlehem -- A hamlet in the south part of the town.
  • Wemple -- A hamlet in the southeast part of the town.
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