Bedford (town), New York
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Bedford is a town located in Westchester County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 18,133.
The Town of Bedford is in the central part of the county. The town has three unincorporated hamlets: Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah.
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History
The Town of Bedford was founded on December 23, 1680 when twenty-two Puritans from Stamford, Connecticut purchased a tract of land three miles square known as the "Hopp Ground" from Chief Katonah and several other Indians for coats, blankets, wampum and cloth.
Bedford was made a part of Connecticut in 1697 when a patent fixed the boundaries as a six-mile square and only when King William III of England issued a royal decree in 1700, to settle a boundary dispute, did Bedford became part of New York.
The Town served as the county seat of Westchester County during the American Revolutionary War after the Battle of White Plains until Bedford was burned by the British on July 11, 1779. After the Revolution, Bedford was made one of two seats of County government, alternating with White Plains, until 1870. Westchester County's oldest government building is the Court House in Bedford Village, which was built in 1787 and renovated in the 1960s.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 101.9 km² (39.3 mi²). 96.5 km² (37.2 mi²) of it is land and 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.36% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 18,133 people, 5,731 households, and 4,395 families residing in the town. The population density is 188.0/km² (486.9/mi²). There are 6,020 housing units at an average density of 62.4/km² (161.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 87.50% White, 7.12% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 7.57% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,731 households out of which 41.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% are married couples living together, 6.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% are non-families. 18.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.82 and the average family size is 3.21.
In the town the population is spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $100,053, and the median income for a family is $118,820. Males have a median income of $88,561 versus $47,468 for females. The per capita income for the town is $53,046. 4.9% of the population and 2.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.9% of those under the age of 18 and 3.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Communities and locations in Bedford
- Bedford Center -- A hamlet north of Bedford Village.
- Bedford Village -- A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, also known as Bedford.
- Bedford Hills -- A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town.
- Byram Lake Reservoir -- A small lake on the south town line.
- Cross River Reservoir -- A lake in the northeast part of the town.
- Katonah -- A hamlet at the north town line.
- New Croton Reservoir -- A lake at the western town line.
- Stamford -- A hamlet in the northwest corner of the town.
External links
- Bedford official website (http://www.bedfordny.info/)
- Around and About Bedford New York (http://www.bedfordny.com/)
- Municipal profile from Westchester County Web site (http://www.westchestergov.com/planning/research/Census2000/MunicipalProfiles/Bed.pdf)
- Bedford website directory (http://dir.hudsonvalleysojourner.com/t/Bedford_Hills/)