Kingston (town), New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kingston
Town
Town of Kingston
Location in Ulster County and the state of New York.
Kingston Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Ulster
Area
• Total	7.75 sq mi (20.07 km2)
• Land	7.70 sq mi (19.95 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)  0.64%
Elevation	476 ft (145 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	933
• Density	121.17/sq mi (46.77/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	12401-12402
Area code(s)	845
FIPS code	36-39738
GNIS feature ID	0979119

Kingston is a small town located in Ulster County, New York, United States. It's often called the Town of Kingston to tell it apart from the nearby City of Kingston. The town is in the northeastern part of Ulster County, just north of the city. You'll also find Kingston inside the beautiful Catskill Park. In 2020, about 933 people lived in the Town of Kingston.

History of Kingston

The original settlement that would become Kingston began around 1611. It started as a military post. This early settlement is now part of the City of Kingston. The town officially formed in 1667 and its status was confirmed again in 1702. Today, the Town of Kingston does not share a border with the City of Kingston.

Over time, parts of the Town of Kingston were used to create other towns. In 1811, parts became the Towns of Esopus and Saugerties. Later, in 1827, the City of Kingston was formed from parts of the town. In 1879, the Town of Woodstock was also created from Kingston's land.

The business of quarrying stone brought many new people to the town. These workers, often immigrants, settled in the small communities within Kingston.

Sawkill Community History

The community of Sawkill gets its name from "sawmills" and "kill," which is the Dutch word for creek.

In 1765, William Legg bought about 100 acres of land along the Saw Kill creek. This was one of the first land purchases in what is now the Town of Kingston. Legg built a sawmill and a house. His family lived there for 88 years. It's said they even ground wheat for the Continental Army at their mill. Many sawmills and grist mills (for grinding grain) were built along the Saw Kill River by the late 1700s. However, milling became less profitable by the end of the 1800s.

James Gaddis later owned the land. He continued the milling operations. He didn't want people to quarry (dig for stone) on his land. But in the 1880s, a fire destroyed both his house and mill. Needing money to rebuild, Gaddis allowed bluestone quarrying on the Saw Mill creek ledge. So much stone was dug that it moved the waterfalls near the mill back by 300 feet!

Another mill, Howe's Mill, was also on the Saw Kill. It used water power from a dam at Little Falls. This mill made gunpowder, and explosions happened often. The mill mostly stayed in one piece and kept working until the 1860s, when lightning struck it.

Bluestone quarrying grew a lot in 1828 when the Delaware and Hudson Canal was being built. Bluestone was used for sidewalks in big cities like New York City, Albany, and Kingston. It was even shipped all over the world. Business owners bought the rocky land and brought in many unskilled workers, mostly Irish immigrants, from Manhattan. Sawkill became a "quarry-town" with houses owned by the quarry companies.

In the 1900s, railroads helped bring tourists to the area. During the summers, many farmers would rent rooms to people visiting from the city. The beautiful scenery and good trout fishing in the Saw Kill and other creeks attracted many visitors.

Geography of Kingston

The United States Census Bureau says the Town of Kingston covers about 7.8 square miles (20.07 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 7.8 square miles (19.95 square kilometers), is land. A small part, about 0.1 square miles (0.13 square kilometers), is water. This means about 0.64% of the town is water.

Population Information

2010 Census Data

In 2010, the town's population was 889 people. Most residents, about 93.02%, were White. About 3.94% were Black or African American. A small number were Native American (0.34%) or Asian (1.24%). About 0.56% were from other racial groups, and 0.90% were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 3.1% of the population.

2020 Census Data

By 2020, the population had grown slightly to 933 people. The racial makeup showed some changes. About 87.67% of residents were White. About 1.07% were Black or African American. There were also 0.21% Native American and 1.29% Asian residents. About 1.39% were from other racial groups, and a larger group, 8.36%, identified as two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 6.86% of the population.

Communities and Locations

Here are some of the smaller communities and important places within the Town of Kingston:

• Halihan Hill – A small community located north of Sawkill.
• Jockey Hill – Another small community, found west of Sawkill.
• Saw Kill – This is a stream that flows through the middle of the town. It eventually joins the Esopus River.
• Sawkill – A community located near the center of the town, along Route 30 and the Saw Kill stream.
• Stony Hollow – This was once a small community located on Route 28.
• Sweet Meadows – A community near the western border of the town, on the south side of the Saw Kill stream.

See also

• Kingston, New York
• In Spanish: Kingston (pueblo) para niños