Amenia (town), New York


 * For the unincorporated community, see Amenia (CDP), New York.

Amenia is a town in Dutchess County, United States. New York, United States. The population was 4,436 at the 2010 census. The Town of Amenia is on the east border of the county.

History
The town was part of the Great Nine Partners Patent of 1697, and was first established and settled around 1704. The town was named by American patriot Thomas Young, and the name is derived from the Latin word, amoena, which means "pleasant to the eye." The Town of Amenia was officially formed in 1788.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.6 square miles (112.8 km²), of which, 43.3 square miles (112.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (0.57%) is water.

The east town line is the border of Connecticut. US Route 44 crosses the north part of the town.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,048 people, 1,625 households, and 1,074 families residing in the town. The population density was 93.5 people per square mile (36.1/km²). There were 1,814 housing units at an average density of 41.9 per square mile (16.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.40% White, 2.94% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.77% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.36% of the population. There were 1,625 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,231, and the median income for a family was $51,294. Males had a median income of $32,038 versus $28,769 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,095. About 3.4% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Primary and secondary schools
The Webutuck Central Schools District serves the Town of Amenia. The district serves pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. Schools include Webutuck Elementary School and Webutuck High School.

Two private schools serving the town are Maplebrook School and The Kildonan School. Maplebrook School is a small boarding school serving adolescents and young adults with learning differences. The Kildonan School is a boarding and day school exclusively for students with dyslexia and language based learning differences.

Libraries
The Amenia Public Library serves Amenia. The library was founded in 1938 and has a collection of rare historical books.

Transportation
The main thoroughfare of Amenia is New York State Route 22. State Route 22 runs through every town on the East side of Dutchess County. U.S. Route 44 also passes through Amenia, intersecting Route 22 within the Hamlet of Amenia. Metro-North Railroad has two rail commuter rail stations in Amenia, with service to New York City via the Harlem Line. The Tenmile River station is off Sinpatch Road east of Route 22, and the Wassaic station is 2 mi north of Tenmile River in a swamp. Trains leave every two hours during midday, evenings and weekends. In rush hour, peak-direction trains leave about every 30 minutes. There is no train service into or out of Amenia after midnight.

The town has train service to New York City via the Metro North Railroad. The local train station is called Wassaic, after the hamlet of Wassaic--a part of Amenia.

Notable people

 * John Barlow, (1872–1944), entomologist and college administrator
 * Joel Benton, (1832–1911), poet, resided in Amenia
 * Gail Borden, (1801-1874), inventor of condensed milk, established his first factory in Amenia
 * Michael Cole, (born 1968), television broadcaster for World Wrestling Entertainment
 * Joseph Cummings, (1817-1890), President of Wesleyan University (1857-1875),President of Northwestern University (1881-1890)
 * Obadiah German, (1766–1842), born in Amenia, United States Senator.
 * Erastus Otis Haven, (1820-1881), Bishop of the Methodist Church, formerly Principal of Amenia Seminary (1846), President of the University of Michigan (1863-1869), President of Northwestern University (1869-1872), Chancellor of Syracuse University (1874-1880)
 * Samuel Herrick, (1779–1852), born in Amenia, United States Congressman from Ohio.
 * John Miller, (1774–1862), born in Amenia, physician and United States Congressman from New York.
 * Lewis Mumford, (1895-1990), historian of science, lived and died in Amenia
 * Joel Elias Spingarn, (1875-1939), American educator, literary critic, and civil rights activist, lived in Amenia
 * Frank Stella, (born 1936), painter, resided in Amenia
 * Benjamin Swift, (1781-1847), U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator
 * Thomas Young, (1731–1777), physician, American Revolutionary patriot, participant in the Boston Tea Party. Named both Amenia and the state of Vermont

Communities and locations in Amenia

 * Amenia – A census-designated place and hamlet in the northeast part of the town.
 * Amenia Union – A hamlet on the east town line on the border with Connecticut.
 * Leedsville – A location in the northeast part of the town, east of Amenia (CDP).
 * Sharon Station – A hamlet at the north town line.
 * Smithfield – A hamlet on the town line in the northwest part of the town.
 * South Amenia – A hamlet at the junction of Routes 2 and 3 in the east part of the town.
 * Wassaic – A hamlet in the south central part of the town.
 * Wassaic Creek – A stream on the west side of the town, passing through the community of Wassaic.

Buildings in Amenia listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Buildings in Amenia listed on the National Register of Historic Places include:
 * Beth David Synagogue
 * Indian Rock Schoolhouse
 * Lewis Mumford House
 * Hendrik Winegar House
 * St. Thomas Episcopal Church