Livingston Manor, New York

Livingston Manor is a hamlet (and a census-designated place) in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2010 census.

Livingston Manor is in the south part of the Town of Rockland, adjacent to New York State Route 17.

History
The community capitalizes on the illustrious Livingston Manor name because Livingston family members and descendants had a house there. However it was not part of the original manor, which was about 60 mi east in Dutchess and Columbia counties, extending on both sides of the Hudson River.

The Sullivan County community was part of the Hardenbergh patent in 1716, which included much of the Catskill Mountains.

In 1750 Robert Livingston (1708–1790) bought 95000 acre in the area shortly after becoming the third (and final) Lord of the Manor of Livingston Manor. Most of the land would be sold or leased by 1780. Robert's third son, John Robert Livingston (1775–1851), deeded 8441 acre to his nephew, Dr. Edward R. Livingston, in 1822 around the area then called Purvis, New York.

Edward Livingston died in 1864. Purvis was renamed as Livingston Manor in 1882. Edward Livingston's residence, according to a sign in the village, was on a site now occupied by the village firehouse. Another town source says that it was on a site later developed as the Rockland, New York Town Hall. In the 1930s a Livingston descendant arrived in Livingston Manor claiming title to his ancestral land, which had previously been held by tenants. He won his case in court, and the people whose ancestors had been tenants had to purchase the property they had been living on for years. Other early settlers were the Benton family, who immigrated from Essex, England in the mid 1600s, settling in Guilford,CT. Records show some of their descendants arrived in Sullivan County in the late 1700s from Connecticut, purchasing a large tract of land in what is now known as the Township of Liberty. They were likely Scots-Irish in ancestry. They took on many jobs in Sullivan County. Other landed families settling in the surrounding area were the Bascoms, Stewarts, Wests, Harringtons, Williams, Cochrans, Motts, Kimballs, Darbees, Woodards, Barnharts, and Joselyns. Some of these families descendants still reside in the area.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the village attracted immigrants from eastern Europe. Jewish immigrants founded the Agudas Achim Synagogue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Fly fishing in the United States
The area claims to be the "birthplace of fly-fishing in the United States" largely because of trout fishing on the 27 mi-long Willowemoc Creek. It flows between the village and Roscoe, New York, where it intersects the Beaver Kill. The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum is on the north edge of the town on the Willowemoc Creek.



Today fish stocks in the Catskills are managed by state wildlife agents. All of the stocked fish (1 million pounds each year) for the Catskills, as well all the reservoirs in the New York City water supply, are bred at the Catskill Fish Hatchery just northeast of Livingston Manor in DeBruce, New York.

Since 2004, the community has sponsored an annual Trout Parade (organized by the Catskill Art Society and the Chamber of Commerce). It has been compared to the Mermaid Parade.

Education
Livingston Manor Central School District manages the public schools in the township. They consist of Livingston Manor Central School (middle and high school) and Livingston Manor Elementary School.

Geography
Livingston Manor is located at 41.89611°N, -74.82722°W (41.896061, -74.827348). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.1 sqmi, all land.

Downtown
The downtown of Livingston Manor, mostly along Main Street, has several restaurants, a large grocery store, several art and antique shops. It is the scene of an annual "trout parade" in June that draws marching bands, fire trucks and other local amusements. The Catskill Art Society runs a non-profit multi-arts venue on Main Street, the CAS Arts Center, which offers exhibits on view in their galleries and fine arts classes to the community.

Flood problems
The Willowemoc Creek that runs through town cause flooding issues with the rain and storms that hit Livingston Manor.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,355 people, 515 households, and 330 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 437.6 per square mile (168.8/km2). There were 619 housing units at an average density of 199.9/mi2 (77.1/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.39% White, 6.20% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 5.09% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.81% of the population.

There were 515 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,159, and the median income for a family was $29,167. Males had a median income of $22,250 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,047. About 22.0% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.6% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Livingston Manor has an excellent Volunteer Fire Department and Volunteer Basic Life Support Ambulance Corps.

Notable people

 * John Mott, winner of the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize, born in Livingston Manor
 * Irving Berlin owned a 50-acre farm located in the town.

Houses of worship

 * Agudas Achim Synagogue
 * Methodist Church
 * Presbyterian Church
 * Cornerstone Community Church (Grooville Free Methodist)
 * Main Street Bible Fellowship
 * Saint Aloysius Catholic Church /De Bruce branch of Catholic Church open in summer.
 * Our Lady of Lourdes Monastery
 * Willowemoc Baptist Church
 * Lew Beach Community Church