Rochester is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 7,313 at the 2010 census. The Town of Rochester is an interior town located near the center of Ulster County. The northwest part of the town is in the Catskill Park. U.S. Route 209 passes across the town.
History
Mombaccus was the Dutch name for the area that became the Town of Rochester. It was first settled by Europeans in 1672. The name Rochester began with the issuance of a land patent in 1703. It became a Town in 1788 and the formal establishment of the Town of Rochester occurred in 1803. Parts of Rochester were used to create the Towns of Middletown in 1798, Neversink in 1798, Wawarsing in 1806, and Gardiner in 1853.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, of it are land and of it is covered by water. Rochester lies in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,018 people, 2,688 households, and 1,830 families residing in the town. The population density was 79.4 people per square mile. There were 3,750 housing units at an average density of 42.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 93.42% White, 2.51% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.83% of the population. There were 2,688 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couplesliving together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,071, and the median income for a family was $47,257. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $24,773 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,065. About 8.2% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
