| Westport, New York |
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The Town of Westport is on the eastern border of the county and is south of Plattsburgh . Westport is inside the Adirondack Park . Westport is the birthplace of the Adirondack Chair . Adirondacks: The thrones of summer , by Tom Keyser, Albany Times Union, September 1, 2007. The Essex County Fair is held in the town. Essex County Fair The fairgrounds was added to the National Register Of Historic Places in 2005. Letter notifying the Westport Planning Board, reproduced on the website of the Town of Westport . HISTORY ;Early history In 1642, Jesuit missionary Isaac Jogues was tortured by Iroquois at Coles Bay. He survived and was eventually saved by merchants from New Amsterdam . The town was founded by William Gilliland in 1764 who surveyed an area in the southern part of the town and was granted 2,300 acres; he also established the neighboring towns of Elizabethtown and Willsboro . Gilliland originally called his patent "Bessboro" after his wife. The original settlement, which may have supplied wood to Benedict Arnold 's troops, was completely destroyed during the Revolutionary War in connection with British General John Burgoyne 's march from Canada to Saratoga . The first permanent settlement was in 1785.A Walking Tour Guide to Westport, New York, on Lake Champlain by Jessica Roemiscer, Westport, NY: The Westport Chamber of Commerce and the Westport Historical Society, Discussed in the section on [http://www.theinnonthelibrarylawn.com/The%20history%20of%20westport%20temp.htm section on Historical Background . (Pages not numbered.) ;Incorporation The Town of Westport was established in 1815 from part of the Town Of Elizabethtown . The community of Westport set itself off from the town in 1907 by incorporation. The Village of Westport abandoned this status as an incorporated village in 1992 . ;Westport the resort By the mid-nineteenth century, Westport was a fashionable Resort Town . Its social scene was regularly reported on in The New York Times and by the Boston press. Its popularity declined after the building of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s.A Walking Tour Guide to Westport, New York, on Lake Champlain by Jessica Roemiscer, Westport, NY: The Westport Chamber of Commerce and the Westport Historical Society, {Link without Title} . Discussed in the section on the Westport Inn, which mentions the New York Times feature, "Social Notes from the Westport Inn. Westport is also home to Camp Dudley YMCA, the oldest Summer Camp in continuous operation in the United States, founded in 1885 by Sumner F. Dudley , moved to Westport in 1891. Westport is known as the ice fishing capital of Essex County. GEOGRAPHY According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 173.2 Km&2 (66.9 Mi&2 ). 151.3 km&2 (58.4 mi&2) of it is land and 21.9 km&2 (8.5 mi&2) of it (12.65%) is water. The east town line is formed by Lake Champlain and the border of Vermont . The town is inside the Adirondack Park . New York State Route 9N , New York State Route 22 , and New York State Route 44 are north-south highways in Westport. NY-9N and NY-22 become conjoined in Westport village. Interstate 87 , the Northway, passes across the northwest part of Westport. ;Birding Several sites on the Lake Champlain Birding Trail are located in Westport Lake Champlain Birding Trail High Peaks Audubon Society Trip Reports :
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DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census 2 of 2000, there were 1,362 people, 593 households, and 381 families residing in the town. The Population Density was 9.0/km&2 (23.3/mi&2). There were 887 housing units at an average density of 5.9/km&2 (15.2/mi&2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.65% White , 0.15% African American , 0.29% Native American , 0.73% Asian , 0.15% from Other Races , and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population. There were 593 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were Married Couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,000, and the median income for a family was $49,917. Males had a median income of $31,042 versus $26,550 for females. The Per Capita Income for the town was $22,063. About 5.2% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION See Also: Westport (Amtrak station) Amtrak , the national passenger rail system, provides service to Westport, operating its '' Adirondack '' daily in both directions between Montreal and New York City . A bus connection is available from Westport to Lake Placid, New York . The Amtrak station also houses The Depot Theatre . ;Notable accidents/incidents On bus traveling from New York City to Montreal overturned on the Adirondack Northway in Westport, New York , after suffering a blown tire, killing five and injuring 48. Greyhound bus bound for Montreal crashes , Globe & Mail, August 29, 2006. NOTABLE RESIDENTS Some notable Westport, NY residents, past and present, include:
SEE ALSO COMMUNITIES AND LOCATIONS IN WESTPORT Inhabited locations
Geographical locations
REFERENCES FURTHER READING
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