Port Jervis, New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Port Jervis
settlement_type = City
nickname = River City, Gateway to the Upper Delaware
motto =


imagesize = 250px
image_caption = A view of Port Jervis showing the Mid-Delaware Bridge to Matamoras, PA at right and New Jersey's High Point on the Kittatinny Ridge in the background.


image_



mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Port Jervis in relation to other cities in the region


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Orange
government_type = Mayor-council
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Gary W. Lopriore
established_title = Settled
established_date = 1690
established_title2 = Incorporated as Village of Peenpack; renamed Port Jervis shortly thereafter
established_date2 = 1853
established_title3 = Re-incorporated as city
established_date3 = 1907
area_magnitude = 1 E8
area_total_sq_mi = 2.7
area_total_km2 = 7
area_land_sq_mi = 2.5
area_land_km2 = 6.6
area_water_sq_mi = 0.6
area_water_km2 = 0.5
area_water_percent = 6.64
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
area_metro_km2 =
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 8860
population_metro =
population_urban =
population_density_km2 = 1346.8
population_density_sq_mi = 3494.1
timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EST
utc_offset_DST = -5
latd = 41 |latm = 22 |lats = 32 |latNS = N
longd = 74 |longm = 41 |longs = 20 |longEW = W
elevation_m = 122
elevation_ft = 400
postal_code_type = ZIP Code
postal_code = 12771
area_code = 845
website = http://www.portjervisny.org
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-59388
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0960971
footnotes =

Port Jervis is an American city in Orange County, New York. The population was 8,860 at the 2000 census.

The City of Port Jervis neighbors the point where the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania adjoin. Port Jervis was a port on the former Delaware and Hudson Canal. It is also known as the "River City." The town is named in honor of John B. Jervis, the chief engineer on the canal.

The communities of Germantown (which is now actually Port Jervis' West End) and Huguenot are adjacent to Port Jervis. The towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the city across the respective state borders. The Orange County Town of Deerpark is to the north.

The town is the home of the last stop on the 95-mile-long (151 km) Port Jervis Line, which is a commuter railroad line from Hoboken, New Jersey and New York City that is contracted to NJ Transit by the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company (the line itself continues on to Binghamton and Buffalo, but passenger service beyond Port Jervis was discontinued in 1966).

History

The first fully developed settlement in the area was established circa 1690, and a land grant of 1,200 acres (4.8 km²) was formalized on October 14 1697. The settlement was originally known as Mahackamack, and was still known as such when it was raided and burned before the Battle of Minisink in 1779. Over the next two decades, the town was rebuilt and more roadways were developed to better connect Mahackamack with the eastern parts of Orange County.

After the construction of the Delaware and Hudson Canal in 1826, trade brought more money and development to the area. A village was incorporated in 1853. The town was renamed Port Jervis in the mid-19th century and grew steadily into the 1900s. On July 26, 1907, it became a city.

Being at the confluence of the Delaware and its largest tributary has sometimes led to flooding problems. Some residents remain displaced after the most recent occurrence in April 2005.

On July 14, 2007, there was a big parade in Port Jervis to celebrate the 100th anniversary of being a city. Fire departments and marching bands from several places came to the event.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Port Jervis include:
*Ed and Lou Banach, 1984 Summer Olympics wrestling Medalists lived in Port Jervis and Graduated from Port Jervis Senior High School. [Rimer, Sara. [http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F60A15FB3B5C0C708CDDA00894DC484D81 "PORT JERVIS CELEBRATES ITS CONQUERING HEROES"] , "The New York Times", September 3, 1984. Accessed October 10, 2007. "The Banach boys, as everyone knows them here, came back home this weekend, and as the townspeople celebrated their own Olympic gold medalists with a day of marching bands, waving flags and heartfelt speeches, all the hard times and disasters Port Jervis had endured seemed at last forgotten."]
*Samuel Fowler (1851-1919), represented New Jersey's 4th congressional district in the U.S. Representative from 1893-1895. [ [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=F000326 Samuel Fowler] , "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". Accessed September 4, 2007.]
*Hunter S. Thompson Gonzo Journalist lived here early in his career, until he was fired from the local newspaper after physically assaulting a vending machine.
*Stephen Crane 19th century American author (1871-1900) wrote the Red Badge of Courage while staying at his brother William's house on East Main Street.
*The Kalin Twins, Hal (1934-2005) and Herbie (1934-2006), one hit wonders in the late 1950's, were born and raised in Port Jervis. They made the top 40 in the U.S. with the rock standard "When" and "Forget Me Not". The former went to number one in the UK.
*The city is the birthplace of Baseball Hall of Famer Bucky Harris.

Geography

Port Jervis is located at coor dms|41|22|32|N|74|41|20|W|city (41.375459, -74.688794)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (6.64%) is water.

The city is on the north bank of the Delaware River. The Neversink, the Delaware's largest tributary, also joins it at this point. The two sometimes flood in periods of heavy rainfall. Near the point where the two rivers merge, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey come together.

US Route 6, US Route 206, NY-42, and NY-97 pass through Port Jervis. Interstate 84 passes by to the south.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 8,860 people, 3,533 households, and 2,158 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,494.1 people per square mile (1,346.8/km²). There were 3,851 housing units at an average density of 1,518.7/sq mi (585.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.4% White, 10.2% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.19% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.5% of the population.

There were 3,533 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.15.In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,241, and the median income for a family was $35,481. Males had a median income of $31,851 versus $22,274 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,525. About 14.2% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

ource

*"Port Jervis, Osterberg and Krakowiak, 2006"

References

External links

* [http://www.portjervisny.org City of Port Jervis]
* [http://www.portjervisny.com PortJervisNY.com]
* [http://web.mac.com/cgriffin66/iWeb/Buzz_Arts_Guide/Buzz_Arts_Guide.html Arts and Culture for the Delaware Highlands]