Port Dickinson, New York

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Port Dickinson is a village in Broome County, New York, USA. The population was 1,697 at the 2000 census.

The Village of Port Dickinson lies within the Town of Dickinson and is north of Binghamton.

1 History
2 Geography
- 2.1 Adjacent towns and areas
- 2.2 Flooding history
3 Demographics
4 Recreation
5 External links

[edit] History

The Village of Port Dickinson was incorporated in 1876. The village was a port on the now-defunct Chenango Canal. It is now a suburb of Binghamton. Port Dickinson is the only named community in the Town of Dickinson.

[edit] Geography

Port Dickinson is located at 42°8′14″N, 75°53′40″W (42.137175, -75.894321)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²). 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (7.35%) is water.

New York State Route 7 is a major highway through the village. Port Dickinson is near the junctions of major highways, including Interstate 81, Interstate 88, and New York State Route 17.

[edit] Adjacent towns and areas

The Town of Fenton borders Port Dickinson on the North, while the City of Binghamton borders it on the South. It is bordered on the West by the Chenango River, and on the East by the Town of Kirkwood.

[edit] Flooding history

Several major floods have occurred in the area. An earth levee along the Chenango River and Phelps Creek and the channel excavation of Phelps Creek in 1943 by the US Army Corps of Engineers helped reduce the devastation that was brought on by earlier floods of the Susquehanna River basin. These floods included ones in 1810, 1865, 1889, 1894, 1935, 1936, and, most recently, 2006. In 1949, the US Army Corps of Engineers excavated a 1,300 foot pilot channel and removed foundation pilings along the Chenango River. Minor floods have occurred since then about once every 10 years, although the average length between floods is 20 years for the Chenango River in general.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,697 people, 734 households, and 438 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,040.0/km² (2,687.0/mi²). There were 799 housing units at an average density of 489.7/km² (1,265.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.70% White, 1.24% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

There were 734 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the village the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $38,393, and the median income for a family was $44,779. Males had a median income of $35,870 versus $25,726 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,667. About 3.4% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Recreation

There are a few recreational facilities in the Village. The Jeanne and John D. Wilfley Community Park is a reclaimed flood plain adjacent to the Chenango River. It was named, at first, the Port Dickinson Community Park. However, in 2000, with the news of Mayor Wilfley retiring, the Village renamed the park to remember him in our everyday lives. The Park is accessible from Chenango Street, which is above the filled-in Chenango Canal. I-88 passes over the park. There is a .75-mile walking trail along the perimeter of the park. The Park also has an extension at the intersection of Chenango Street and Beacon Ave. The King Ave park is not officially recognized, as is the same with Wayne Ave Field, by the Village, but the residents of the Village treat them with the same due respect as is necessary for all parks. The Jeanne and John D. Wilfley Community Park has .75 miles of walking trails, a pavilion with picnic tables and several charcoal grills, 2 tennis courts, a basketball court, 2 squash courts, 2 baseball fields, a soccer field and restroom facilities. The Beacon Ave extension features several picnic tables. The Wayne Ave park has a baseball field. The King Ave park features the Port Dickinson Community Association's headquarters, restroom facilities, 2 baseball fields, and a softball field.