Ghent, New York | |
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Town | |
Taconic State Parkway in Ghent
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Location of Ghent, New York |
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Coordinates: 42°18′56″N 73°38′57″W / 42.31556°N 73.64917°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New York |
County | Columbia |
Government | |
• Type | Town Council |
• Town Supervisor | Michael Benvenuto (R) |
• Town Council |
Members' List
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Area | |
• Total | 45.4 sq mi (117.6 km2) |
• Land | 45.1 sq mi (116.9 km2) |
• Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) |
Elevation | 404 ft (123 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 5,402 |
• Density | 120/sq mi (46.2/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 12075 |
Area code(s) | 518 |
FIPS code | 36-28871 |
GNIS feature ID | 0979000 |
Website | townofghent |
Ghent is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States, with a ZIP code of 12075. The population was 5,402 at the 2010 census. Ghent is centrally located in the county and is northeast of the city of Hudson.
Around 1735, early settlers, exploiting areas cleared by the natives, moved into the area. In 1818, the town of Ghent was founded from parts of the towns of Chatham, Claverack, and Kinderhook. The name has its origin in the Belgian city Ghent. Located at Ghent is the historic Van Valkenburgh-Isbister Farm, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.4 square miles (117.6 km2), of which 45.1 square miles (116.9 km2) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km2), or 0.59%, is water.
The Taconic State Parkway crosses the southeast corner of the town.
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,276 people, 2,020 households, and 1,397 families residing in the town. The population density was 116.8 people per square mile (45.1/km²). There were 2,244 housing units at an average density of 49.7 per square mile (19.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.93% White, 1.10% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.