ZIP Code 12508

The 2020 census placed the city total population at 13,769. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Middletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's name came from signal fires lit atop nearby Mount Beacon. Beacon experienced a revival beginning in 2003 with the arrival of Dia Beacon, one of the largest modern art museums in the United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of Dutchess County in the Mid-Hudson Region, approximately 90 miles (140 km) south of Albany, and approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City. During the 1800s, the city became a factory town and was known as "The Hat Making Capital of the US" with nearly 50 hat factories operating at one time. On February 25, 2010, a massive snowstorm affected the city and surroundings and Mayor Steve Gold enacted a State of Emergency due to excess snow accumulations in excess of three feet. The City of Beacon was without natural gas and electricity for over two days due to the snowstorm, and the city was without electricity and natural gas for over three days after the storm, as a result of power outages. It was the first city in the U.S. to be named after the historic beacon fires that blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Continental Army of British troop movements in the Revolutionary War. The name Beacon was so named to commemorate the historic Beacon beacon fires, which were lit from Mount Beacon in 1709.

History

Beacon was founded in 1683 by merchant-fur traders from New York City. The city's name came from signal fires lit atop nearby Mount Beacon. Beacon is home to one of a handful of operating "dummy lights" in the United States, located at the intersection of Main and East Main Streets. It is a traffic signal on a pedestal which sits in the middle of an intersection, dating back to the 1920s. In the 1800s, the city became a factory town and was known as "The Hat Making Capital of the US" with nearly 50 hat factories operating at one time. In 2003, Beacon began an artistic and commercial rebirth with the opening of Dia Beacon, one of the world's largest contemporary art museums. In February 2010, a massive snowstorm affected the city and surroundings. On February 25, Mayor Steve Gold enacted a State Of Emergency, due to total snow accumulations in excess of three feet. On the same day, Beacon was without electricity and natural gas services for over two days. It was the first city in the U.S. to be declared a state of emergency, and the first in New York State to do so. The state of New York is the second largest city in America, after New Jersey. It has a population of 1.2 million, making it the third most populous city in New Jersey, behind New York and New York combined. The population of Beacon is 1.3 million. The town's population was 1.4 million in 2010.

Geography

Beacon is located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River. It is located minutes away from Bannerman's Castle and West Point. The city also is located across the river from its larger sister city, Newburgh. Danbury, Connecticut, lies approximately 30 miles to the east, while New York City is 55 years to the south. Beacon is just 20 minutes south of Poughkeepsie, the capital city of Hudson Valley Region, New York state. It was included on the National Register of Historic Places on April 19, 1993. It includes the oldest building in Dutchess County, Madam Brett Homestead, 50 Van Nydeck Avenue, and the Bogardus-DeWindt House. The first several blocks of Main Street east of its junction with South Avenue constitutes the Lower Main Street Historic District and features many small businesses located in vintage Italianate-style buildings. It also is partially populated by elderly fixed income persons in the one high rise building in the complex and welfare recipients in the two-story apartments in the surrounding neighborhood. Beacon has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km²), of which 4.8 sq miles (12 km²) is land and 0.1sq miles (0.26 km²] is water. The total area is 2.25% water. It has a population of 2,816 (2,716 in the 2010 Census). Beacon is located in New York State, which is one of the largest U.S. states in terms of population.

Demographics

The 2010 United States census listed the population at 15,541. The racial makeup of the city was 9,440 or 68.37% White and 4,368 or 31.63% Minority. The minority population was dominated by African Americans at 2,713 residents or 19.65%. Of the total population, 834 residents or 11% of those under the age of 18, and 99 residents or 8.6% ofThose 65 and older, were living below the poverty line. The city's housing stock was currently composed of 10% subsidized housing, of which about 400 units were state and federal housing projects. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.23. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. The median income for a household in the City was $45,236, and the median income. for a family was $53,811. Males had a median income of $40,949 versus $29,154 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,654. 1,465 people or 9.1% of the total number of families were living under the povertyline. The population density was 2,891.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,115.3/km²), based on the census population of 13,808. There were 5,406 housing units at an average density of 1,132.1 per squaremile (436.7/km 2).

Government

Beacon is governed via the mayor-council system. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The city council consists of six members. The City of Beacon participates in the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response. All calls for fire or medical assistance are dispatched by the County. Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps is a combination paid and volunteer agency that provides Basic Life Support and Mobile Life Support Services. They also provide Advanced Life Support medical care within the city. They are a combination Paid and Volunteer Department that provides fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical first response for theCity of Beacon. Their vehicles are dispatched to the call by the county department of emergency response. They have their own ambulance service as well as a fire department. They provide basic life support and mobile life support services. The fire department has its own fire truck and ambulance service. The volunteer ambulance service provides advanced life support medical care. It is based in the city's downtown area. The ambulance service is part of the Beacon Fire Department, which is a combined Paid and volunteer department that provides rescue and fire suppression services. It also provides medical care for the city and its surrounding area. It has a mobile ambulance service, which provides emergency medical care in the event of an emergency. It was founded in the 1990s and is based at the Beacon Medical Center, which was built in the early 1990s. The Fire Department has its headquarters in the downtown area of the city, but has since moved to a new location. It provides emergency response services for the entire city.

Attractions

The Beacon Institute of Rivers and Estuaries is a major river and estuary research institute. Memorial Park is the city's primary park and many civic events are hosted there. The Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park is located on a peninsula jutting out into the Hudson River. The Beacon Sloop Club promotes recreation, sound ecological practices, and environmental awareness. The Town Crier Cafe is a music venue located in the center of the city. The city is home to the Beacon Historical Society, which is in connection with the Bannerman Castle Trust. It is also home to The Beacon Pool, and an outdoor pool that is 140 feet by 50 feet and is open to the community in the summer. It was renamed the River Pool at Beacon in 2014. It offers free rides to the public on the Sloop Woody Guthrie, teaches seamanship to its volunteers, and maintains the harbor. It also offers a free ride on the Beacon Incline Railway, which connects the city to the rest of New York City. There are also a number of museums and institutes in the city, as well as several parks and clubs. The City is also the home of the New York State Museum, which has a collection of more than 1,000 works of art. It has also been known to host the Winter Olympics and the Winter Paralympic Games, which were held in New York in 1998 and 2000. It will also host the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.

Transportation

Beacon's most major route is Interstate 84 (I-84), which passes through the city's north side. The city also has the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge which carries the Interstate Highway over the Hudson River. Commuter service to New York City is available via the Beacon Train Station, served by Metro-North Railroad. Dutchess County Public Transit operates public bus service in and near Beacon on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sunday. The nearest major airport to Beacon is Stewart International Airport about 10 minutes away, in Newburgh. The Mount Beacon Incline Railway was one of the steepest incline railways in existence (a 74% grade) It took an estimated 3.5 million people up to the 1,540-foot (470 m) summit of Mount Beacon. Fire and vandalism destroyed the incline railway. There is now a movement to restore it to its former glory. In the nearby Town of Wappinger, the DutChess County Airport services local commuter flights. The town of Beacon also has its own shuttle service, which runs on Sundays. It is minutes to the Taconic State Parkway, New York State Thruway, and Stewart international Airport. It also has a bus service that runs with limited schedules on Sunday. It has a public library, which is open to the public on Monday through Friday, and a community center that is open on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a bowling alley and a senior center. It was the site of the U.S. Civil War Battle of Beacon, which took place in 1864.

Sports

An amateur rugby club, The Hudson Valley Rebels, are composed of a Women's Rugby team (formed in 2005), and a Men's team (started in 2002). A disc golf ("frisbee golf") course was constructed in the woods and fields of the University Settlement camp in 2011. Beacon High School has a Fitness Center and 25-yard swimming pool run by the Athletic Department that is open to the public for membership. The New York Yankees Minor League Baseball team plays home games in Dutchess Stadium located in neighboring Fishkill (35 minutes north of city). The team, formerly a member of the New YorkPenn League, joined the new High-A East in 2021.The Hudson Valley Bears were one of four founding members of the Eastern Professional Hockey League (200809). They played their home games at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in nearby Poughkeepsie. The Hudson valley Highlanders of the North American Football League played theirhome games at Dietz Stadium in nearby Kingston. The team played their games at Beacon High school, which is located on the Hudson River near the city of New York City. They are a semi-professional basketball team of the National Professional Basketball League (NPL) The team plays their games in the gym at the high school. They also have a football team, the Hudson Valley Highlanders, who play their games on the field at nearby Kingston High School. They play their football games in a stadium located in the nearby town of Kingston.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Beacon, Dutchess County, New York = 43.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 45. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Beacon = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 13,769 individuals with a median age of 37.7 age the population dropped by -1.56% in Beacon, Dutchess County, New York population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,905.47 residents per square mile of area (1,121.81/km²). There are average 2.62 people per household in the 4,979 households with an average household income of $58,492 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.90% of the available work force and has dropped -3.46% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 25.18%. The number of physicians in Beacon per 100,000 population = 237.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Beacon = 43.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 41 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 121. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 167. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 16.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Beacon, Dutchess County, New York which are owned by the occupant = 53.01%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 55 years with median home cost = $239,180 and home appreciation of -0.45%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $20.77 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $7,811 per student. There are 15.6 students for each teacher in the school, 622 students for each Librarian and 498 students for each Counselor. 6.87% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 11.47% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.57% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).