Carmel, New York

Carmel, New York
Town
View of Carmel from US 6
Location of Carmel, New York
Coordinates: 41°23′6″N 73°43′46″W / 41.38500°N 73.72944°WCoordinates: 41°23′6″N 73°43′46″W / 41.38500°N 73.72944°W
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Putnam
Area
• Total	40.7 sq mi (105.4 km^2)
• Land	36.1 sq mi (93.5 km^2)
• Water	4.6 sq mi (11.9 km^2)  11.26%
Elevation	646 ft (197 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	34,305
• Density	840/sq mi (330/km^2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code(s)	10512 & 10541
Area code(s)	845
FIPS code	36-12529
GNIS feature ID	0978793
Website	www.carmelny.org

Carmel (pronounced CAR-mel) is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 34,305.^[1]

The town of Carmel is on the northern border of Putnam County. There are no incorporated villages in the town, although the hamlets of Carmel and Mahopac each have populations sizable enough to be thought of as villages.

History

The statue of Sybil Ludington on Gleneida Avenue

The original 1814 Putnam County Courthouse

The town was settled around 1740 by George Hughson. On the night of April 26, 1777, after learning the news that the British had begun burning nearby Danbury, Connecticut, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington rode her horse, Star, the entire night through the hamlets of Carmel, Mahopac, Kent Cliffs and Farmers Mills, warning those along the way that the British were coming before returning home at dawn. A statue memorializing the female Paul Revere sits alongside Lake Gleneida

Carmel was established by splitting from the town of Frederickstown in 1795. Patterson also split from Frederickstown the same year, and the remnant of Frederickstown became known as Kent. Carmel was designated the county seat in 1812. In 1861, a small part of Carmel was taken to be added to the town of Putnam Valley.

Putnam County Courthouse

The Putnam County Courthouse was built in 1814. It is the second oldest working courthouse in New York State. A landmark on Gleneida Avenue in Carmel, the building has a classical front facade. There was one hanging in 1844; a jail was added in 1855. A new Putnam County Courthouse was completed in early 2008, located nearby on Gleneida Avenue.

Carmel High School

Significant events

• July 29, 1971 - A category 2 tornado 1.9 miles (3.1 km) away from the city center caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.
• September 1982 - June 1983 - Carmel High School Boys Track star Mike Stahr is ranked first in the USA for the mile run, losing only one high school track race during his junior and senior year. He set state records and was the Millrose mile winner two years in a row.
• July 10, 1989 - A category 2 (max. wind speeds 113-157 mph) tornado 0.7 miles (1.1 km) away from the Carmel town center traveled east across Fair Street near the King's Grant condos, injured five people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.
• August 22, 2000 - A 2.5 magnitude earthquake was felt. The epicenter was located approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northeast of the town of Carmel. People were awakened mainly because of the loud noise as if their oil burner had exploded or there was a truck collision on a road near their house.
• September 11, 2001 - eight Carmel residents died in the September 11 terrorist attacks: Police Officer Stephen Patrick Driscoll, Firefighter Daniel Harlin, Firefighter Thomas Joseph Kuveikis, Firefighter Robert Minara, George Paris of Cantor Fitzgerald, Firefighter Christopher Blackwell, David Fodor of Fiduciary Trust, and Firefighter George Cain. The town has a memorial dedicated at Spain-Cornerstone Park on the corner of Fair Street and Route 52.
• 2002 - A scene for the Adam Sandler movie Mr. Deeds was filmed at the Wendy's in the Putnam Plaza. Although most of the scene was edited from the film, they do show the helicopter sitting in the parking lot in the movie. Wendy's burned to the ground in December 2006. It was recently rebuilt and reopened in September 2007.
• December 2003 - The newly opened "Giggles" adult novelty store and head shop causes controversy due to the nature of its products and its proximity to the Reed Memorial Library, but remains open.
• 2006 - Carmel High School became the subject of news when there were altercations over football rivalries between students of Carmel and Mahopac. The events led to a few game cancellations, as many disagreements became bloody, and began to include adults as well as students.
• April 27–28, 2007 - The town of Carmel hosted a two-day militia encampment along Lake Gleneida. The event celebrated the 230th anniversary of the heroism of Putnam County's teenage Paul Revere, Sybil Ludington.
• September 13, 2008 - In downtown Carmel near the high school was a large fight between students of Carmel and Mahopac High School following a sporting event. Three people were injured.
• November–December 2009 - Following a spike in violent fights and drug use, Carmel High School increased security measures and policies regarding in-school violence and illegal activity, noting that in addition to suspension/expulsion, students would also be subject to arrest.
• June 14, 2010 - An unconfirmed threat of violence caused Carmel High School to be evacuated. The evacuation was in response to a possible threat of a student in possession of a weapon within the school. Authorities searched the school and all students exiting the building, no weapon was found.^[2]
• March 30, 2011 - A 40-year-old Mahopac resident, later identified as convicted bank robber John McCaffrey, was found dead by students in the Carmel High School baseball field dugout. McCaffrey had committed suicide by hanging, and had no connections to anyone in the school.^[3]
• March 14, 2012 - Police received calls claiming that there was a bomb in Carmel High School as well as hostages in a girl's bathroom. The call turned out to be a hoax, but nonetheless the school was searched by heavily armed police.^[4]

Government

Carmel is governed by a town board. The Carmel Town Hall is located at 60 McAlpin Avenue in Mahopac, New York. Primary law enforcement services in Carmel are provided by the Carmel Police Department.

Education

George Fischer Middle School is Carmel's primary Middle School. Built in 1963, it was named after the architect, George Fischer. It contains a large number of students (1,000+), and contains grades 5-8. It is notable for its music program.^[5]

Constructed in 1929, Carmel High School, which serves 1,843 students, is located on Fair Street across the street from the post office in the heart of town. The school had three extensions, one in 1936 with money from the New Deal, one in 1969, and another in 1980. A fourth extension has been finished being built and was completed during the summer of 2007, the new wing fully opened in September 2007. The new wing holds brand new science classrooms and a new library.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.7 square miles (105 km²), of which 36.1 square miles (93 km²) is land and 4.6 square miles (12 km²) is water. The total area is 11.26% water.

The south town line is the border of Westchester County, New York. The town is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City (measured from Central Park) and approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of Danbury, Connecticut.

Notable sites and organizations

• Arms Acres is a 129-bed residential alcoholism and substance abuse treatment facility founded in 1982 by American philanthropist Winifred Arms, situated on a 54-acre (220,000 m²) site also on Seminary Hill Road.
• Carmel High School is the town's high school, part of the Carmel Central School District
• Centennial Golf Club is a 27 hole championship course on 340 acres (1.4 km²), located on John Simpson Road.
• Gilead Cemetery has marked gravestones dating back to 1766, and was a principal burying ground to the community throughout the nineteenth century, including that of Enoch Crosby, a Revolutionary War soldier
• Putnam County Park, a 200-acre (0.81 km²) haven with hiking trails, camp grounds and a lake for swimming and ice skating.
• Putnam Hospital Center, which opened in 1964, is a 164-bed not-for-profit acute care hospital on Stoneleigh Avenue.
• Reed Memorial Library was dedicated in 1914 and was built by Arrietta Crane Reed in memory of her late husband, William Belden Reed. It sits at the intersection of Routes 6 and 52.
• Smalley's Inn & Restaurant, originally built in 1852 by Colonel Thomas Taylor, is located on Route 52 (Gleneida Avenue).
• Town of Carmel Police Department, is the town's local Police force, located on Mcalpin Ave. in Mahopac
• 9/11 Memorial at Spain-Cornerstone Park on the corner of Fair Street and Route 52 dedicated to the eight Carmel residents who died in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.

Communities and locations in Carmel

• Baldwin Place – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
• Carmel – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town and home to the seat of Putnam County.
• Carmel Hills – A hamlet south of Carmel village.
• Crafts – once a hamlet of Carmel with its own Post Office, off of Drewville Road, south of Route 6, named after the Craft Family, descendants of Pilgrims.
• Field Corners –
• Hopkins Corners –
• Houseman Corners –
• Mahopac – A hamlet where the town government is located.
• Mahopac Falls – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
• Mahopac Mines – Abandoned mines on the east side of town near the old Ames building.
• Mahopac Point – The eastern-most section of Carmel
• McLaughlin Acres –
• Rock Hill Camp – A Girl Scout camp opened in 1922, located in Mahopac on Long Pond.^[6]
• The Sedgewood Club – (Previously the Carmel Country Club) A private community with golf and tennis facilities near the Hamlet of Carmel,
• Secor Corners –
• Stillwater – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
• Tilly Foster – A hamlet southeast of Carmel village near the east town line

Demographics

• Total Population: 33,196
• Males, 49.0%; Females - 51.0%
• Median Age: 40.1 years
• By Race
  • White, 90.5%;
  • Hispanic, 8.0%,
  • Asian, 3.0%;
  • Black or African American, 1.0%;
  • Other Race, 2.7%
• Average Household Size: 2.99
• Median Household Income: $105,406(2015^[7])
• Per Capita Income: $42,034 (2015)
• High School Graduation Rate: 94.1%
• College Graduation Rate: 42.1%

Source: US Census ^[8]

Elected officials

• Governor Andrew Cuomo elected 2011
• US Senator Charles Schumer elected 1999
• US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand elected 2009
• Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney elected 2013
• State Senator Gregory R. Ball elected 2011
• Assemblyman Steve Katz elected 2011
• County Executive Mary Ellen Odell elected 2011
• County Legislator Daniel G. Birmingham, 2004-:^[9]
• County Legislator Carl L. Albano:^[10]
• County Legislator Dini Lobue, elected 2009^[11]
• County Legislator Anthony DiCarlo, elected 2011^[12]
• Town Supervisor Kenneth Schmitt, 2010–13
• Town Councilman Frank D. Lombardi, 2010-13^[13]
• Town Councilwoman Suzanne McDonough, 2010-13^[13]
• Town Councilman John D. Lupinacci, elected 2012^[13]
• Town Councilman Jonathan Schneider, elected 2012^[13]

Notable people

• Dave Fleming ("Mr. Mahopac"), professional baseball player (pitcher)
• Lou Albano ("Captain Lou"), professional wrestler/manager
• William Francis Bailey, Wisconsin politician and judge
• Leo Burmester, stage and television actor
• Jim Ryan, former Good Day New York anchor
• Sabrina Vega, USA Gymnastics Senior National Team member
• Ryan Kelly, professional Basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers
• Michael Gray, actor famous for the 1970s TV show Shazam!

References

1. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Carmel town, Putnam County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
2. "Unconfirmed threat forces Carmel High School's early dismissal | The Journal News". lohud.com. 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
3. "Carmel dugout death ruled suicide". NewsTimes. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
4. Nackman, Barbara (2012-03-14). "News | The Journal News". lohud.com. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
5. "George Fischer Middle School - Homepage". Gfms.carmelschools.org. 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
6. Archived October 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
9. "Legislator Dan Birmingham". Putnamcountyny.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
10. "Legislator Carl L. Albano". Putnamcountyny.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
11. "Legislator Dini LoBue". Putnamcountyny.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
12. "Legislator Anthony DiCarto". Putnamcountyny.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
13. Archived March 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.

External links

• Town of Carmel official website
• History of Carmel, NY
• Town of Carmel Police Department
• Carmel Fire Department
• Mahopac Fire Department
• Mahopac Fall Fire Department
• Carmel Volunteer Ambulance Corps
• Reed Memorial Library (Carmel)
• Mahopac Library
• Greater Mahopac-Carmel Chamber of Commerce