| Halcott, New York | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Etymology: | Early settler |
| Image Map1: | New York in United States (US48).svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of New York in the United States |
| Coordinates: | 42.1906°N -74.4858°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Name2: | Catskills |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Greene |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1851 |
| Government Type: | Town Hall |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | A. Innes Kasanof (D, R) |
| Leader Title1: | Supervisor |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 59.68 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 23.04 |
| Area Land Km2: | 59.68 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 23.04 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1760 |
| Elevation Max Ft: | 3600 |
| Elevation Max Point: | Bearpen Mountain |
| Elevation Min Ft: | 1700 |
| Elevation Min Point: | Vly Creek at Delaware County line |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 249 |
| Timezone1: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset1: | -5 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code |
| Postal Code: | 12430 |
| Area Code: | 845 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-039-31379 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 36-31379 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 0979034 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
Halcott is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 249 in 2020, down from 258 at the 2010 census.[3] The town is in the southwestern corner of the county.
The first recorded settlers, the Valkenburg family, arrived around 1813, although some non-permanent settlers had attempted to live in the area about 1790. The town was established in 1851 from the town of Lexington. It was named for sheriff George W. Halcott.[4]
In 1900, the town population was 272.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23sqmi, all land. Halcott is in the Catskill Mountains. The western and southern town lines are the border of Delaware County. The northern and eastern borders are the range of mountains from Bearpen Mountain to Halcott Mountain, beyond which lies the neighboring town of Lexington. The town of Halcott is basically the valley of Vly Creek, and ringed by mountains on three sides. Most access to the town is from the south, via the Delaware County village of Fleischmanns.
The pass between Bearpen and neighboring Vly Mountain is traversed by Halcott Mountain Road, an unimproved county highway which reaches at the col, making it the highest elevation free public through road in New York State. It is also the only route between Halcott and the rest of Greene County. Like Hardenburgh in nearby Ulster County, to reach the rest of the county via a paved road one must leave and go through a portion of either Ulster or Delaware counties.
Due to this geographic isolation, Halcott is the only place in Greene County whose telephones are in the 845 area code.
At the 2000 census,[5] there were 193 people, 84 households and 54 families residing in the town. The population density was 8.4 per square mile (3.2/km2). There were 288 housing units at an average density of 12.5 per square mile (4.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.45% White, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 84 households, of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.70.
Age distribution was 18.7% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.3 males.
The median household income was $31,094, and the median family income was $40,000. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,627. About 14.5% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.4% of those 65 or over.