| Official Name: | Hancock, New York |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Motto: | "Gateway to the Upper Delaware" |
| Pushpin Map: | New York#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Hancock |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of New York |
| Coordinates: | 41.9553°N -75.2875°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Delaware |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Town Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | Jerry Vernold |
| Leader Title1: | Town Council |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 419.10 |
| Area Land Km2: | 411.36 |
| Area Water Km2: | 7.75 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 161.82 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 158.83 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 2.99 |
| Elevation M: | 281 |
| Elevation Ft: | 922 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2764 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 13783, 13774, 13756, 12760, 12776, 13856 |
| Area Code: | 607 845 570 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-025-31951 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0952148[3] |
Hancock is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The town contains a village, also named Hancock. The town is in the southwest part of the county. The population was 2,764 at the 2020 census.[4] The town is the largest by area in Delaware County. The town borders two other counties, Sullivan County, NY, to the south and Wayne County, PA, to the west. The town is located partially in the Catskill Park.
This town was established in 1806 from part of the town of Colchester. It is named for John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of the Independence.[5]
The town of Hancock, NY, has a rich history of many things, including sports. Perhaps the most popular sports are baseball and fishing. Fly fishing is extremely popular due to the Upper Delaware River (UDR), which flows right through the town. The River is a large economic engine that powers many businesses in Hancock and neighboring areas. The Hancock Golf Course was designed in 1941 by famed golf architect, Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
Baseball has been a part of Hancock for generations. A local Hancock native, Eddie Murphy, was a professional baseball player in the major leagues. "Honest Eddie" Murphy appeared in three World Series during his time in the MLB. Most recently, Hancock Central School joined forces with Deposit Central School for all sports, in 2016. The new sporting programs played under the name of, the D-H Eagles. Prior to that, from 2010 to 2015, the Hancock Wildcats won six section 4 baseball championships in a row. During the 2013 and 2014 season, they fell short of the state championship in the final game. In 2014 they fell to Smithtown Christian 7-4 in the state championship game. After many years of grind and determination, joining forces with Deposit in 2016, and falling in the state semi finals in 2017, the D-H Eagles final broke through and won their first State Championship. D-H defeated Fort Plain 9-3.
The southwestern town line, delineated by the Delaware River, is the border of Pennsylvania. The East Branch of the Delaware flows from east to west across the town, joining the West Branch at Hancock village to form the Delaware River proper. Upstream from Hancock village, the town line and state line are formed by the West Branch. NY Route 17 passes through the town, with access from Exits 87 through 90.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 419.1sqkm, of which 411.3sqkm is land and 7.8sqkm, or 1.85%, is water.[6]
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 3,449 people, 1,390 households, and 913 families residing in the town. The population density was 21.6sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 2,512 housing units at an average density of 15.8sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 96.69% White, 0.70% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.
There were 1,390 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.1% 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 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,449, and the median income for a family was $37,125. Males had a median income of $28,259 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,057. About 8.4% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.