| Official Name: | Pleasant Valley, New York |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Coordinates: | 41.7442°N -73.8244°W |
| Mapsize: | 220px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Dutchess |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Town Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | Mary Albrecht (R) |
| Leader Title1: | Town Council |
| Leader Name1: | Phil Iapachino (D)Jennifer Chapman (R)Dan Degan (WOR)Michael Rifenburgh (R) |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 85.83 |
| Area Land Km2: | 84.37 |
| Area Water Km2: | 1.46 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 33.14 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 32.58 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.56 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 9799 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Elevation Ft: | 211 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 12569 |
| Area Code: | 845 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-027-58695 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 979378 |
Pleasant Valley is a town in Dutchess County, within the Hudson Valley of New York, United States. The population was 9,799 at the 2020 census.[2] The town is centrally located in the county, northeast of the city of Poughkeepsie. U.S. Route 44 passes through the town.
Settlers began arriving after 1735. The town was part of the Great Nine Partners Patent of 1697. The town was formed in 1821 from part of the town of Clinton.[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 85.8sqkm, of which 84.4sqkm is land and 1.5sqkm, or 1.7%, is water.[4]
A section of U.S. Route 44 goes through the town in a southwestern-northeastern direction. It intersects with the Taconic State Parkway, a north–south highway, in the northern part of the town.
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 9,066 people, 3,467 households, and 2,485 families residing in the town. The population density was 275.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 3,614 housing units at an average density of 109.8sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 95.46% white, 1.93% black or African American, .12% Native American, .64% Asian, .02% Pacific Islander, .83% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.65% of the population.
There were 3,467 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $54,578, and the median income for a family was $62,264. Males had a median income of $47,647 versus $31,496 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,942. About 3.9% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
The Pleasant Valley Free Library was founded in 1903, and originally operated under State Charter and was governed by five trustees.[6] The library has moved locations twice, the first time after it burned in 1913, and the second in 1974, where it remains currently.[7] The library offers adult, young adult, and children's materials in the form of books, audiobooks, music CDs, and DVDs. There are eight public computers available for use, as well as two public computers in the young adult area. Additionally, the library offers services such as printing, faxing, photocopying, and tech help.[8] Digital services offered by the library include Overdrive, Inc., Hoopla, and NovelNY, among others.[9]
The library's programming includes book discussion groups, children's storytimes, in-depth tech help, and yoga.
On November 6, 2018, an electrical fire started in the basement of the library and spread through the walls to the upper floor.[10] It was estimated that the library lost about 52,000 items in the collection, primarily due to smoke damage, though in the year after the fire, the library acquired 30,000 items mostly through donations.[11] The historic building, built in the 1870s, required about $3 million dollars to rebuild and expand, and finally reopened in early February 2022.[12]
The Pleasant Valley Free Library Board of Trustees currently has 12 members, though it can have up to 13, and the Board meets on the third Thursday of each month.[13]