| Salem | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Mapsize: | 260px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Washington |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 135.77 |
| Area Land Km2: | 135.62 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.15 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 52.42 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 52.36 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.06 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2612 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Coordinates: | 43.15°N -92°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes[3] |
| Area Code: | 518 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-115-64782 |
Salem is a town in eastern Washington County, New York, United States.[3] It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.[4] The town population was 2,612 at the 2020 census.[5] The town of Salem contains a hamlet also named Salem, formerly an incorporated village.[3]
Salem was first settled in 1761 by Joshua Conkey and James Turner, who as soldiers in the French and Indian War, passed through the territory. In 1764, Alexander and James Turner acquired a patent which was soon divided up between the New Englanders from Pelham, Massachusetts and a group of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, led by Dr Thomas Clark[6] from Ballybay, County Monaghan, Ireland.
The Charlotte County and White Creek militia used Salem as its base in 1776.
The 123rd Volunteer Regiment was recruited from Salem during the Civil War.
The Alexander McNish House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and Martin–Fitch House and Asa Fitch Jr. Laboratory in 2014.[7] [8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 52.5 square miles (136.0 km2), of which 52.5 square miles (135.9 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.10%) is water.
The eastern town line is the border of Vermont, and the beginning of New England proper. Part of the western and southern town boundaries are defined by the Batten Kill, a tributary of the Hudson River that has its beginnings in Vermont.
NY Route 29 joins NY Route 22 at Greenwich Junction, and Route 22 continues north into the town of Hebron.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,702 people, 1,065 households, and 740 families residing in the town. The population density was 51.5sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,285 housing units at an average density of 9.5 persons/km2 (24.5 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 98.11% White, 0.93% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,065 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 30.5% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% 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 2.93.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,227, and the median income for a family was $45,668. Males had a median income of $32,821 versus $22,167 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,499. 8.3% of the population and 5.6% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.1% are under the age of 18 and 5.9% are 65 or older.