Pleasant Valley, New York 2025
Pleasant Valley is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 11,771 at the 2020 census. The town is centrally located in the county, part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan statiscal area.
Pleasant Valley was formed by the state legislation on November 17, 1821, from part of the town of Clinton, and was first settled around 1723.
The town contains a hamlet also called Pleasant Valley, which is defined by the U.S.Census Bureau as a census-designated place, with a population of 5,369 at the 2020 census. The Pleasant Valley Hamlet has a post office (zip code 12569) and its own school district.
The town of Pleasant Valley is in the Hudson Valley region of New York. It borders the towns of Clinton, Hyde Park,Poughkeepsie, and Red Hook, as well as the Ulster County town of Esopus. The Hudson River forms part of the town's western border.
The towns of Clinton, Hyde Park, and a part of Poughkeepsie were all formed from parts of the original town of Pleasant Valley before they were towns.
The A. J. M Dorsey House and Community Center, Crum Elbow Farm, First Evangelical Lutheran Church and Cemetery, Locust Lawn Farm, Pleasant Valley School, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery, and Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,757 people, 3,550 households, and 2,604 families residing in the town. The population density was 235.6 people per square mile. There were 3, 830 housing units at an average density of 92.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 90.34% White, 5.97% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.62% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.55% of the population.
As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the town was $53,824, and the median income for a family was $65,750. Males had a median income of $45,016 versus $32,037 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,474. About 3.3% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Pleasant Valley
*Bloodville — A hamlet south of the town.
*Florída—A hamlet east of Pleasant Valley hamlet.
* Hyde Park — A hamlet north of Pleasant Valley hamlet, located on US Route 9.
*Pleasant Valley — A hamlet located in the south part of the town, centered around the intersection of NY Route 44 and NY Route 82.
*Sylvan Lake — A lake in the southeast part of the town.
In summer 2008, parts of the HBO series In Treatment (featuring Gabriel Byrne as the main character) were filmed on Warren Street in Pleasant Valley. The road going past Killian's Restaurant and the Pleasant Valley Town Hall were also used in the production.
The town was featured prominently in the 1995 Hallmark Hall of Fame television presentation of "A Place for Annie", starring, among others, Sissy Spacek,Robert Conforth and Venessa Redgrave.
A portion of the music video "Liberation" by OutKast member Big Boi was shot on location at the abandoned IBM campus in Pleasant Valley in late 2005.
Major employers
- IBM (now closed)
- Entenmann's Bakery (now closed)
- Talbots
- Marshall & Sterling Insurance
- The Anderson Center for Autism
- Arborview at Mount Beacon
- Mobile Life Support Services
- MSG V erified
- Health Quest Medical Practice
- Mount Saint Mary College
Historical Businesses
- Elsworth's Dry Goods Store, now housing the Pleasant Valley Library
- Jesse D Elmore & Sons flour and feed, now housing Marks Manufacturing, Inc.
-Jones Carpet Mill. now the site of H n R Block, located in the hamlet of Pleasant Valley
Education
The town is served by the Pleasant Valley Central School District.The district serves students from the towns of Pleasant Valley and Hyde Park along with part of the town of Poughkeepsie. A piece of the property, previously owned by lumber companies and known as The Gut, was sold for $62,000 in 1938, then used to construct the schools.
Formerly, students from both Hyde Park and Pleasant Valley attended the high school. In 1974, Hyde Park residents voted to join the school system, thus creating the current district. Prior to that, Hyde Park High School taught students from both towns. The hamlets of Hyde Park and Pleasant Valley have separate elementary schools, but one middle and high school are shared.
Notable people
*Stephen Allen (1767–1852), served as a congressman., was born in town.
*John B. Thacher (1813-), former US congressman, was born in town.
*Roger Maris (1931-1985), major league baseball player who lived in the town.
*Gaylord Wilshire (1861-1927), publisher, lived in town while married to a local woman.
*Charles T. Ernst (1823-1886), surgeon during the American Civil War, lived in town after the war.
*Jason D. Cooper (1827-18832), former US congressman, lived in town after his term.
Communities and locations in Pleasant Valley
*Bloodville - A community near the town's southern half.
*Florida - A community south of the town by US 9.
*Hyde Park - A hamlet near the Hudson River and north of the town.
*Pleasant Valley - The main hamlet in the town, by the convergence of US 44 and NY-82.
*Sylvan Lake - A small lake by US-44, near the NY-82 split.