The prospect of finding work with the Pennsylvania Coal Company attracted many to Port Ewen. Port Ewen was served by the West Shore Railroad, which shipped, among other freight, high explosives produced by the Nitro Powder Company in Kingston.[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2), of which 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (26.97%) is water.
Updated information from the 2020 census is available.
As of the 2000 census,[5] there were 3,650 people, 1,475 households, and 982 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,867.3 inhabitants per square mile (721.0/km2). There were 1,564 housing units at an average density of 800.1 per square mile (308.9/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.40% White, 2.68% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population.
There were 1,475 households in 2000, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the CDP, the population in 2000 was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in 2000 was $41,949, and the median income for a family was $50,208. Males had a median income of $37,043 versus $27,583 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,040. About 5.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
Sojourner Truth was a slave in West Park, a few miles south of the hamlet, also within Esopus. She was enslaved for a time and forced to work at the tavern in town. Truth was enslaved by Martinus Schryver from 1808-1810, until he sold her to John Dunlap, also of West Park. Truth escaped in 1826. A statue of her now stands at the corner of Broadway and Salem Street.
