Carmel (pronounced CAR-mel) is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 34,305.
The Town of Carmel is on the southern border of Putnam County, abutting Westchester County. There are no incorporated villages in the town, although the hamlets of Carmel and Mahopac each have populations sizable enough to be thought of as villages.
The town was settled around 1740 by George Hughson. On the night of April 26, 1777, after learning the news that the British had begun burning nearby Danbury, Connecticut, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington rode her horse, Star, the entire night through the hamlets of Carmel, Mahopac, Kent Cliffs and Farmers Mills, warning those along the way that the British were coming before returning home at dawn. A statue memorializing the "female Paul Revere" sits alongside Lake Gleneida
Carmel was established by splitting from the town of Frederickstown in 1795. Patterson also split from Frederickstown the same year, and the remnant of Frederickstown became known as Kent. Carmel was designated the county seat in 1812. In 1861, a small part of Carmel was taken to be added to the town of Putnam Valley.
The Putnam County Courthouse was built in 1814. It is the second oldest working courthouse in New York State. A landmark on Gleneida Avenue in Carmel, the building has a classical front facade. There was one hanging there in 1844. A jail was added in 1855. A new Putnam County Courthouse was completed in early 2008, located nearby on Gleneida Avenue.
December 4, 1965 – Two passenger planes collided in mid-air killing four people.
July 29, 1971 – A category 2 tornado 1.9 miles (3.1 km) away from the city center caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.
September 1982 – June 1983 – Carmel High School Boys Track star Mike Stahr is ranked first in the USA for the mile run, losing only one high school track race during his junior and senior year. He set state records and was the Millrose mile winner two years in a row.
July 10, 1989 – A category 2 (max. wind speeds 113–157 mph) tornado 0.7 miles (1.1 km) away from the Carmel town center traveled east across Fair Street near the King's Grant condos, injured five people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.
September 11, 2001 – eight Carmel residents died in the September 11 terrorist attacks: Police Officer Stephen Patrick Driscoll, Firefighter Daniel Harlin, Firefighter Thomas Joseph Kuveikis, Firefighter Robert Minara, George Paris of Cantor Fitzgerald, Firefighter Christopher Blackwell, David Fodor of Fiduciary Trust, and Firefighter George Cain. The town has a memorial dedicated at Spain-Cornerstone Park on the corner of Fair Street and Route 52.
2002 – A scene for the Adam Sandler movie Mr. Deeds was filmed at the Wendy's in the Putnam Plaza. Although most of the scene was edited from the film, they do show the helicopter sitting in the parking lot in the movie.
April 27–28, 2007 – The Town of Carmel hosted a two-day militia encampment along Lake Gleneida. The event celebrated the 230th anniversary of the heroism of Sybil Ludington.
Carmel is governed by a Town Supervisor and the Town Board. The Carmel Town Hall is located at 60 McAlpin Avenue in Mahopac. Primary law enforcement services in Carmel are provided by the Carmel Police Department.
George Fischer Middle School is Carmel's primary Middle School. Built in 1963, it was named after a former school board member, George F. Fischer. It contains a large number of students (1,000+), and contains grades 5–8. It is notable for its music program.
Constructed in 1929, Carmel High School, which serves 1,843 students, is located on Fair Street across the street from the post office in the heart of town. The original building had four additions built over the years. One was built in 1936 with money from the New Deal. One was built in 1969, and another in 1980. The fourth was opened in September 2007. The new wing holds science classrooms and a library.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.7 square miles (105 km2), of which 36.1 square miles (93 km2) is land and 4.6 square miles (12 km2) is water. The total area is 11.26% water.
The south town line is the border of Westchester County, New York. The town is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City (measured from Central Park) and approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of Danbury, Connecticut.
Notable sites and organizations
Arms Acres is a 129-bed residential alcoholism and substance abuse treatment facility founded in 1982 by American philanthropist Winifred Arms, situated on a 54-acre (220,000 m2) site also on Seminary Hill Road.
Centennial Golf Club is a 27-hole championship course on 340 acres (1.4 km2), located on John Simpson Road.
Gilead Cemetery has marked gravestones dating back to 1766, and was a principal burying ground to the community throughout the nineteenth century, including that of Enoch Crosby, a Revolutionary War soldier
Putnam Hospital Center, which opened in 1964, is a 164-bed not-for-profit acute care hospital on Stoneleigh Avenue.
Reed Memorial Library was dedicated in 1914 and was built by Arrietta Crane Reed in memory of her late husband, William Belden Reed. It sits at the intersection of Routes 6 and 52.
Smalley's Inn & Restaurant, originally built in 1852 by Colonel Thomas Taylor, is located on Route 52 (Gleneida Avenue).
The 9/11 Memorial at Spain-Cornerstone Park on the corner of Fair Street and Route 52 dedicated to the eight Carmel residents who died in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
Communities and locations in Carmel
Baldwin Place – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
Carmel – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town and home to the seat of Putnam County.
Carmel Hills – A hamlet south of Carmel village.
Crafts – once a hamlet of Carmel with its own Post Office, off of Drewville Road, south of Route 6, named after the Craft Family, descendants of Pilgrims.
Field Corners –
Hopkins Corners –
Houseman Corners –
Mahopac – A hamlet where the town government is located.
Mahopac Falls – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
Mahopac Mines – Abandoned mines on the east side of town near the old Ames building.
Mahopac Point – The eastern-most section of Carmel
McLaughlin Acres –
Rock Hill Camp – A Girl Scout camp opened in 1922, located in Mahopac on Long Pond.
The Sedgewood Club – (Previously the Carmel Country Club) A private community with golf and tennis facilities near the Hamlet of Carmel,
Secor Corners –
Stillwater – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
Tilly Foster – A hamlet southeast of Carmel village near the east town line
Total Population: 33,196
Males, 49.0%; Females – 51.0%
Median Age: 40.1 years
By Race
White, 90.5%;
Hispanic, 8.0%,
Asian, 3.0%;
Black or African American, 1.0%;
Other Race, 2.7%
Average Household Size: 2.99
Median Household Income: $105,406(2015)
Per Capita Income: $42,034 (2015)
High School Graduation Rate: 94.1%
College Graduation Rate: 42.1%
Source: US Census
Governor Andrew Cuomo, elected 2011
US Senator Charles Schumer, elected 1999
US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, elected 2009
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, elected 2013
State Senator Terrence P. Murphy, elected 2014
Assemblyman Kevin Byrne, elected 2016
County Executive MaryEllen Odell, elected 2011
County Legislator William Gouldman (District 2), elected 2014
County Legislator Carl L. Albano (District 5), elected 2011
County Legislator Joseph Castellano (District 7), elected 2012
County Legislator Dini Lobue (District 8), elected 2009
County Legislator Neal Sullivan (District 9), elected 2016
Town Supervisor Kenneth Schmitt, elected 2010
Town Councilman Frank D. Lombardi, elected 2010
Town Councilwoman Suzanne McDonough, elected 2010
Town Councilman John D. Lupinacci, elected 2012
Town Councilman Jonathan Schneider, elected 2012
Lou Albano ("Captain Lou"), professional wrestler/manager
William Francis Bailey, Wisconsin politician and judge
Robert Bondi, third County Executive of Putnam County
Leo Burmester, stage and television actor
Dave Fleming ("Mr. Mahopac"), professional baseball player (pitcher)
Ryan Kelly, professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers
Larry Laoretti, professional golfer
Caleb McLaughlin, star of Stranger Things
Tom Newton, running back New York Jets
Jim Ryan, former Good Day New York anchor
Sabrina Vega, USA Gymnastics Senior National Team member
