Carmel (pronounced ) is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town had a population of 33,576. The Town of Carmel is on the southern border of Putnam County, abutting Westchester County, approximately 50 mi north of New York City and 10 mi west of Danbury, Connecticut. It has no incorporated villages, although the hamlets of Carmel and Mahopac each have populations sizable enough to be considered villages.

History

The town of Carmel was originally inhabited by Indians of the Wappinger people, who, in 1691, sold the property to Dutch traders. In 1697, a wealthy New York merchant, Adolphus Philipse, purchased their deed and was granted a patent from King William III of England for the entire tract of land which is now Putnam County. 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 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 ride sits alongside Lake Gleneida. Carmel was formed with Franklin town from part of Frederick town on March 17, 1795, while still a part of Dutchess County. (Franklin was renamed Patterson April 6, 1808. Frederick changed its name to Kent April 15, 1817.) Carmel was transferred to Putnam County when Dutchess County was split to form Putnam County in 1812 and Carmel was designated the county seat. In 1861, a small part of Carmel was taken to be added to the town of Putnam Valley.

Putnam County Courthouse

The Putnam County Courthouse was built in 1814. It is the second oldest working courthouse in New York State. General James Townsend, of Carmel, was the architect. 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.

Significant events

Government

Carmel is governed by a Town Supervisor and the Town Board. The Carmel Town Hall is located at 60 McAlpin Avenue in Mahopac.

Emergency services

Law enforcement is primarily handled by the Town of Carmel Police Department, supplemented by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office and the New York State Police. Fire protection services are provided by the Carmel Fire Department, Croton Falls Fire District, Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department, and Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department. Emergency medical services are provided to the town based on nature and location of emergency. Basic life support ambulance service is provided by Carmel Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department, Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department, and North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Advanced life support ambulance and first response service is provided by EMStar Ambulance under contract by Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services.

Education

The Town of Carmel is served primarily by two school districts: Carmel Central School District and Mahopac Central School District. Smaller portions of the town are in Lakeland Central School District, North Salem Central School District, and Brewster Central School District.

Carmel Central School District

Carmel Central School District encompasses 85 square miles and serves approximately 5000 students from six different towns. The district enrolls students from the town of Kent, as well as parts of the towns of Carmel, Putnam Valley, Patterson, Southeast and East Fishkill. 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, including one built in 1936 with money from the New Deal, one in 1969, one in 1980, and one in 2007, which holds science classrooms and a library. St. James the Apostle is a Catholic elementary school in Carmel that opened in 1954.

Mahopac Central School District

Mahopac Central School District has 6 public schools serving 4,138 students in Mahopac, New York. It is divided into five schools: three K-5 schools (Lakeview Elementary School, Fulmar Road Elementary School, and Austin Road Elementary School), a middle school for grades 6–8 (Mahopac Middle School) and a high school for grades 9–12 (Mahopac High School). A nursery school is operated by the district at the Mahopac Falls school. Historically, Mahopac had five one-room school houses that were united into one central school (now Lakeview Elementary School) in 1935. St. John the Evangelist was a Catholic elementary school in Mahopac from 1955 until its closing in 2011. The school building remains with the active Church across the street from Lake Mahopac.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.7 sqmi (88.74%), of which 36.1 sqmi is land and 4.6 sqmi is water (11.26%). The southern town line is the border of Westchester County, adjacent to Somers. The town is located approximately 50 mi north of New York City (measured from Central Park) and approximately 10 mi west of Danbury, Connecticut.

Notable sites and organizations

Communities and locations in Carmel

Demographics

Source: US Census

Notable people