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Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, USA. The population was 8,296 at the 2000 census. The name of the town means "Children's Corner" in the language of the original Dutch settlers. The Town of Kinderhook contains a village named Kinderhook, where Martin Van Buren was born. Lindenwald, Martin Van Buren's retirement home, is in the Town of Kinderhook.

Henry Hudson sailed as far north as Kinderhook on his exploration of the Hudson River and named the location "Kinderhoek." He had mixed dealing with the local Mohican natives, ranging from peaceful trade to minor skirmishes. As the Dutch attempted to colonize the area, further warfare broke out with the natives.

Kinderhook was settled around 1750. The Town of Kinderhook was founded in 1788 from a previously created district (1772), but lost substantial territory to form part of the Town of Chatham in 1775. Kinderhook was one of the original towns of Columbia County. More of Kinderhook was lost to form the Town of Ghent in 1818 and the Town of Stuyvesant in 1823.

• Martin Van Buren, president and political leader was born and resided in Kinderhook.
• Washington Irving, author, resided in the village for about eight weeks in 1809 after the death of his fiancée; wrote portions of A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty in Kinderhook.
• Aaron Burr, the third vice president, concealed himself briefly in Kinderhook after fatally wounding Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
• Jennie Jerome, mother of Winston Churchill, lived in Kinderhook after her father acquired Van Buren's home.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.4 square miles (84.0 km²), of which, 31.8 square miles (82.4 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (1.82%) is water.

The north town line is the border of Rensselaer County.

Kinderhook Creek' is an important stream in the town. US Route 9 passes through the town.

As of the census² of 2000, there were 8,296 people, 3,165 households, and 2,247 families residing in the town. The population density was 260.6 people per square mile (100.6/km²). There were 3,434 housing units at an average density of 107.9/sq mi (41.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.31% White, 0.68% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.

There were 3,165 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,604, and the median income for a family was $61,074. Males had a median income of $41,386 versus $27,880 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,259. About 2.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

• Kinderhook -- The Village of Kinderhook is located on Route 9 near the center of the town.
• Kinderhook Lake -- A lake on the northeast town line.
• Kinderhook Memorial Library -- Kinderhook Memorial Libraryis a public library serving most of the town of Kinderhook.
• Knickerbocker Lake -- A small lake in the north part of the town.
• Lindenwald -- The home of Martin Van Buren is in the southwest part of the town.
• Niverville -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town, south of Kinderhook Lake on Routes 28B and 203.
• Valatie -- The Village of Valatie.
• Valatie Colony -- A hamlet southwest of Niverville and north of Valatie village.

• Kinderhook (town), New York is at coordinates 42°23′43″N 73°41′54″W / 42.395278, -73.698333Coordinates: 42°23′43″N 73°41′54″W / 42.395278, -73.698333
• Kinderhook information
• Martin Van Buren Historic Site
• Historic information about Kinderhook
• Kinderhook Memorial Library

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Columbia County, New York
County seat: Hudson
Cities	Hudson
Towns	Ancram | Austerlitz | Canaan | Chatham | Claverack | Copake | Gallatin | Germantown | Ghent | Greenport | Hillsdale | Kinderhook | Livingston | New Lebanon | Stockport | Stuyvesant | Taghkanic
Villages	Chatham | Kinderhook | Philmont | Valatie
CDPs	Claverack-Red Mills | Copake Lake | Lorenz Park | Niverville | Stottville