Settlement began before 1700 while the region was part of Livingston Manor. The town was formed from the town of Livingston in 1803 as the town of Granger.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, or 0.41%, is water. The town shares its name with Taghkanic Creek, a tributary to Claverack Creek, which runs through the town in a U shape from the northeast corner to the northwest corner. The town also shares its name with the Taghkanic or Taconic Mountains on the eastern part of the township. The Taconic State Parkway passes through the town.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,118 people, 461 households, and 325 families residing in the town. The population density was 27.9 people per square mile. There were 713 housing units at an average density of 17.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.48% white, 0.63% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population. There were 461 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couplesliving together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.82. In the town, the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,804, and the median income for a family was $51,908. Males had a median income of $31,875 versus $27,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,850. About 6.9% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Taghkanic
Churchtown - a hamlet at the town line in the northeast part of the town.
East Taghkanic - a hamlet in the east part of the town, southeast of Taghkanic hamlet.
