Orange County, New York
Encyclopedia : O : OR : ORA : Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. At the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area, it sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. Its name is in honor of William III of Orange, who was greatly esteemed by the original settlers of the region. As of 2000, the population was 341,367. The county seat is Goshen.
History
Orange County was one of the first twelve counties established by the Province of New York in 1683. Its boundaries at that time included present-day Rockland County, which split from Orange County in 1798.It is best known as the location of:
- the United States Military Academy at West Point
- Brotherhood Winery, America's oldest winery, in Washingtonville
- Florida, the birthplace of William H. Seward
- Orange County Choppers, the popular custom motorcycle shop featured on the Discovery Channel television series American Chopper
Geography
Orange County is in southeastern New York State, directly north of the New Jersey-New York border, west of the Hudson River, east of the Delaware River and northwest of New York City. It borders the New York counties of Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester, as well as Passaic and Sussex counties in New Jersey and Pike County in Pennsylvania.Orange County is where the Great Valley of the Appalachians finally opens up and ends. The western corner is set off by the Shawangunk Ridge. The area along the Rockland County border (within Harriman and Bear Mountain state parks) and south of Newburgh is part of the Hudson Highlands. The land in between is the valley of the Wallkill River.
The highest point is Schunemunk Mountain, at 1,664 feet (507 m) above sea level. The lowest is sea level along the Hudson.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,172 km² (839 mi²), with 2,114 km² (816 mi²) as land and 58 km² (22 mi²) as water.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 341,367 people, 114,788 households, and 84,483 families residing in the county. The population density was 161/km² (418/mi²). There were 122,754 housing units at an average density of 58/km² (150/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.70% White, 8.09% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.09% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. 11.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 114,788 households out of which 39.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the county the population was spread out with 29.00% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $52,058, and the median income for a family was $60,355. Males had a median income of $42,363 versus $30,821 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,597. About 7.60% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.80% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.
Despite its rural roots, Orange County is considered to be among the fastest growing suburb/exhurb regions of the New York City Metropolitan Area.
Cities and towns
- Balmville (hamlet)
- Beaverdam Lake-Salisbury Mills (hamlet)
- Blooming Grove (town)
- Campbell Hall (hamlet)
- Central Valley (hamlet)
- Chester (village)
- Chester (town)
- Cornwall on Hudson (village)
- Cornwall (town)
- Crawford (town)
- Deerpark (town)
- Firthcliffe (hamlet)
- Florida (village)
- Fort Montgomery (hamlet)
- Gardnertown (hamlet)
- Goshen (village)
- Goshen (town)
- Greenville (town)
- Greenwood Lake (village)
- Hamptonburgh (town)
- Harriman (village)
- Highland Falls (village)
- Highland Mills (hamlet)
- Highlands (town)
- Kiryas Joel (village)
- Maybrook (village)
- Mechanicstown
- Middletown (city)
- Minisink (town)
- Monroe (village)
- Monroe (town)
- Montgomery (village)
- Montgomery (town)
- Mount Hope (town)
- Mountainville (hamlet)
- New Windsor (town)
- Newburgh (town)
- Newburgh (city)
- Orange Lake (hamlet)
- Otisville (village)
- Pine Bush (hamlet)
- Port Jervis (city)
- Scotchtown (hamlet)
- Sugar Loaf (village)
- Tuxedo Park (village)
- Tuxedo (town)
- Unionville (village)
- Vails Gate (hamlet)
- Walden (village)
- Wallkill (town)
- Walton Park (hamlet)
- Warwick (village)
- Warwick (town)
- Washington Heights (hamlet)
- Washingtonville (village)
- Wawayanda (town)
- West Point
- Woodbury (town)
- Labels in parentheses refer to official political designation.
| North: Sullivan and Ulster Counties | ||
| West: Sullivan County and Pike County, Pennsylvania | Orange County | East: Hudson River Dutchess and Putnam Counties |
| South: Rockland County Passaic and Sussex Counties in New Jersey |
External links
- [Orange County, New York government]
- [Orange County, New York information and website directory]
- [Orange County tourism information]
- [Orange County, New York, Chamber of Commerce]
- [Orange County Page at Hudson Valley Directory]
- [Early summary history of Orange County]
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