Clarkstown, New York facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clarkstown, New York
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Hook Mountain in Autumn
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Location in Rockland County and the state of New York.
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 Clarkstown, New York
Location in New York
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| Country | United States | |
| State | New York | |
| County | Rockland | |
| Established | March 18, 1791 | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 47.07 sq mi (121.91 km2) | |
| • Land | 38.47 sq mi (99.63 km2) | |
| • Water | 8.60 sq mi (22.28 km2) | |
| Elevation | 105 ft (32 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 86,855 | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
10956 (New City), 10920 (Congers), 10954 (Nanuet), 10960 (Nyack), 10989 (Valley Cottage), 10994 (West Nyack)
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| Area code(s) | 845 | |
| FIPS code | 36-15968 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0978832 | |
Clarkstown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States. It's located on the eastern side of Rockland County, right next to the Hudson River. In 2020, about 86,855 people lived here.
The hamlet of New City is the main part of Clarkstown. It's also the county seat for Rockland County. This means important government offices are located here. Nearly half of Clarkstown's people live in New City.
Contents
History of Clarkstown
Clarkstown became a town way back in 1791. It was first part of Orange County before Rockland County even existed!
Geography of Clarkstown
The mighty Hudson River forms the eastern edge of Clarkstown. On the other side of the river is the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County.
Clarkstown covers about 46.9 square miles (121.9 square kilometers). Most of it is land, but about 8.4 square miles (22.28 square kilometers) is water.
Major highways like the New York State Thruway (which is also Interstate 87 and Interstate 287) and the Palisades Interstate Parkway cross through the town.
People of Clarkstown
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1820 | 1,808 | — | |
| 1830 | 2,298 | 27.1% | |
| 1840 | 2,533 | 10.2% | |
| 1850 | 3,111 | 22.8% | |
| 1860 | 3,874 | 24.5% | |
| 1870 | 4,137 | 6.8% | |
| 1880 | 4,378 | 5.8% | |
| 1890 | 5,216 | 19.1% | |
| 1900 | 6,305 | 20.9% | |
| 1910 | 7,980 | 26.6% | |
| 1920 | 7,317 | −8.3% | |
| 1930 | 10,188 | 39.2% | |
| 1940 | 12,251 | 20.2% | |
| 1950 | 15,674 | 27.9% | |
| 1960 | 33,196 | 111.8% | |
| 1970 | 61,653 | 85.7% | |
| 1980 | 77,091 | 25.0% | |
| 1990 | 79,346 | 2.9% | |
| 2000 | 82,082 | 3.4% | |
| 2010 | 84,187 | 2.6% | |
| 2020 | 86,855 | 3.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 | |||
In 2010, there were 84,187 people living in Clarkstown. There were 29,234 households, and 22,186 families. The town had about 1,800 people per square mile.
Many households (27.9%) had children under 18 living with them. Most households (62.1%) were married couples. The average household had 2.84 people, and the average family had 3.28 people. The median age was 42.8 years old.
Clarkstown is the most crowded town in Rockland County. It has more business areas than any other town in the county. This includes the Palisades Center, which is one of the biggest malls in the world!
Local Government and Leaders
Clarkstown is led by a Town Supervisor. The current Town Supervisor is George Hoehmann.
The town is also represented in the United States House of Representatives by Congressman Michael Lawler. In New York State government, Clarkstown is represented by Senator Bill Weber and Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski Jr..
Clarkstown is divided into four areas called wards, each with a council member:
- Ward 1 is the northern part of New City. Its councilman is Jon Valentino.
- Ward 2 covers the northeast part of Clarkstown. Its councilman is Michael Graziano.
- Ward 3 includes Central Nyack, West Nyack, Nanuet, and Bardonia. Its councilman is Donald Franchino.
- Ward 4 includes parts of Bardonia, New City, Nanuet, Spring Valley, and West Nyack. Its councilman is Patrick Carroll.
Other important town officials include:
- Town Supervisor George Hoehmann
- Town Clerk Lauren M. Wohl
- Superintendent of Highway Robert E. Milone
- Town Justice Leslie Kahn
- Town Justice Michael Bongiorno
- Town Justice David Ascher
- Town Justice Aimee Pollak
Getting Around Clarkstown
| Headquarters | 10 Maple Avenue |
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| Locale | New City, New York |
| Service area | Clarkstown, New York |
| Service type | Bus service, paratransit |
| Routes | 5 |
| Fleet | 10 (2009 figures) |
| Daily ridership | 518 (weekday) 366 (Saturday) |
Clarkstown has its own local bus service called Clarkstown Mini-Trans. It has five different bus routes that help people get around town:
- Route A- Nanuet Mall to Lakewood Drive
- Route B- Nanuet Mall to Zukor Park
- Route C- Nanuet Mall to South Mountain Road
- Route D- Nanuet Mall to Palisades Center Mall
- Route E- Nanuet Mall to Ridge Road
Other bus services like Transport of Rockland also serve the town. You can also take New Jersey Transit trains from Nanuet to places like Hoboken and New York Penn Station.
The Tappan ZEExpress bus takes people from the Palisades Center in West Nyack to the Tarrytown train station. Rockland Coaches also provides express bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City from various spots in Clarkstown.
Education in Clarkstown
Several school districts serve the students of Clarkstown. Most of the town is part of the Clarkstown Central School District. This district includes students from New City, Bardonia, Congers, and West Nyack.
Other parts of the town are served by the Nyack Public Schools and the Nanuet Union Free School District. A small area on the western side of town is part of the East Ramapo Central School District.
High schools in or near Clarkstown include:
- Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack
- Clarkstown North High School in New City
- Nyack Senior High School in Upper Nyack
- Nanuet Senior High School in Nanuet
Communities and Places in Clarkstown
- Bardonia – A small community southeast of New City.
- Brownsell Corners – A community in the northern part of town, now part of New City.
- Centenary – A community near the northern town line, now part of New City.
- Central Nyack – A community on the southern town line.
- Congers – A community in the eastern part of the town.
- Lake DeForest – A long lake that runs north to south.
- High Tor State Park – A state park along the northern town line.
- Germonds – A place south of New City.
- Hook Mountain State Park – A state park in the eastern part of the town.
- Lake Lucille – A place in the northern part of the town.
- Mount Ivy – A community on the northern town line.
- Nanuet – A community known for its shopping.
- New City – The main community and county seat.
- New City Condominiums– A neighborhood in New City.
- New City Park – A community in South New City.
- Nyack Beach State Park – A state park near the Hudson River.
- Oakbrook – A community east of Spring Valley.
- Rockland Lake – A community west of a lake with the same name.
- Rockland Lake State Park – A state park in the eastern part of the town.
- Spring Valley – A village, with its eastern part in Clarkstown.
- Upper Nyack – A village north of Nyack.
- Valley Cottage – A community in the eastern part of the town.
- West Nyack – A community west of Nyack village.
Clarkstown's Green Efforts
Clarkstown is working hard to be more environmentally friendly, or "going green". They do things like checking how much energy buildings use and buying office equipment that saves energy. They also use green cleaning products.
Here are some other steps Clarkstown has taken:
- 2005 – They started buying 10% of their government's energy from wind and solar sources.
- 2006 – They passed a law to protect trees.
- 2007 – They began buying hybrid vehicles and smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.
- 2008 – They put in energy-saving LED lights at their parks and recreation building. These lights have sensors that turn them off when no one is around.
- 2012 – A solar field was built on the town's old landfill. It was the first solar field on a capped landfill in New York State!
- 2013 – The town joined a program to plan for climate change and make the community stronger against storms.
- 2016 – The town bought its street lights and started changing them to LED lights, which save a lot of energy. This was finished in 2018.
Clarkstown also works with experts to plan how to reduce greenhouse gases and become more sustainable. They also work on plans to protect the town from storm damage. These plans will help make Clarkstown a resilient and sustainable community for the future.
Important Court Case
In 1994, Clarkstown was part of a big legal case. The town had a rule that all trash picked up in town had to be sorted for recycling at a specific private facility. This rule was challenged and went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In the case called C&A Carbone, Inc. v. Town of Clarkstown, the Supreme Court decided that the town's rule was against the U.S. Constitution.
See also
In Spanish: Clarkstown para niños
