Orange County, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Orange County
County
Island Pond in Harriman State Park, near the Village of Harriman.
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New York
Founded	November 1, 1683; 341 years ago (1683-11-01)
Named for	William III of Orange
Seat	Goshen
Largest town	Palm Tree
Area
• Total	839 sq mi (2,170 km2)
• Land	812 sq mi (2,100 km2)
• Water	27 sq mi (70 km2)  3.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	401,310
• Estimate  (2023)	407,470
• Density	478.32/sq mi (184.68/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Area code	845
Congressional district	18th

Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.

Orange County is part of the Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh metropolitan statistical area, which belongs to the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area.

As of the 2010 census the center of population of the state of New York was located in Orange County, approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) west of the hamlet of Westbrookville.

History

Orange County was officially established on November 1, 1683, when the Province of New York was divided into twelve counties. Each of these was named to honor a member of the British royal family, and Orange County took its name from the Prince of Orange, who subsequently became King William III of England. As originally defined, Orange County included only the southern part of its present-day territory, plus all of present-day Rockland County further south. The northern part of the present-day county, beyond Moodna Creek, was then a part of neighbouring Ulster County.

At that date, the only European inhabitants of the area were a handful of Dutch colonists in present-day Rockland County, and the area of modern Orange County was entirely occupied by the native Munsee people. Due to its relatively small population, the original Orange County was not fully independent and was administered by New York County.

The first European settlers in the area of the present-day county arrived in 1685. They were a party of around twenty-five families from Scotland, led by David Toshach, the Laird of Monzievaird, and his brother-in-law Major Patrick McGregor, a former officer of the French Army. They settled in the Hudson Highlands at the place where the Moodna Creek enters the Hudson River, now known as New Windsor. In 1709, a group of German Palatine refugees settled at Newburgh. They were Protestants from a part of Germany along the Rhine that had suffered during the religious wars. Queen Anne's government arranged for passage from England of nearly 3,000 Palatines in ten ships. Many were settled along the Hudson River in work camps on property belonging to Robert Livingston. A group of Dutch and English settlers arrived at Goshen in 1712. Additional immigrants came from Ireland; they were of Scots and English descent who had been settled as planters there.

In 1798, after the American Revolutionary War, the boundaries of Orange County changed. Its southern corner was used to create the new Rockland County, and in exchange, an area to the north of the Moodna Creek was added, which had previously been in Ulster County. This caused a reorganization of the local administration, as the original county seat had been fixed at Orangetown in 1703, but this was now in Rockland County. Duties were subsequently shared between Goshen, which had been the center of government for the northern part of Orange County, and Newburgh, which played a similar role in the area transferred from Ulster County. The county court was established in 1801. It was not until 1970 that Goshen was named as the sole county seat.

Due to a boundary dispute between New York and New Jersey, the boundaries of many of the southern towns of the county were not definitively established until the 19th century.

Geography

Downtown Newburgh, on the shoreline of the Hudson River.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 839 square miles (2,170 km²), of which 812 square miles (2,100 km²) is land and 27 square miles (70 km²) (3.2%) is water.

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 Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester, as well as Passaic and Sussex counties in New Jersey and Pike County in Pennsylvania.

Orange County is the only county in New York State which borders both the Hudson and Delaware Rivers.

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. In the southern portion of the county the Wallkill valley expands into a wide glacial lake bed known as the Black Dirt Region for its fertility.

The highest point is Schunemunk Mountain, at 1,664 feet (507 m) above sea level. The lowest is sea level along the Hudson.

National protected areas

• Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (part)
• Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Adjacent counties

• Ulster County – north
• Dutchess County – northeast
• Putnam County - east
• Rockland County – southeast
• Passaic County, New Jersey - southeast
• Sussex County, New Jersey - south
• Pike County, Pennsylvania – southwest
• Sullivan County – northwest

Demographics

2000–2010

At the 2010 United States Census, there were 372,813 people living in the county. The population density was 444 inhabitants per square mile (171/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.2% White, 10.2% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.4% Asian, and 3.1% from two or more races. 18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to the 2000 United States Census, 18.3% were of Italian, 18.1% English, 17.4% Irish, 10.2% German, and 5.0% Polish ancestry. According to the 2009–13 American Community Survey, 76.57% of people spoke only English at home, 13.39% spoke Spanish, 4.03% spoke Yiddish, and 0.83% spoke Italian.

During the 2000 Census, 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 has been among the fastest-growing regions within the New York City metropolitan area.

2018

Per the American Community Survey's 2018 estimates, there were 381,951 residents within Orange County. 63.5% of the county was non-Hispanic white, 12.95 Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.0% from two or more races, and 21.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.4% of Orange County's residents spoke another language other than English at home.

There were 126,776 households in 2018 and an average of 2.90 persons per household. The owner-occupied housing rate was 68.0% and the median gross rent of the county was $1,223. The median homeowner cost with a mortgage was $2,280 and $909 without a mortgage.

The median income for a household from 2014-2018 was $76,716 and the per capita income was $33,472. 11.5% of the county's inhabitants were below the poverty line in 2018.

2020 Census

Transportation

Short Line Bus provides most local and commuter bus service.

The county is served by Stewart International Airport, located two miles west of Newburgh, New York. The airport serves American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Allegiant Air, and JetBlue Airways. AirTran Airways stopped providing service to the airport in late 2008.

Ground transportation within Orange County is provided primarily by Transit Orange. Leprechaun Lines, Monsey Trails, NJ Transit, Short Line Bus, and Metro-North Railroad's Port Jervis Line also provide services, as well as amenities such as senior citizen & handicapped dial-a-bus and car services, which usually restrict themselves to their respective town or city. Shortline also operates the Main Line of Orange County between Middletown and Monroe Woodbury (Commons), with stops in Walkill & (The Galleria), Goshen, Chester, Monroe & Harriman.

Major roadways

Major routes in Orange County are freeways Interstate 84, Interstate 87, State Route 17 (Future Interstate 86), and the Palisades Interstate Parkway, and surface roads U.S. Route 6, U.S. Route 9W, and U.S. Route 209. There are two Hudson River crossings in Orange County: the Bear Mountain Bridge and the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.

Sports

Delano-Hitch Stadium in Newburgh has played host to various professional and amateur baseball teams from various leagues since opening in 1926. The stadium was home to the North Country Baseball League Newburgh Newts for the 1st and only season, 2015.

High school sports

High schools in Orange County compete in Section 9 of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association along with schools from Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan counties.

College sports

The Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy in West Point field NCAA Division I teams in 24 different sports. Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh fields 15 teams in the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Skyline Conference of NCAA Division III. Orange County Community College Colts in Middletown compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Motorsports

The Orange County Fair Speedway hosts weekly series racing along with the Super DIRTcar Series along with monster trucks and demolition derbies. They also have a Dirt bike track located outside Turns 3 and 4 of the Speedway. Some notable drivers to race at the track include Stewart Friesen, Brett Hearn and Max McLaughlin.

Communities

Expansion in Kiryas Joel, driven by the rapidly growing Orthodox Jewish population.

Cities

• Middletown
• Newburgh
• Port Jervis

Towns

Villages

Census-designated places

Hamlets

Education

School districts include:

In popular culture

• In and Out: Warwick
• Heavy: Port Jervis
• Super Troopers: Parts in Newburgh area
• The Sopranos parts of season 6-b, Episode 1: Warwick and Tuxedo
• Michael Clayton: Moodna Viaduct (Cornwall), South Blooming Grove, and Stewart Airport (New Windsor/Newburgh area)
• The Human Footprint: parts filmed in the Hudson Valley region; aired on National Geographic Channel in 2008
• American Chopper: Montgomery, NY
• Final Destination 1& 2: Parts of plot takes place in Otisville, NY and Greenwood Lake, NY - Shown by patches that police officers wear and television news program that is played.
• The OA: Partially filmed in Central Valley, NY

Points of interest

Points of interest in Orange County include the United States Military Academy at West Point; OCGC, a Paul Rudolph design; Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, America's oldest (continuously functioning) winery (as it made legal "sacramental" church wines during Prohibition), ; the birthplace of William H. Seward in Florida; Museum Village in Monroe, an 18th Century Colonial town; the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen; Bull Stone House, a NY Historical designated structure, built in 1722 and still used as a private residence (10 generations) by the Bull family, as well as the William Bull III House, built in the 1780s. The Historical, Art Deco style Paramount Theatre (Middletown, New York), built in 1930. Thrall Library/Middletown station (Erie Railroad), built in 1896, closed in 1983, refurbished (& expanded) into a public library in 1995. The multi-acre, Salesian Seminary, in Goshen, which trained NYC novitiates for the priesthood, was sold to the Village c. 2005 and a $4.5 million state-of-the-art library built on the grounds in 2018.

Three state parks: Goosepond Mountain State Park, Harriman State Park and Sterling Forest State Park. Sugarloaf arts community, which features the Lyceum Center theatre. The Times Herald-Record newspaper, the first cold press offset daily in the country, in Middletown Commercial centers of interest include the Galleria at Crystal Run, in Wallkill; Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Monroe. The Orange County Fair in Wallkill is an annual 2 or 3 week summer event, dating back to 1808, but officially opening in 1841. Newburgh was the location of Orange County Choppers, 61,000 square foot, $12 million, custom motorcycle-shop facility featured on The Discovery Channel's reality television series American Chopper but it was closed and sold by 2020. The home and birthplace of Velveeta and Liederkranz Cheese in Monroe (village).

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  Goshen (Historic Trotter Track)
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  Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
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  Bull Stone House sits on 100 acres in Hamptonburgh, New York. Built in 1722.

Notable residents

• Juan Rodriguez, interpreter and sailor for the Dutch West India Company in what is today Manhattan, from the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, which is today the Dominican Republic. He began working in Orange County and the surrounding area in 1612. He is considered the first person of African descent and non-Native resident of what would eventually become New York City
• Sarah Wells, 1712, first female settler of European heritage in the interior of Orange County, at age 16. She and husband William Bull, built a stone house in the (now Town of Goshen) wilderness, and raised 12 children to adulthood. Died in 1796, aged 100 years, 15 days, with 335 descendants. Matriarch of the Bull Family
• William Bull, built Knox's Headquarters in New Windsor
• J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur Chester Greycourt colonial farmer and agricultural writer Letters from an American Farmer
• Thomas Young, organizer of Boston Tea Party, born New Windsor
• Henry Wisner, Orange County delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress, (but did not sign the Declaration of Independence) and a gunpowder producer during Revolutionary War
• David Mathews, Loyalist, Mayor of New York City under the British, during the American Revolution, resided in Mathewsfield (now Blooming Grove)
• Joseph Brant, Loyalist, native American guerrilla leader during the American Revolutionary War
• Noah Webster, Lexicographer, Webster's dictionary. Founded a private school, c. 1783, catering to wealthy families in Goshen.
• George Washington, resided/stationed in Hasbrouck House in Newburgh from April 1782 until August 1783, during the waning days of the American Revolutionary War
• Benedict Arnold, revolutionary war general turned traitor
• Solomon Townsend, industrialist and State Legislator, established Augusta Forge (iron works) in Tuxedo Park
• James Varick, founder AME Zion Church and its 1st bishop, born Newburgh
• William H. Seward, U.S. Secretary of State, under Lincoln, a 2-term federal Senator and 12th governor of NY, born and raised Florida, NY.
• Albert J. Myer, born Newburgh September 20, 1829. Surgeon & US Army general (1854–1869). Known as the father of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and the U.S. Weather Bureau
• Stephen Crane, wrote part of The Red Badge of Courage in Port Jervis, ostensibly based on Orange Blossoms battle at Chancellorsville
• Zane Grey, practiced dentistry in Middletown, before his literary career
• Pierre Lorillard IV, tobacco magnate, founded Tuxedo Park in 1886
• Emily Post, author, resided in Emily Post Cottage, buried in St. Mary's, both in Tuxedo Park
• Tomás Estrada Palma, first President of Cuba, resided in a home on Route 32 in Central Valley
• David Moffat, railroad developer, Washingtonville native
• Webb Horton, (1826-1908) Narrowsburgh industrial tanner, had Webb Horton House (aka Morrison Hall) built in Middletown (1902–07). The namesake of Webb Horton (Presbyterian) Church (b. 1918 Middletown) and E. Horton Hospital (1929-2011 in Middletown)
• Satella Waterstone, author and composer, born Greenwood Lake 1875
• Willie "The Lion" Smith, jazz "stride" pianist, born Goshen 1897. A handwritten letter sent by Smith, thanking the Goshen Public Library resides amongst their permanent historical collection.
• Horace Pippin, Black artist and painter, raised and educated (in segregated schools) in Goshen
• Rose Thompson Hovick, mother of Gypsy Rose Lee and June Havoc
• Elise McAbee, US Army chemist/materials engineer, born 1920, raised in Orange county
• Jolie Gabor, mother of Gabor sisters, resided in large brick home with separate enclosed, mosaic-tiled pool, in Goshen, NY on Old Chester Road
• James Patterson, prolific (commercial) novelist, born Newburgh 1947
• Mel Gibson, attended elementary school in Washingtonville the year before his family moved to Australia in the 1960s.
• Denzel Washington, actor, attended the now defunct Oakland Military Academy
• Tony Gilroy, writer, producer, director Washingtonville graduate
• Whoopi Goldberg, Academy Award-winning actress, owns a Tuxedo Park home
• Robert De Niro, Academy Award-winning actor, owns home in Tuxedo Park
• Emily DiDonato, fashion model, spokesmodel for Maybelline, born in Goshen, 1991
• James Mangold, screenwriter, director, Washingtonville graduate
• Armand Assante, Emmy Award winning actor, raised in and graduated Cornwall
• Geraldine Ferraro, 1984 U.S. vice-presidential candidate, U.S. Congresswoman, born Newburgh
• Benjamin Gilman, US Congressman (1973–2003), lifelong Middletown resident
• Jimmy Sturr, Irish-American lifelong resident of Florida, NY, 18x Grammy winning, polka band leader
• John Bonacic, 30 year OC politician, State Assembly then Senate
• Joel Teitelbaum, Grand Rabbi of Satmar Hasidic community, spent final years and is buried in Kiryas Joel
• Aaron Teitelbaum, current Grand Rabbi of Kiryas Joel faction of Satmar Hasidic community.
• Martin Dempsey, US Army General and 18th chairman (Pentagon) Joint Chiefs of Staff 2011–2015, 1970 J.S. Burke graduate
• General David Petraeus, 1970 Cornwall grad, retired four-star general of the U.S. Army. Former Director of the C.I.A. and commander of U.S. forces in Iraq (2007-2008) and Afghanistan (2011)
• Frank Shorter, Marathon runner: 1972 Olympic gold medalist, 1976 Olympic silver. Raised in Middletown
• Ed Banach, 1984 Olympic wrestling gold medalist, Port Jervis native
• Lou Banach, 1984 Olympic wrestling gold medalist, Port Jervis native
• Bill Bayno, 1980 J.S. Burke grad, 1990s champion UNLV college coach, astn. NBA coach
• William Moran, a retired United States Navy Admiral and Vice-Chief of Naval Operations (2016-2019).
• Johnny Brennan, Salisbury Mills resident 1980s and early 90s, comedian and voice actor The Jerky Boys, Family Guy (voices Mort Goldman)
• Jay Westervelt, environmentalist, Village of Florida resident
• Andy Grammer, pop musician, born 1983, raised in Chester, graduated Monroe
• Mike Martucci, politician from New Hampton
• James Skoufis, state senator
• Cyndi Lauper, 1980s pop singer, spent summers in Tuxedo Park
• Saul Williams, musician, poet, actor and artist; was born and raised in Newburgh
• Vérité, (YouTube) pop musician, born and raised in OC
• Cage Kennylz, rapper, raised in Middletown
• Aaron Tveit, actor and singer, Broadway star, reared in Middletown
• Paul Teutul Sr., reality TV star of American Chopper, owner Orange County Choppers
• Paul Teutul Jr., reality TV star and custom motorcycle builder of Paul Jr. Designs
• James Cromwell actor 1970s-2020s, political & environmental activist, Warwick resident since 2000s
• James Emery, Warwick resident, since 2000s, jazz guitarist of String Trio of New York
• Shotsie Gorman, tattoo artist
• Stefanie Dolson, WNBA player and 2021 Olympic 3x3 Gold medalist, Minisink High graduate (descendant of 18th century, OC settler and pelt trader James Dolson)
• Nick Abruzzese, 2022 US Olympic Hockey Team, Harvard graduate, NHL Toronto Maple Leafs 2019 draftee, Slate Hill resident
• Derek Jeter, New York Yankees team 'captain' and HoFer, purchased Tiedemann Castle (b. 1915) in Warwick, where his parents resided year round, sold via auction in December 2022
• Greg Anthony, former New York Knicks NBA player
• Mike Avilés, MLB player, Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox, raised Middletown
• Matt Morris, former all star pitcher St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, 1990s Valley Central graduate
• Dee Brown, former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball player.
• Jason Motte, former MLB pitcher, closer for the 2011 Champion St. Louis Cardinals, Valley Central graduate
• Dave Telgheder, former MLB pitcher for the New York Mets and the Oakland Athletics.
• Scott Pioli, NFL executive, former General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Orange (Nueva York) para niños