Rockland County, New York
U.S. County|
county = Rockland County|
state = New York |
seal = |
map = Map of New York highlighting Rockland County.svg |
map size = 250|
founded =
1798| seat =
New City | area = 516
km² (199
mi²) |
area land = 451 km² (174 mi²) |
area water = 65 km² (25 mi²) |
area percentage = 12.60% |
census yr = 2000|
pop = 286,753 |
density = 636|
web = www.co.rockland.ny.us |}}
Rockland County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
New York. As of 2000, the population was 286,753. It is part of the
New York Metropolitan Area. The
county seat is
New City. The name comes from "rocky land," an early description of the area given by settlers. Largely suburban in nature, Rockland is New York's southernmost county west of the Hudson River.
Rockland County ranks 21st on the list of highest-income counties by median household income in the United States with $67,971. It is served by
area code 845.
Rockland County, known as The Gateway to the
Hudson River Valley is 16 miles from
New York CityNinety thousand Jews[
1] call Rockland County homeâ€"nearly one third of Rockland's total populationâ€"making Rockland County the
most Jewish American in the nation.
The area that would become Rockland County was originally inhabited by
Algonquin Indians, including
Mohegans and
Munsees, or
Lenni Lenape.
In 1609, Henry Hudson, thinking he had found the legendary "Northwest Passage", sailed up the river that would one day bear his name and anchored near the area that is now
Haverstraw before continuing to disillusionment at
Albany.
The area was originally settled by the
Dutch, and a number of unique Dutch-style red sandstone houses still stand, and many placenames in the county reveal their Dutch origin.
When the
Duke of York (who became King
James II of England) established the first twelve counties New York in
1683, present-day Rockland County was part of
Orange County.
Orangetown was created at the same time, originally encompassing all of modern Rockland County. Haverstraw was separated from Orangetown in 1719 and became a town in 1788; it included the present-day Clarkstown, Ramapo and Stony Point. Clarkstown and Ramapo became towns in 1791, followed by Stony Point in 1865. Rockland County was split from Orange County in
1798.
During the
American Revolution, when the control of the
Hudson River was viewed by the
British as strategic to dominating the American territories, Rockland saw skirmishes at
Haverstraw,
Nyack and
Piermont, and significant military engagements at the
Battle of Stony Point, where General "Mad"
Anthony Wayne earned his nickname.
George Washington was headquartered for a time at John Suffern's tavern, later site of
Suffern.
British Major
John André, met with American traitor
Benedict Arnold near Stony Point to buy the plans for the fortifications at
West Point. André was captured with the plans in
Tarrytown on his way back to the
British lines; he brought to
Tappan for trial in the Tappan church, found guilty, hanged and buried nearby.
The American
Industrial Revolution was supplied, in part, from
forests and
iron mines in Rockland county. Resource utilization extracted a heavy toll on the region, especially lumbering and agriculture, since the poor, thin soils on hillsides were easily depleted. By the early
1900s development along the lower Hudson River had begun to destroy much of the area's natural beauty.
Many unsuccessful efforts were made to turn much of the
Hudson Highlands into a forest preserve. However, when the State of New York tried to relocate
Sing Sing Prison to
Bear Mountain in
1909, some of the wealthy businessmen who had made homes in the area, led by
Union Pacific Railroad president
E. H. Harriman, donated land as well as large sums of money for the purchase of properties in the area of Bear Mountain.
Bear Mountain/
Harriman State Park became a reality in
1910, and by
1914 it was estimated that than a million people a year were coming to the park.
County Executive
The county executive is
C. Scott Vanderhoef (R), who was re-elected in 2005 to his fourth four-year term. He is the second county executive in Rockland history, having defeated the incumbent, John Grant (D), in 1993. Prior to 1985, Rockland County did not have a county executive.
County Legislature
Rockland is divided into 17 single-member legislative districts. The Chairwoman of the Legislature is Harriet Cornell (D). The other legislators are: Gerold Bierker (R-C), William Darden (D), Edwin Day (R), Theodore Dusanenko (R), David Fried (D), Michael Grant (D), Ellen Jaffee (D), Douglas Jobson (R), John Murphy (R), Patrick Moroney (R), V.J. Pradhan (D), Roman Rodriguez (D), Ilan Schoenberger (D), Philip Soskin (D), and Alden Wolfe (D).
Rockland County lies just north of the
New Jersey-New York border, west of the
Hudson River, and south of Orange County.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 516
km² (199
mi²). 451 km² (174 mi²) of it is land and 65 km² (25 mi²) of it (12.60%) is water. Approximately 30% of Rockland County is parkland.
The highest elevation in the county is Rockhouse Mountain, at 391 m (1,283 feet). However, nearby Jackie Jones Mountain also has a summit above 390 m (1,280 feet) whose exact elevation is not known and may well be higher.
The lowest elevation is sea level along the Hudson River.
Rockland is the smallest county in New York outside of New York City.
Adjacent counties
*
Orange County (northwest/north)
*
Putnam County, across the
Hudson River (northeast)
*
Westchester County, across the Hudson River (east)
*
Bergen County, New Jersey (south)
*
Passaic County, New Jersey (west)
Rockland's borders with Putnam and Passaic counties are short, totalling little more than one mile.
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 286,753 people, 92,675 households, and 70,989 families residing in the county. The
population density was 636/km² (1,646/mi²). There were 94,973 housing units at an average density of 210/km² (545/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.91%
White, 10.98%
Black or
African American, 0.24%
Native American, 5.52%
Asian, 0.07%
Pacific Islander, 3.78% from
other races, and 2.51% from two or more races. 10.18% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 92,675 households out of which 37.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.80% were
married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.40% were non-families. 19.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.47.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $67,971, and the median income for a family was $78,806. Males had a median income of $51,148 versus $37,032 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $28,082. About 6.30% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.
The county is also home to several large
Orthodox communities, especially in the
hamlet of
Monsey, and the
villages of
New Square,
Kaser,
New Hempstead, and
Wesley Hills.
|
County map, with town and village boundaries. |
Towns
There are five
towns in Rockland County:
*
Clarkstown *
Haverstraw *
Orangetown *
Ramapo *
Stony PointIncorporated villages
There are nineteen
incorporated villages in Rockland County, twelve of which are located at least partially in the town of Ramapo:
*
Airmont (Town of Ramapo)
*
Chestnut Ridge (Ramapo)
*
Grand View-on-Hudson (Orangetown)
*
Haverstraw (Haverstraw)
*
Hillburn (Ramapo)
*
Kaser (Ramapo)
*
Montebello (Ramapo)
*
New Hempstead (Ramapo)
*
New Square (Ramapo)
*
Nyack (Orangetown/Clarkstown)
*
Piermont (Orangetown)
*
Pomona (Haverstraw/Ramapo)
*
Sloatsburg (Ramapo)
*
South Nyack (Orangetown)
*
Spring Valley (Ramapo/Clarkstown)
*
Suffern (Ramapo)
*
Upper Nyack (Clarkstown)
*
Wesley Hills (Ramapo)
*
West Haverstraw (Haverstraw)There are no villages in the town of Stony Point.
Unincorporated hamlets
Rockland County has a number of
unincorporated hamlets, including:
*
Bardonia (Town of Clarkstown)
*
Blauvelt (Orangetown)
*
Central Nyack (Clarkstown)
*
Congers (Clarkstown)
*
Garnerville (Haverstraw)
*Grassy Point (Stony Point)
*
Hillcrest (Ramapo)
*Jones Point (Stony Point)
*
Ladentown (Ramapo)
*
Monsey (Ramapo)
*
Mount Ivy (Haverstraw)
*
Nanuet (Clarkstown)
*
New City (Clarkstown)
*
Orangeburg (Orangetown)
*
Palisades (Orangetown)
*
Pearl River (Orangetown)
*
Sparkill (Orangetown)
*
Stony Point (Stony Point)
*
Tappan (Orangetown)
*
Thiells (Haverstraw)
*
Tomkins Cove (Stony Point)
*
Valley Cottage (Clarkstown)
*
Viola (Ramapo)
*
West Nyack (Clarkstown)
Historical settlements
*
Doodletown (Town of Stony Point) in Harriman State Park is now a ghost town.
*
Rockland County official website*
Rockland History*
Rockland County Page at Hudson Valley Directory*
Rockland County elected officials*
Early history summary of Rockland County *
Rockland Magazine*
The Journal News, Rockland County's local newspaper*
Library Association of Rockland County Digital Collections
