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Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, 12 miles north-northwest of New York City. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2000 census, the population was 286,753. The county seat is New City. The name comes from "rocky land", an early description of the area given by settlers. Rockland is New York's southernmost county west of the Hudson River. It is suburban in nature, with a considerable amount of scenic designated parkland. Rockland County may not border any of the New York City boroughs but it is still only 9.5 miles north of Manhattan at the counties (New York and Rockland) two respective closest points (Palisades, New York in Rockland and Inwood Park in Manhattan)
Rockland County ranks 9th on the list of highest-income counties by median household income in the United States with $75,306 according to the 2004 census.
Towns
There are five towns in Rockland County. The most populous is Ramapo with 108,900 people, while the least populous is Stony Point with 14,200 people. Clarkstown, Haverstraw and Orangetown all come in between with a range of 33,800—82,000 people.
Villages
There are nineteen incorporated villages in Rockland County, twelve of which are located at least partially in the town of Ramapo:
History
The area that would become Rockland County was originally inhabited by Alqonquian-speaking Indians, including 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 Dutch were the first Europeans to settle in the area. 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 of 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 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 had headquarters for a time at John Suffern's tavern, the later site of the village of Suffern.
British Major John Andre 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 was 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 from 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 homes in the area, led by Union Pacific Railroad president E. H. Harrima, 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 more than a million people a year were coming to the park.
William Casey, the county historian, said in a 2007 magazine article that many Hasids began to settle into Rockland County after World War II. Casey added that, prior to the opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge, the county was "underpopulated" and that the settlement of the Hasids did not result in major conflict.
Historical figures who have visited Rockland County include:
- George Washington 1st President of the United States
- Aaron Burr 3rd Vice President of the United States
- George Clinton first (and longest-serving) elected Governor of new York, and then 4th Vice President of the United States
- Alexander Hamilton, 1st United States Secretary of Treasury
- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then Governor of the State of New York and afterwards the 32nd President of the United States
- Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States
Geography
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 199 square miles, of which, 174 square miles (451 km˛) of it is land and 25 square miles (65 km˛) 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
New York Adjacent counties
School Districts
There are eight school districts in Rockland
Transportation in Rockland County
Bus
The Transport of Rockland is the bus system providing service along major routes in Rockland County as well as connections to other community bus operations - (Minitrans) and connections to Rockland Coaches and Short Line routes providing service to Northern New Jersey and New York City.
Railroad
New Jersey Transit/Metro-North Railroad which stop at the Suffern Railroad Station and Pascack Valley Line which stops include Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley in their respective hamlets and village of the same name.
Ferry
NY Waterway operates a ferry service between Haverstraw and Ossining in Westchester County for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. New York Water Taxi operates a ferry from Haverstraw to Battery Park City and the Financial District in Manhattan via Yonkers in Westchester County.
International Airports near Rockland
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