Mountain Lodge Park, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mountain Lodge Park is an unincorporated community in the Town of Blooming Grove in Orange County, New York. It is built on the western slope of Schunemunk Mountain, the highest in the county.
Historically Mountain Lodge Park was a community of summer homes but over the years it has gradually been transformed to mostly full year residences. There are approximately 800 homes that are split between the two ‘sides’. One side is considered the Mountain Lodge Park side and the other side is called Glenwood Hills. Mountain Lodge Park was developed with some fits and starts just before and then after World War Two. Glenwood Hills was developed in the 1950s with building continuing into the 1970s. During the Carter Administration the community was offered an opportunity to pave all roads and install municipal water and sewage lines. This offer was refused.
Generally on the Mountain Lodge Park side the houses are further apart but most of the roads (trails) are unpaved. On the Glenwood Hills side most of the houses are closer together but the roads are paved.
From the 1960s through the 1980s the community featured a first rate volunteer fire department, a general store, a seasonal municipal water supply, two neighboring horseback riding academies, a large pool area, a synagogue, and a multi-purpose meeting house. Mountain Lodge Road exits Mountain Lodge Park in the Town Of Blooming Grove and cuts a winding path to nearby Washingtonville.
Former New York City Councilman Peter F. Vallone, Sr. is said to have lifeguarded at the pool there.
Orange County, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 the 2000 census, the population was 341,367. The county seat is Goshen. The center of population of New York is located in Orange County, in Deerpark
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
- The birthplace of William H. Seward in Florida
- Orange County Choppers, the popular custom motorcycle shop featured on
- The Learning Channel television series American Chopper (it is commonly mistaken that the shop is based in the more well-known Orange County, California)
- Monroe, the home and birthplace of Velveeta Cheese
- The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen
- The Times Herald-Record newspaper, the first cold press offset daily in the country, in Middletown
- Galleria at Crystal Run, in Middletown
- The Orange County Fair in Middletown
- Harriman State Park
- Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
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 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 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.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,172 km² (839 sq mi), with 2,114 km² (816 sq mi) as land and 58 km² (22 sq mi) as water.
Transportation
The county is served by Stewart International Airport, located two miles west of Newburgh, New York. The airport serves AirTran Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways. Ground transportation within Orange County is provided primarily by New Jersey Transit, ShortLine, and Metro-North Railroad.
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/sq mi). There were 122,754 housing units at an average density of 58/km² (150/sq mi). 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. 9.23% reported speaking Spanish at home, 3.29% Yiddish, and 1.20% Italian.[2]
By 2005 census estimates placed Orange County’s non-Hispanic white population at 72.4%. African Americans were now 10.2% of the population. Native Americans were at 0.4%, a change that was less than can be measured by the precision of the 2005 estimates being used for these figures. Asians were up to 2.2% of the population. Latinos had however made the largest gain as an increase in their percentage of the population, and now constituted 14.9% of the counties population.[1]
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/exurb regions of the New York City Metropolitan Area.
Cities
Towns
Villages
Historical Facts About Orange County
- The oldest (1839) continuously operating winery in the US is in Washingtonville, NY (The Brotherhood Winery).
- The first butter factory in America was in Campbell Hall, NY (1859)
- Newburgh, NY was America’s first electrified city, as Thomas Edison put his first factory there.
- The largest sculpture park in the US is the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY, featuring works from artists around the world.
- ‘Velveeta’ cheese spread (1923) and ‘Liederkranz’ cheese (1882) were invented in Monroe, NY
- ‘Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese’ was invented in Chester, NY. (1872)
- The largest number (220+) of discount designer outlets in the US is in Central Valley, NY with 12 million visitors per year. (Woodbury Common Premium Outlets)
- The main runway at Stewart International Airport (SWF) is over 2 miles long (11,818 ft) and is an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle. New Windsor, NY.
- Bear Mountain State Park has more visitors annually than does Yellowstone National Park.
- The largest living museum in New York State is Museum Village in Monroe, NY.
- The Order of the Purple Heart was established by George Washington in Newburgh, NY (1782).
- The first Registered Historic Landmark (1850) is Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh, NY.
- The United States Military Academy at West Point, NY (USMA) established in 1778.
- The largest Church Organ in the world is at West Point USMA.
- The world’s first, and still used, trotting track is in Goshen, NY. (Goshen Historic Track) (established 1838).
- Nearly all trotters and pacers in the US can trace their pedigree to the stallion ‘Hambletonian’ of Chester, NY. (1849)
- The oldest (1919) continuously operating automobile racing dirt track in the US is the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown, NY.
- The Tuxedo dinner jacket originated in Tuxedo Park, an enclosed community developed by Pierre Lorillard, tobacco magnate (Old Gold).
- The daughter of Bruce Price, the designer of Tuxedo Park, NY (1880),and also a resident was Emily Post.
- Stephen Crane wrote his most popular novel, “The Red Badge of Courage” in Port Jervis, NY.
- The oldest carbon dated human settlement in North America (12,500 years old) is found here in Orange County.
- More Mastodon skeletons have been unearthed here than any other place on earth.
- The “Onion Capitol of the World”, is found in the black dirt region of Pine Island, NY.
In 1683, the County of Orange, named for William of Orange (King William III, 1650-1702), was formed. In 1799, the residents of the
southern part of Orange County petitioned the state and broke off to become Rockland County. Orange County today is almost half a million acres in size and is dotted with dairy and produce farms, orchards, vineyards, horse ranches and bucolic villages set amongst vast areas of woodlands, rolling hills and glacier-carved valleys. There are three cities within the County’s borders: Newburgh, on the Hudson River; Port Jervis, on the Delaware River; and Middletown, halfway between the other two.
The County Seat of Orange County, NY, is in the Village of Goshen.
Of the 10 counties named Orange in the US, Orange County NY is the oldest (1683). It is 206 years older than Orange County California
(1889), 169 years older than Orange County Texas (1852), 162 years older than Orange County Florida (1824), 133 years older than Orange County Indiana (1816), 98 years older than Orange County Vermont (1781), 69 years older than Orange County North Carolina (1752), and 51 years older than Orange County Virginia (1734).
From “Around the Watering Trough” A History Of Washingtonville NY by Edward J. McLaughlin III (This book also has extensive material about Blooming Grove)
Orange County began a steady settlement as families emigrated from the British Isles in search of a new and better life. Small hamlets blossomed wherever water-powered mills were located. The need for proper roads became a necessity. The new farmers had to get their grain to the mills to be ground into flour. Food had to be brought to market.
The early precincts and later townships elected “Pathmasters,” persons who were overseers of a road or portion of a public road. Local able- bodied residents were often elected or simply asked to assume the duty of clearing brush and trees from the sides of a public road. It was necessary to scrape the crude dirt roads, using a plank plow like vehicle pulled by oxen or horses. The narrow tracts were usually almost impassable in winter when the snow was deep. Sleighs made travel easier and when farmers built heavy wooden rollers pulled by ox or horse teams over the roads, the snow was packed to a smooth surface, which made sleighing fast and easier.
Spring created a rutted, muddy mess after the snow melted. After the surface dried out, the scrapers were used to smooth out the ruts. gravel was often hauled to put a dressing on the road surface. Gravel allowed surface water to drain away. Roadside ditches often had to be cleaned or dug out to carry away surface water.
Pathmasters and Overseers were responsible for keeping bridges in repair. Bridges were mostly primitive affairs constructed of stout logs reaching from bank to bank over a stream and resting on stone abutments. Planks or flattened logs laid crosswise on the heavy beams provided a roadway over a stream. Almost all minor or shallow streams were merely forded…..to be continued