Rockland County, New York Totally Explained

Everything about Rockland County New York totally explained

Rockland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, 12 miles north-northwest of New York City. 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 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. It is served by area code 845.
Rockland County is one of 24 areas in New York State designated a Preserve American Community.

History

The area that would become Rockland County was originally inhabited by Algonquian-speaking Indians, including Munsees, or Lenni Lenape.
   In 1609, Henry Hudson, thinking he'd found the legendary "Northwest Passage", sailed up the river that would one day bear his name and anchored near the area that's 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 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 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. 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 more than a million people a year were coming to the park.

Law/Government

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. Vanderhoef ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2006. Prior to 1985, Rockland County didn't 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), Connie Coker (D), William Darden (D), Edwin Day (R), Theodore Dusanenko (R), David Fried (D), Michael Grant (D), Jay Hood Jr. (D), Douglas Jobson (R), Bruce Levine (D), John Murphy (R), Patrick Moroney (R), V.J. Pradhan (D), Ilan Schoenberger (D), Philip Soskin (D), and Joseph Meyers (D).

County Courts

There are three types of general trial courts in Rockland County: the New York Supreme Court, the County Court and the Justice Courts. The Supreme Court is the trial level court of the New York State Unified Court System, which presents some confusion as the Supreme Court is the highest court of appeals in the federal system as well as in most states (the Court of Appeals is the highest court in New York State). The Supreme Court has broad authority over all categories of cases, both civil and criminal. Generally the Supreme Court in Rockland County hears civil cases involving claims in excess of $25,000. While the Supreme Court has jurisdiction over criminal cases in most counties this is handled by the County Courts. In Rockland however, the Supreme Court does exercise jurisdiction over some criminal cases.
The County Court is inferior to the Supreme Court and is authorized to hear all criminal cases that have occurred in the county as well as limited jurisdiction over civil cases. The County Court handles felony cases exclusively and shares jurisdiction with the town and village justice courts on midemeanor cases and other minor offenses and violations. The County Court's jurisdiction on civil cases is limited to those involving less than $25,000.
Each of the towns and fifteen of the villages have Justice Courts. These courts mostly hear routine traffic ticket cases, especially from the New York State Thruway and the Palisades Interstate Parkway. They also handle drunk driving charges, lower-level criminal misdemeanor matters, and that'll occasionally perform arraignment on felonies (most felony proceedings are heard in County Court). These courts generally handle the highest volume of cases, which, considering the population density and highways in the county, isn't surprising.

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 (516 km²), of which, 174 square miles (451 km²) of it's land and 25 square miles (65 km²) 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 isn't 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, totaling less than one mile.

Environmental Issues in Rockland County

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 286,753 people, 92,675 households, and 70,989 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,646 people per square mile (636/km²). There were 94,973 housing units at an average density of 545 per square mile (210/km²). However, Rocklanders live closer together than the census numbers indicate, as 30 percent of the county is reserved as parkland. 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. 16.6% were of Italian, 14.5% Irish, 5.8% West Indian, 5.7% American and 5.3% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 9.17% reported speaking Spanish at home, 4.96% Yiddish, 4.33% French or a French-based creole, 1.45% Italian, 1.30% Tagalog, 1.25% Hebrew, and 1.01% Russian. Other languages spoken at home by at least 1000 people include Malayalam, Korean, Chinese, German, and Polish.(External Link

) The 2005 estimates show that Rockland county remains a diverse place. 69.2% of the population was grouped under the heading "non-Hispanic whites" but with such high numbers of speakers of such languages as Russian and Italian, this figure hid more than it revealed. The percentage of African-Americans had risen to 11.9. Native Americans were gaining ground now constituting 0.3% of the population. Asians continued to grow in their percentage of the county population, now making up 6.4% of the population. Latinos were now 12.2% of the population. In 2000 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 $75,306, and the median income for a family was $86,624. Males had a median income of $58,214 versus $43,955 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,680. The mean, or average, income for a family in Rockland County is $102,542 according to the 2004 census. 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.
   31.4% of Rockland residents are Jewish, the highest Jewish population per capita of any county in the United States. (External Link

).The county is also home to several large Orthodox Jewish communities, especially in the hamlet of Monsey, and the villages of New Square, Kaser, New Hempstead, and Wesley Hills.

Communities in Rockland

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.

Incorporated 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)

Upper Grandview (Orangetown)

Historical settlements

Doodletown (Town of Stony Point) in Harriman State Park is now a ghost town.

Communities of significant population

According to the 2000 census, these nine Rockland communities have a population exceeding 10,000 people:

New City, a hamlet of 34,038

Spring Valley, a village of 25,464

Nanuet, a hamlet of 16,707

Pearl River, a hamlet of 15,553

Monsey, a hamlet of 14,504

Stony Point, a hamlet of 11,744

Suffern, a village of 11,006

West Haverstraw, a village of 10,295

Haverstraw, a village of 10,117

Education

School Districts

There are 8 school districts in Rockland

Nyack

Ramapo

Post-Secondary Schools

Alliance Theological Seminary-Alliance Graduate School of Counseling (See Nyack College)

Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (Palisades)

Cornell Cooperative Extension (Thiells)

Dominican College (Orangeburg)

Empire State College (New City)

Iona College (Pearl River)

Long Island University (Orangeburg)

NYU School of Social Work (Sparkill)

Nyack College (Nyack)

Rockland Community College (Ramapo)

Rockland Teachers Center Institute (Garnerville)

St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill)

Sunbridge College (Chestnut Ridge)

Yeshiva Gedola Ohr Hatorah (Spring Valley)

Yeshiva Shaarei Torah of Rockland (Suffern)

Hospitals in Rockland County

Helen Hayes Hospital - Route 9W West Haverstraw, New York 10993 845-786-4225 Toll Free: 1-888-70-REHAB (73422), TTY: 845-947-3187, FAX: 845-947-3097 - One of the country's first physical rehabilitation facilities, recognized as a leader in rehabilitation medicine and research. For over 100 years, Helen Hayes Hospital helped restore function to individuals with catastrophic injuries and chronic disabling illnesses, enabling them to move on to active, productive, independent and fulfilling lives using state-of-the-art equipment and technology, making recovery a reality.

Good Samaritan Hospital, 255 Lafayette Ave., Suffern, New York 10901 (845) 368-5000, is a non-profit, 370-bed hospital providing emergency, medical, surgical, obstetrical / gynecological and acute care services to residents of Rockland and southern Orange Counties in New York; and northern Bergen County, New Jersey. The hospital also serves these communities as an Area Level II Trauma Center.

Nyack Hospital, 160 North Midland Ave Nyack, New York 10960. (845) 348-2000, is a 375-bed community acute care medical and surgical hospital located at

Summit Park Hospital & Nursing Care Center, Pomona, New York 10970. (845) 364-2700 (Daytime Phone), (845) 364-2910 (Night & Weekend).

Twin/Sister cities

Rockland County has been paired with San Marcos and Huehuete, Nicaragua as its Sister City. The Rockland County Sister City Project with San Marcos and Huehuete, Nicaragua, is coordinated by Cleta Ciulla of Nyack, NY. Since 1990, the organization has collected donated clothes, bicycles and other useful things for our Nicaraguan partners in community development. Fundraising consists of donations and yardsales. Participants travel regularly to Nicaragua to review project details and community needs.
Additionally, the town of Ramapo is twinned with a number of cities.

Famous/Notable people from Rockland County

Salman Ahmad Musician

Maxwell Anderson Playwright; long time resident of South Mountain Road

Christine Andreas Actress

Vic Arnell Comedian

Billy Baldwin Actor

Stephen Baldwin Actor/producer

George W. Bush US President; owns a condo in Spring Valley

Sandy Baron Comedian

Mikhail Baryshnikov Actor

Harry Bellaver Actor

Thomas Berger Writer

Bill Boggs talk show host, stage performer, TV producer, journalist, won four Emmies

Barry Bostwick Actor, lived until 2005 in a house once owned by Maxwell Anderson

Lorraine Bracco Actress

Keith Bulluck Tennessee Titans All Pro Linebacker

Ellen Burstyn Actress

Milton Caniff Cartoonist, creator of "Terry and the Pirates" and "Steve Canyon"

Madeleine Carroll Actress

Tom Chapin Singer/Musician

Ina Claire Actress

Myron Cohen Borscht Belt Comedian

Chelle Cordero Writer

Norman Corwin Radio

Katherine Cornell Actress

Joseph Cornell Artist

John Costigan Artist/Illustrator

Noel Coward Playwright

Will Cunnane Major/Minor League pitcher.

Arlene Dahl Actress

Richard Daly Actor

Tim Daly Actor

Tyne Daly Actress

Philip D’Antoni Producer

Millia Davenport Scenic and Costume Designer

Jonathan Demme Director

Ryan Doyle Financial analyst

John Dos Passos Writer

Charles Ellis Actor

Maurice Evans Actor

Freddie Feldman Award winning record producer

John Flannagan Artist/Illustrator

Betty Friedan Writer

Jeremy Garelick Co-screenwriter of the hit film "The Breakup"

Margalo Gillmore Actress

Adam Grupper Broadway actor, "La bohème", "The Wild Party"

Morty Gunthy Comedian

Fred Gwynne Actor

Berta Hader Artist/Illustrator

Elmer Stanley Hader Artist/Illustrator

Marion Hargrove Writer *Alan Kirschenbaum Creator, "Yes, Dear"

Rebekah Harkness Art patron

Valerie Harper Actress

Helen Hayes Actress

Maurice Heaton Artist/Illustrator

Ben Hecht Playwright

Pat Hingle Actor

Rupert Holmes Composer

Edward Hopper Artist/Illustrator

John Houseman Actor, The Paper Chase

William Hurt Actor

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones-- owned a home in New City while recording an LP

Zita Johann Actress

John Johnson Television

Bill T. Jones Dancer

Isley Brothers Singer/Musician

Margot Kidder Actress

Richard Kiley Actor

Mike Killen Actor

Ernie Kovacs Actor television entertainer

Audrey Landers Actress

Judy Landers Actress

Lotte Lenya lived on South Mountain Road with husband Kurt Weill until her death

Victor Levin Writer, "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!" (2004)

Salvador Litvak Director, Writer, Producer, "When Do We Eat?" (2005)

Dick Lord Comedian

Charles MacArthur Playwright

James MacArthur Actor

James Maritato Professional wrestler

Bill Mauldin Cartoonist

Tim McCann Director

Guthrie McClintic Director

Carson McCullers Writer

Thomas Meehan Playwright

Burgess Meredith Actor

Mitch Miller Conductor

Russell (Big Chief) Moore Singer/Musician

Toni Morrison Writer

Mary Mowbray-Clarke Artist/Illustrator - Designed Dutch Garden - New City

Larry Mullen Jr Singer/Musician

Bill Murray Actor

Harry Nilson Singer/Musician

Rosie O’Donnell Comedienne

Al Pacino Actor

Hayden Panettiere Actress

Rollo Peters Actor

Henry Varnum Poor Artist/Illustrator

Jon Pousette-Dart Singer/Musician Pousette-Dart Band

Richard Pousette-Dart Artist/Illustrator

Tito Puente Singer/Musician

Aidan Quinn Actor

Hazard Reeves Cinerama Entrepreneur

Ruth Reeves Artist/Illustrator

Chita Rivera Actress

Hugo Robus Artist/Illustrator

Adam Rodriguez Detective Eric Delko from CBS's .

Freddie Roman Comedian and Dean of the Friar's Club

Casper Roos Actor

Gilbert Rose Artist/Illustrator

Sam Rosen Announcer for the New York Rangers and NFL on FOX

Philip Rosenthal Executive Producer, Everybody Loves Raymond

Herman Rosse Set Design

Alan Ruck Actor

Martha Ryther Artist/Illustrator

Morley Safer Television correspondent and commentator

Eddie Sauter Singer/Musician

Brian Santa Maria Actor

Chiz Schultz Producer

Connie Selleca Actress

Richard Shoberg Actor

Ellen Simon Playwright

William Sloane Publisher

Kim Stanley Actor

John Steinbeck Writer

Harry Streep Dancer

Elaine Stritch Actress

Henry Le Tang Choreographer

Mark Triscott Award winning microbiologist, responsible for several coagulation patents.

John Van Druten Director

Jon Voight Actor

Mike Wallace Television

Andre Watts Singer/Musician

Lil' Wayne Rapper, lives on Halley Drive in Pomona

Jimmy Webb Composer

Kurt Weill lived in New City from time of naturalization until his death

Randi Weingarten Current President, United Federation of Teachers

Walt Weiss Baseball player

Arnie Zane Dancer

Adolph Zukor Founder of Paramount Pictures, donated land for Zukor Park

Ryan Grant running back of the Green Bay Packers was born in Suffern, New York. Additionally, singer-songwriter Regina Spektor produced a demo named "Rockland County", about staying with a relative in Rockland County after coming to America from Russia.

Jake Syzmanski (known as Jake T. Austin) Child actor who does work with Disney Channel. He played the voice of Diego Márquez in Go, Diego, Go! and plays Max Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place. He currently attends Felix Festa middle school part of the Clarkstown District.Further Information

Get more info on 'Rockland County New York'.

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