Orange County, New York

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 a half 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 the Village of Goshen.

The original OC!

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).

Read more about Orange County, NY History here.
Orange County, NY Demographics here

Some of what Orange County, NY is famous for:

  1. The oldest carbon dated human settlement in North America (12,500 years old) is found here.
  2. More Mastodon skeletons have been unearthed here than any other place on earth.
  3. The "Onion Capitol of the World". The black dirt region of Pine Island.  
  4. 'Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese' was invented in Chester, NY (1872)
  5. 'Velveeta' cheese spread (1923) and 'Liederkranz' cheese (1882) were invented in Monroe, NY
  6. First butter factory in America was in Campbell Hall, NY (1859)
  7. The oldest (1839) continuously operating winery in the US is in Washingtonville, NY (The Brotherhood Winery)
  8. The Tuxedo dinner jacket originated in Tuxedo Park, an enclosed community developed by Pierre Lorillard, tobacco magnate (Old Gold).
  9. The daughter of Bruce Price, the designer of Tuxedo Park NY (1880), and also a resident, was Emily Post
  10. The Order of the Purple Heart was established by George Washington in Newburgh, NY (1782)
    Tribute to the 75th Aniversary of the Purple Heart in my town. PH_Tribute
  11. The first Registered National Historic Landmark (1850) is Washington's Headquarters in Newburgh, NY
  12. The largest number (220+) of discount designer outlets in the US is in Central Valley, NY with 12 million visitors per year (Woodbury Commons).
  13. The world's first, and still used, trotting track is in Goshen, NY (Goshen Historic Track) (est. 1838)
  14. Nearly all trotters and pacers in the US can trace their pedigree to the stallion 'Hambletonian' of Chester, NY (1849).
  15. The largest living history museum in NYS is Museum Village in Monroe, NY
  16. Bear Mountain State Park has more visitors annually than does Yellowstone National Park.
  17. The main runway at Stewart International Airport (SWF) (formerly Stewart Air Force base) is over two miles long (11, 818 feet) and is an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle. New Windsor, NY
  18. The United States Military Academy at West Point, NY (USMA est. 1778)
  19. The largest Church Organ in the world is at West Point USMA.
  20. Stephen Crane wrote his most popular novel "The Red Badge of Courage" in Port Jervis, NY.
  21. The Intersection of  I-87 and I-84 in Newburgh, NY is known as the "Gateway of the Northeast"
  22. The largest sculpture park in the US is the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY, featuring works from artists around the world.
  23. The oldest (1919) continously operating automobile racing dirt track in the US is the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown, NY
  24. Orange County + Motorcycles.  It's gotta be California, right?  No, "American Chopper", on the Discovery channel, is filmed at 'Orange County Choppers' in Rock Tavern, NY
  25. The Hudson River, the first explored and most beautiful river in the United States (maybe the whole world), passing through this area is called "The Rhine of the Americas"      
    26. Click here for a panoramic view of this area.

    (Some... all right, most!... of this information was culled from various sources)


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