Orange County is a county located in the state of New York. As of 2000, the population is 341,367. The county seat is Goshen. The name is in honor of William, Prince of Orange, who was greatly esteemed by the original settlers of the region.
History
In 1683, New York State established its first twelve counties. Orange County was one of them. Its boundaries at that time included the present Rockland County. In 1798, Rockland County was split from Orange County.
Geography
Orange County is in southeastern New York State, directly north of the New Jersey-New York border, west of the Hudson River, and northwest of New York City. Orange County borders Sullivan County, New York, Ulster County, New York, Rockland County, New York, and Sussex and Passaic counties in New Jersey. 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. 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 km (839 mi). 2,114 km (816 mi) of it is land and 58 km (22 mi) of it is water. The total area is 2.65% water.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 372,813 people residing in the county. The population density was 444 people per square mile (171/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.2% White, 10.2% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.4% Asian, and 3.1% from two or more races. 18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[15] According to the 2000 United States Census, 18.3% were of Italian, 18.1% English, 17.4% Irish, 10.2% German, and 5.0% Polish ancestry. According to the 2009–13 American Community Survey, 76.57% of people spoke only English at home, 13.39% spoke Spanish, 4.03% spoke Yiddish, and 0.83% spoke Italian.[16]
As of the 2000 Census, 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 has been among the fastest-growing regions within the New York City Metropolitan Area.
(Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia...wikipedia.org)
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