Orangeburg, New York

Geography

Orangeburg is located at (41.044796, -73.953404).

History

Orangeburg was the site of Camp Shanks, known as "Last Stop USA", the largest World War II Army embarkation camp. A total of 1.3 million US service personnel en route to Europe were processed at a sprawling camp that covered most of the town. The hamlet also has one of the world's largest psychiatric hospitals, Rockland Psychiatric Center, formerly called Rockland State Hospital. Orangeburg pipe was once manufactured here. Before plastic pipes, it was the standard alternative to metal pipes, especially for sewer and outdoor drainage applications.

After World War II, even through it lies only 19 mi north of New York City, Orangeburg was very rural with few residents, many of whom lived quite modestly in former soldiers' housing. That lasted until the late 1950s when developers introduced modern suburban housing to young couples who saw it as an alternative to city living. Today, Orangeburg is a suburb of New York City.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, there were 4,568 people, 1,531 households and 840 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,473.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,564 housing units at an average density of 504.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 77.3% White, 4.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 13.2% Asian, 3.2% from other races and 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.9% of the population.

There were 1,531 households, of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 42.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.33.

25.4% of the population were age 19 or under, 10.1% from 20 to 24, 15.5% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.4 males.

The median family income was an estimated $70,859 and the median family income was $128,342. Males had a median income of $50,724 and females $31,477. The average home or condo value in 2009 was $463,300. About 10.73% of families and 27.00% of the population were below the poverty line.

Landmarks and places of interest

• Camp Shanks Museum and Monument - Independence Avenue - During World War II, over 1.3 million G.I.s were processed from Camp Shanks to Europe and North Africa. Italian and German prisoners of war were housed and repatriated here. The monument is located at Independence Avenue and Lowe Lane off Western Highway. The museum is located on South Greenbush Road near the intersection of Routes 303 and 340 and is open at weekends.
• Douglas House - a Dutch Colonial farmhouse owned by Marjorie Douglas and her late husband Henry that since 1981 has been used for several New York-based film and television productions, including Saturday Night Live and Daredevil.
• New York City FC's training facility is located in Orangeburg.

Tallest buildings in Rockland County

Orangeburg has some of the tallest buildings in Rockland County, including

• Blue Hill Plaza
• Rockland Psychiatric Center

Historical markers

• Clausland Cemetery - Greenbush Road at Mountain Avenue
• Colonial Orangetown - Orangeburg and Hunt roads
• Michael Salyer (March 8, 1757 - April 9, 1810) House - 213 Blue Hill Road
• Shanks Village - 26 Orangeburg Road
• Veterans Memorial Park

Notable people

• Zita Johann, actress.
• Lew Leslie, Broadway writer and producer.
• George Worth, born Gyorgy Woittitz (1915–2006), Olympic medalist saber fencer and chief commissioner of the Orangeburg Fire Department.

Public transportation

Orangeburg can be reached from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on Coach USA Rockland Coaches bus route #20. The #20 bus travels through Orangeburg along Western Highway, where there are stops on Highview Avenue and Orangeburg Road. Additionally, Transport of Rockland (TOR) Bus #92 offers service to Artopee Way in Nyack and to the Spring Valley Transit Center, and TOR Bus #97 offers service from Orangeburg Road and New York State Route 303 to Oak Tree Road in Tappan and to the Park and Ride on Highway 9W in Stony Point.

Economy

The Streit's kosher food company is headquartered in Orangeburg.

Pop Culture

Orange Is The New Black was filmed in Orangeburg.

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Orangeburg CDP, New York". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
5. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. (June 5, 1994). "D-Day embarkation camp recalled in "minimuseum"". The Daily Gazette.
7. (September 8, 2017). "The Douglas House: Made for the movies".
8. "First Session at NYCFC's New Facility".
9. (30 September 1993). "Zita Johann Dead; Actress, 89, Played The Mummy's Love". William Grimes, The New York Times (September 30, 1993).
10. "Lew Leslie: Biography & History". All Media Network.
11. [https://books.google.com/books?id=G-VOAQAAIAAJ&q=george+worth+orangeburg ''United States Olympic Book'']
    - [https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/7565044/ ], ''The Daily Herald'' (Provo, Utah), March 24, 1977, page 9
    - [https://web.archive.org/web/20200417230646/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wo/george-worth-1.html]