Orange County, New York

Orange County is a county located in the upstate portion of 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 Executive is Ed Diana, and the county seat is Goshen. The center of population of New York is located in Orange County, in Deerpark.
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.

[edit] 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 the only county in New York State which borders both the Hudson and Delaware Rivers.

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 839 square miles (2,172 km²), with 816 square miles (2,114 km²) as land and 22 square miles (58 km²) as water.

 National protected area
Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

 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's Port Jervis Line, as well as amenities such as senior citizen bussing and car services, which usually restrict themselves to their respective town or city.
Cities
Middletown
Newburgh
Port Jervis

 Villages
Otisville
Tuxedo Park
Unionville
Walden
Chester
Cornwall on Hudson
Florida
Goshen
Monroe
Harriman
Highland Falls
Montgomery
Kiryas Joel
Maybrook
Greenwood Lake
Warwick
Washingtonville
Woodbury

 Towns
Tuxedo
Cornwall
Crawford
Deerpark
Blooming Grove
Chester
Goshen
Greenville
Wawayanda
Woodbury
Hamptonburgh
Highlands
Minisink
Monroe
Montgomery
Mount Hope
New Windsor
Newburgh
Wallkill
Warwick

 Hamlets
There are many hamlets in Orange County. Some Towns may have 5 or more. A Hamlet is defined as an Unincorporated Village.

 Points of interest
Points of interest in Orange County include, the United States Military Academy at West Point, Brotherhood Winery, America's oldest winery, in Washingtonville, the birthplace of William H. Seward in Florida, 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. The only state parks include Goosepond Mountain State Park, Harriman State Park and Sterling Forest State Park. There is also the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. It is also the location of Orange County Choppers, the custom motorcycle shop featured on The Learning Channel television series American Chopper.

 Famous Residents Past and Present
William Seward, U.S. Secretary of State
Whoopi Goldberg, Academy Award winning actress
Paul Teutul, Sr., custom motorcycle builder of Orange County Choppers
Paul Teutul, Jr., custom motorcycle builder of Orange County Choppers
Geraldine Ferraro, 1984 U.S. Vice-Presidential Candidate, U.S. Congresswoman
James Patterson, author
Spencer Tunick, famed photographer
Noah Webster
Stephen Crane, author of The Red Badge of Courage
Pierre Lorillard, tobacco magnate
Tony Gilroy, Academy Award nominated director and writer
James Mangold, film director
Armand Assante, actor
Emily Post, author
Barry Bostwick, actor
Cyndi Lauper, used to spend summers in Tuxedo Park
Greg Anthony, former New York Knicks player
Matt Morris, baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Joe Nathan, baseball player for the Minnesota Twins
Scott Pioli, Vice-President of Player Personnel for the New England Patriots
Rose Thompson Hovick, famous stage mother of Gypsy Rose Lee and June Havoc
Nathaniel White, serial killer
Solomon Townsend, industrialist and State Legislator