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New Paltz, New York | |
|---|---|
| Village of New Paltz | |
 Buildings on downtown Main Street | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Etymology: FromPalatine German pronunciation ofPfalz | |
_highlighted.svg) Location inUlster County and theState of New York. | |
.svg) Location of New York in the United States | |
| Coordinates:41°45′N74°5′W / 41.750°N 74.083°W /41.750; -74.083 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| County | Ulster |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village |
| • Body | Board of trustees |
| • Mayor | Tim Rogers[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.80 sq mi (4.66 km2) |
| • Land | 1.76 sq mi (4.56 km2) |
| • Water | 0.039 sq mi (0.10 km2) |
| Highest elevation (S village line near SE corner) | 360 ft (110 m) |
| Lowest elevation (Wallkill River at E village corner) | 160 ft (49 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,324 |
| • Density | 4,157.2/sq mi (1,605.12/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern [EST]) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 12561 |
| Area code | 845 |
| FIPS code | 36-50551 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0958443 |
| Wikimedia Commons | New Paltz, New York |
| Website | village of New Paltz |
New Paltz is a village inUlster County located in theU.S. state ofNew York. It is approximately 80 miles (130 km) north ofNew York City and 70 miles (110 km) south ofAlbany. The population was 7,324 at the 2020 census.[3]
New Paltz is located within thetown of New Paltz. It is also home to theState University of New York at New Paltz, founded in 1828. The town is served by exit 18 on theNew York State Thruway (I-87), as well as state routes 299, 32, and 208, and is about 90 minutes from bothNew York City andAlbany.
TheElting Memorial Library,Guilford-Bower Farm House,Jean Hasbrouck House,Major Jacob Hasbrouck Jr. House,Huguenot Street Historic District,Lake Mohonk Mountain House Complex,New Paltz Downtown Historic District, andThe Locusts are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[4]
New Paltz was founded in 1678 by FrenchHuguenots settlers, includingLouis DuBois, who had taken refuge inMannheim, Germany, for a brief period of time, being married there in 1655, before emigrating to the Dutch colony ofNew Netherland in 1660 with his family. Mannheim was a major town of thePalatinate (in German, thePfalz), at the time a center of Protestantism. The settlers lived inWiltwyck (present dayKingston, New York) and in 1677 purchased a patent for the land surrounding present day New Paltz from aLenape tribe known as theEsopus.
The people of Mannheim use a dialect form of the name Pfalz without the "f", pronouncing it "Paltz." Records of the New PaltzReformed Church, which was formed in 1683, show the name of the settlement was first expressed not in German, nor in English, but in French:Nouveau Palatinat.[citation needed] The community was governed by a kind of corporation called theDuzine, referring to the twelve partners who acquired the royal patent. That form of government continued well past the time of theAmerican Revolution, by special action of theNew York Statelegislature.
The 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) or so of the patent, stretching to theHudson River and augmented soon by the other patents on the south, were eventually divided among those twelve partners, their relatives, and a few friends into large plots – part wilderness and part farm. The farms were grouped principally around the heights west and east of theWallkill River. The commercial center serving the agricultural base was located on the east shore of the Wallkill River, in the area where the first settlers had built their shelters. The street is now known asHuguenot Street.
There, the church, schools,blacksmith,seamstresses, and stores flourished for the benefit of farmers who required goods such as seed, tools, clothing, and food not available on all farms, includingalcoholic beverages. The church, which was also used as a school, was located here. Many of the buildings still stand today, as a living museum community.
Population slowly spread from the Wallkill up along the street now known as North Front Street and then along what is now Chestnut Street. In the nineteenth century, development continued along what is now Main Street. The secession of the town ofLloyd and parts ofShawangunk,Esopus, andGardiner, between 1843 and 1853, reduced New Paltz to its present size. In 1887, the village of New Paltz was incorporated within the eponymous town.
Higher education has been one of the main concerns of the community since the 1830s, with facilities on Huguenot and North Front streets. Late in the nineteenth century, the college was built in the area of Plattekill Avenue and Manheim Boulevard, where theState University of New York at New Paltz now stands.
TheWallkill Valley Railroad reached New Paltz by 1870, and provided passenger service through the town until 1937. After the rail line's closure in 1977, the section of the corridor running through New Paltz was converted to theWallkill Valley Rail Trail, and the formertrain station in New Paltz was renovated as a restaurant,The Station.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2), of which 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (1.70%) is water.
TheWallkill River runs north along the western border of New Paltz, flowing into the Rondout Creek and eventually theHudson River.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 425 | — | |
| 1880 | 493 | 16.0% | |
| 1890 | 935 | 89.7% | |
| 1900 | 1,022 | 9.3% | |
| 1910 | 1,230 | 20.4% | |
| 1920 | 1,056 | −14.1% | |
| 1930 | 1,362 | 29.0% | |
| 1940 | 1,492 | 9.5% | |
| 1950 | 2,285 | 53.2% | |
| 1960 | 3,041 | 33.1% | |
| 1970 | 6,058 | 99.2% | |
| 1980 | 4,938 | −18.5% | |
| 1990 | 5,463 | 10.6% | |
| 2000 | 6,034 | 10.5% | |
| 2010 | 6,818 | 13.0% | |
| 2020 | 7,324 | 7.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5]2020[3] | |||
As of thecensus of 2000,[6] there were 6,034 people, 1898 households, and 586 families residing in the village. Thepopulation density was 3,482.5 people per square mile (1,344.6 people/km2). There were 1,957 housing units at an average density of 1,129.5 per square mile (436.1/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 73.42%white, 7.79%black orAfrican American, 0.27%Native American, 7.01%Asian, 0.10%Pacific Islander, 8.35% fromother races, and 3.07% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 11.93% of the population.
There were 1,898 households, out of which 12.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.1% weremarried couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 69.1% were non-families. 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.66.
In the village, the age of population was disbursed as such: 6.9% under the age of 18, 58.7% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 10.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $21,747, and the median income for a family was $51,186. Males had a median income of $33,103 versus $22,935 for females. Theper capita income for the village was $11,644. About 11.8% of families and 36.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
The mayor is Tim Rogers, who was elected in May 2015 to a four-year term and reelected in 2019 and 2023. The four trustees on the village board are Alexandria Wojcik, William Wheeler Murray, Stana Weisburd, and Stevie Susta. The board of trustees meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the village hall.
Sewer and water districts for the village are maintained through a department of public works. Rehabilitation of the sewer system, which has been found to overflow raw sewage onto local streets and into theWallkill, is expected under a consent order agreed to in 2003.[7]
In 2004, then-MayorJason West helped catapult the village into the national spotlight[8] as one of two locations in early 2004 tomarry same-sex couples. West was also elected as part of the firstGreen Party majority elected to a village board in New York from 2003 to 2004.[citation needed] West lost the subsequent election, but was returned by voters in 2011.
TheWomen in Black have a small-but-active chapter in New Paltz that has been protesting in front ofElting Memorial Library weekly since November 2001.[9] In 2024, over 200 activists rallied at the library to demonstrate their "outrage" over thearrest of over 100 students at SUNY New Paltz who had created aGaza solidarity encampment.[10]
The first local newspaper in New Paltz, theNew Paltz Times, was founded by Charles J. Ackert, who printed its first issue on July 6, 1860. It was a weekly paper in which theDemocratic Party was supported. TheNew Paltz Independent, aRepublican newspaper, was founded in 1868.[11] Both theTimes andIndependent merged in 1919,[12] becoming theNew Paltz Independent and Times that ran until 1972, when it became theOld Dutch New Paltz Independent and Times. That same year it was renamed theOld Dutch independent, and ran until it was discontinued in 1975. TheNew Paltz News was founded in 1935, and merged with theWallkill paperWallkill Valley World in 1980. TheHuguenot Herald was first published in 1976 and merged in 1985 with theHighland paper, theHighland Herald.[13] At SUNY New Paltz, a college newspaper, theNew Paltz Oracle, was founded in 1938,.[14] TheHuguenot Herald andNew Paltz News continued to run until they were merged by the owner of Ulster Publishing as theNew Paltz Times[15] in 2001.[16] The modernNew Paltz Times, which had no continuity with the 19th-century paper of the same name, was published weekly until 2020, when it was merged intoHudson Valley One.
New Paltz hosts a number of cultural events.
This event, paid for through the village, town, and SUNY New Paltz, celebrated the differences among people through food, spoken word poetry, artistic endeavors and theatrical performance. The last known theme, in 2007, was derived fromDr. Seuss's story aboutSneetches.
For over a quarter of a century the Guenther family put on a freehaunted house for area residents, which attracted thousands of visitors onHalloween night. After complaints about traffic and noise concerns, owners Ann and Dan Guenther announced in 2006 that they would no longer create the attraction. However, interest continued, and the attraction was relocated to Hasbrouck Park in 2007,[17] utilizing the park's castleplayground as a centerpiece. This move also increased community involvement for the event for the two years it was held there, drawing upon the local YMCA, village employees, and volunteers from the area.[18]
A parade on Halloween night has been conducted through the village since the 1960s.
On the nights leading up to Halloween, stories of spirits, tragedy, misfortune and the paranormal fill the 330-year-old street under the moniker of "Haunted Huguenot Street" tours.
Since 1990 this pumpkin-carving contest has been hosted at a local eatery called the Bakery.[19][20]
A pride march celebrating LGBT culture is a focus of pride celebrations in June, drawing a number of out-of-town visitors to see the community where same-sex weddings were performed when they were still illegal.[21]
The local Memorial Day parade is always held on the actual Memorial Day, not the Monday substitute agreed upon in Congress.
A fundraising run on Thanksgiving to support Family of New Paltz.
A river race using home made boats that was started in 1955 byDelta Kappa fraternity atSUNY New Paltz.[22] It has since been taken over by local citizens and is held every year to celebrate the start of summer.[23]
The Mohonk Preserve, Mohonk Mountain House and Minnewaska State Park offer biking and hiking opportunities in an area deemed picturesque by tourism supporters.
TheWallkill Valley Rail Trail passes through New Paltz and runs concurrently with theEmpire State Trail for a distance.
The River-to-Ridge trail runs from the village line into the Mohonk Preserve.
New Paltz is exit 18 on theNew York State Thruway, which is also designated asInterstate 87.
There is frequent bus service between ThePort Authority Bus Terminal in New York City and New Paltz provided byTrailways of New York, with connections to many other villages and cities in New York State. Express bus service is also available from New Paltz to New York City via Trailways of New York, serving the park-ride lot at Exit 18 of the Thruway.Ulster County Area Transit also provides service toMetro-North Railroad inPoughkeepsie, along with local bus service toKingston,Newburgh, and points in between along Route 32. In January 2009 the New Paltz Loop Bus, stopping at points throughout the community, was launched.
Stewart International Airport is the nearest major airport to New Paltz. It is located in Newburgh, thirty minutes to the south.
TheWallkill Valley Railroad, founded in 1866, stretched from Montgomery to Kingston. The New Paltz railroad station was originally built in 1870,[25] rebuilt after a 1907 fire.[26] The railroad and station later came underNew York Central ownership. The NYC operated two trains a day, each direction, on a Kingston-New Paltz-Montgomery run. At Kingston, connections were available trains north to Albany and south to Weehawken, New Jersey.[27] The passenger service through New Paltz ended in 1937, and the rail division was abandoned byConrail in 1983. The former roadbed was converted for use as theWallkill Valley Rail Trail.[28]
The former station (now calledLa Stazione) was sold to private interests in 1959.[29] The building was in a state of disrepair by the early 1980s,[30] but renovated in 1988[31] and converted to an Italian restaurant in 1999.[32]
The nearest active railroad station is thePoughkeepsie Metro-North station, which is served by severalAmtrak trains and is the terminus for theMetro-North Railroad's Hudson Line. The Hudson Line stretches from Poughkeepsie toGrand Central Terminal inNew York City. Poughkeepsie is a 15-20 minute drive east of New Paltz.
In 2006, the town and village officials agreed to pay for a transportation study to analyze the transportation needs of the area. The study's suggestions included turning Main Street into a one-way route and improving bicycle and pedestrian access. An implementation committee was appointed in 2007 to study ways to use the plan.
The village is inNew Paltz Central School District.[33]
Niimi, Okayama, Japan[34]
Media from Commons
Travel guides from Wikivoyage
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)Pison, Nikki. "The Cusp of Sad." 2013. Little Heart Press: Rosendale, NY.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/small-town-rallies-in-support-of-american-flag-mural-after-initial-outcry
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