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Tuxedo Park, New York

Tuxedo Park is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 645 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area as well as the larger New York metropolitan area. Its name is derived from an indigenous Lenape word of the Munsee language, tucsedo or p'tuxseepu, which is said to mean 'crooked water' or 'crooked river'.

Tuxedo Park is a gated village in the southern part of the town of Tuxedo, near New York Route 17 and the New York State Thruway.

The evening dress for men now popularly known as a tuxedo takes its name from Tuxedo Park. It was brought there by James Brown Potter, who was introduced to the garment by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII).

History
The park is in the Ramapo Mountains. In the colonial era, it acquired a reputation for undeveloped iron deposits. In consequence, a company formed in England and headed by William Alexander, Lord Stirling, acquired a large tract in the neighborhood. The company built furnaces near Ringwood and opened mines on the Ramapo River near Sterling Lake. Pierre Lorillard II acquired the company and its land holdings in 1790. Once the iron deposits were depleted, the land was used for lumbering.

What is now the village and the areas immediately surrounding it were first developed as a private hunting-and-fishing reserve by Pierre Lorillard IV in 1885. At that time it became known as "Tuxedo Park". Lorillard IV initially built small cottages, renting or selling them to his friends and family. The project grew so popular that he organized the Tuxedo Club and the Tuxedo Park Association, and surrounded the property with a high game fence. This fence fairly accurately marked the present boundaries of the area restricted to use of the residents of Tuxedo Park. In 1924 the Tuxedo Securities Corporation acquired from the Estate of Peter Lorillard, deceased, all of the stock of the Tuxedo Park Association.

The original clubhouse, designed by Bruce Price, was built in 1886 and was then replaced by a second clubhouse in 1928, which was designed by John Russell Pope. This building was destroyed by fire in 1943, and was partially rebuilt soon thereafter.

The shingle style cottages Price built at Tuxedo, with their compact massing and axial plans influenced Modernist architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright. Queen Anne architecture with Tudor elements became popular for residences.

Tuxedo Park enjoyed many prosperous years from 1885 until the 1920s. The Blue Book of Etiquette was written by Emily Post, who was the daughter of Bruce Price. She wrote the book based on what she observed inside the great stone gates of Tuxedo. Other Tuxedo notables from that era include: During the 1920s a new hospital and a high school were built through the generosity of a few Tuxedo Park residents, including John Insley Blair. In the years following the Great Depression, however, Tuxedo Park lost many of its socialites and wealthy inhabitants, but attracted a few new ones, as well. One of the new residences was built by Angier Biddle Duke, (cousin to Doris Duke), whose father-in-law, George Baker St. George, was an original resident of Tuxedo. St. George purchased and built for Duke and his wife, Priscilla St George, a new estate, "Duck Hollow". Duck Hollow was the last built estate in Tuxedo Park by the old "blue blood elite". While Duke and his wife were traveling abroad, as most elites did at that time, St. George had landscape architect Arthur P. Kroll landscape the property. By the time the Dukes returned from Europe, the property had been transformed and appeared to have been there for over 100 years.
 * Grenville Kane – banker, heir, and longtime resident
 * Dorothy Draper – interior designer
 * Adele Colgate – heir to the Colgate/Palmolive fortune
 * Fernando Yznaga – banker; brother of Consuelo Yznaga, Duchess of Manchester
 * George Fisher Baker – banker
 * J. P. Morgan – banker
 * Alfred Lee Loomis – investment banker, scientist
 * William Waldorf Astor
 * Herbert C. Pell
 * Augustus Juilliard
 * Millicent Rogers
 * James Whitmore

The area known as Tuxedo Park separated from the Town of Tuxedo and became incorporated in 1952, adopting the village form of government. Today it includes 2,050 acre, of which 355 acre includes three lakes, and about 330 housing units in 340 structures. Other newer housing developments outside of the gated Village of Tuxedo Park but in the Town of Tuxedo include the Tuxedo Heights Condominiums in Southfields built in 1971 on the site of a former bed factory, the Mountain View Apartments near the Sloatsburg line, and The Woodlands at Tuxedo (townhomes HOA) in the Eagle Valley section. The former private mansion residence of Loomis of Alfred Lee Loomis is sometimes referred to as the Loomis Laboratory, and it is now private rental apartments inside the Village of Tuxedo Park.

Outside of the gated Village of Tuxedo Park, in the Town of Tuxedo were the former Red Apple Rest, and the Sterling Forest Ski Center, aka Tuxedo Ridge Ski Resort. This former ski property is home to the New York Renaissance Festival and various sporting events including Spartan Races. Also in the Town of Tuxedo is a former International Paper Research Center today owned and occupied by Watchtower Organization. Just outside the gates of Tuxedo Park is the Hamlet of The Town of Tuxedo, which consists of numerous historic structures built around the time of the original Tuxedo Park development. Historic buildings include the Tuxedo Train station (Metro-North stop Tuxedo), the Tuxedo Park Library (designed by Bruce Price), and the Tuxedo Park Post Office and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church.

In recognition of its historical and architectural significance, the historic district was listed as Tuxedo Park on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 1980. In 1982 the designation was officially presented to Mrs. Joan Richardsson Alleman, Co-Chairman of the Tuxedo Conservation and Taxpayers Association, at the Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site in nearby Newburgh, NY. The designation was presented by Oren Lehman, Commissioner of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and is displayed at the Tuxedo Park Village Office.

Geography
Tuxedo Park is at 41.20139°N, -74.20167°W (41.201461, -74.201668).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has an area of 3.2 sqmi, of which 2.7 sqmi is land and 0.6 sqmi (17.03%) is water.

The village is in Orange County near its border with Rockland County, in the Ramapo Mountains.

The New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) and New York State Route 17 pass east of the village, which is north of Sloatsburg.

Sterling Forest State Park is west of the village, and Harriman State Park is to the east.

Within the confines of the village are three lakes: Tuxedo Lake is the largest by far of the three and serves as the village reservoir, while the smaller Weewah Lake and Pond #2 serve as purely recreational bodies of water. No swimming or power-boating is allowed in Tuxedo Lake in order to retain optimal water quality.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 731 people, 291 households, and 215 families residing in the village. The population density was 272.9 PD/sqmi. There were 363 housing units at an average density of 135.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 94.4% white, 0.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population.

There were 291 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the village, the age distribution of the population shows 22.2% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 37.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $91,820, and the median income for a family was $102,056. Males had a median income of $70,536 versus $46,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $63,538. About 1.9% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
 * Dorothy Draper, American designer, interior decorator
 * Thibaut de Saint Phalle, American investment banker, former director of the Export–Import Bank of the United States
 * Sutton Foster, actress, dancer, and singer
 * Fred Gwynne, actor
 * Alfred Lee Loomis, attorney, investment banker, scientist, physicist, inventor of the LORAN, funded RADAR development before the government funded it
 * Charles E. Mitchell (October 6, 1877 – December 14, 1955), an American banker whose incautious securities policies facilitated the speculation which led to the Crash of 1929
 * Ambrose Monell, American industrialist, former president of International Nickel Company and namesake of the Monel alloy
 * Charles Coudert Nast, attorney and U.S. Army major general
 * Howard Shore, composer
 * Katharine St. George, former US Congressman
 * John F. (Jack) White, president of National Educational Television and the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
 * Katherine Rosman, a reporter for the New York Times
 * Gary Parr, investment banker
 * Henry Varnum Poor, founder of Standard & Poor’s
 * Guy Spier, hedge fund manager

Notable locations

 * Jehovah's Witnesses World Headquarters
 * I.B.M. Sterling Forest

title: Tuxedo Park, New York


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Unionville, Orange County, New York

Unionville is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 592 at the 2020 census, making it by far the smallest village in Orange County and one of the smallest in New York State.

The village is within the town of Minisink, southeast of Port Jervis, and is part of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, Orange County, New York metropolitan statistical area as well as the larger New York City-Newark, New Jersey-Bridgeport, Connecticut and New York-New Jersey-Connecticut-Pennsylvania combined statistical area.

History
The settlement was founded in the early part of the 18th century, and became known as Unionville around 1820. According to tradition, the name "Unionville" was applied to the place after a land dispute had been settled. Unionville was incorporated as a village in 1871. Once an important economic zone in the area, its decline followed the changes in transportation which favored other locations: the Middletown and Unionville Railroad shuttled agricultural products (especially milk) as well as high school students in the first half of the 20th century. By World War II, however, improved roads and a high school built far away from the train tracks led to the end of these services; passenger service on the line ended in 1968.

Geography
Unionville is located at 41.30028°N, -74.56167°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.6 km2), all land.

The village is located on NY Route 284. The Appalachian Trail runs just south of the village along the New York/New Jersey state line. Unionville is adjacent to the Town of Wantage in New Jersey.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 536 people, 197 households, and 140 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,140.2 PD/sqmi. There were 210 housing units at an average density of 838.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.34% white, .37% African American, .37% Pacific Islander, 2.24% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.21% of the population.

There were 197 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.16.

The population of the village was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $37,222, and the median income for a family was $41,000. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,753. About 7.0% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Unionville, Orange County, New York


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Vails Gate, New York

Vails Gate is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,368 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.

Vails Gate is in the southern part of the Town of New Windsor, located on Route 32. It is defined largely by the junction of that highway with Routes 94 and 300, a busy commercial center which has the ZIP code 12584. Part of that also spills into adjacent regions of the Town of Cornwall to the south.

History
The locale has always been referred to as a neighborhood of New Windsor. In the 19th century, it became known as Vail's Gate, after John D. Vail, a former postmaster and keeper of the Blooming Grove Turnpike tollgate. For the same reason, it was also earlier called Tooker's Gate.

Vail served as the first postmaster of the New Windsor post office, established on April 10, 1850, being named the Mortonville Post Office. The name was finally changed to Vails Gate Post Office, which led to the apostrophe permanently dropping from the name. Efforts to change the name of the hamlet to Mortonville, after the Morton family, residents of the Ellison House, never occurred.

Historic sites

 * Knox's Headquarters
 * New Windsor Cantonment
 * Edmonston House
 * Vails Gate Methodist Church and Cemetery
 * Brewster's Forge Memorial

Geography
Vails Gate is located at 41.45806°N, -74.05361°W (41.457943, -74.053484).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.0 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,319 people, 1,421 households, and 861 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,330.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,459 housing units at an average density of 1,464.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 72.34% White, 11.87% African American, 0.39% Native American, 4.19% Asian, 7.17% from other races, and 4.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.31% of the population.

There were 1,421 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,851, and the median income for a family was $44,485. Males had a median income of $38,636 versus $31,019 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,967. About 7.8% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

title: Vails Gate, New York


text:
Public Image Ltd

Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band formed by lead vocalist John Lydon (previously, as Johnny Rotten, lead vocalist of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene (a founder member of The Clash), bassist Jah Wobble, and drummer Jim Walker in May 1978. The group's line-up has changed frequently over the years; Lydon has been the sole constant member.

Following Lydon's departure from the Sex Pistols in January 1978, he sought a more experimental "anti-rock" project and formed PiL. That year PiL released their debut studio album  (1978), creating an abrasive, bass-heavy sound that drew on dub, noise, progressive rock and disco. PiL's second studio album Metal Box (1979) pushed their sound further into the avant-garde, and is often regarded as one of the most important albums of the post-punk era.

By 1984, Levene, Wobble and Walker had departed and the group was effectively a solo vehicle for Lydon, who moved toward a more accessible sound with the commercially successful studio albums This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get (1984) and Album (1986). After a late 1990s hiatus, Lydon reformed the group in 2009 and has released several further albums, including What the World Needs Now... (2015).

Early career
Following the Sex Pistols' break-up in 1978, photographer Dennis Morris suggested that Lydon travel to Jamaica with him and Virgin Records head Richard Branson, where Branson would be scouting for emerging reggae musicians. Branson also flew American new wave band Devo to Jamaica, aiming to install Lydon as lead vocalist in the band. Devo declined the offer.

Upon returning to England, Lydon searched for musicians but it was difficult. He stated in the press: "I'm thinking about going up north for someone. They've got bands up there who are trying to be different". He approached Jah Wobble (né John Wardle) about forming a band together. The pair had been friends since the early 1970s when they attended the same school in Hackney (both belonged to a circle of friends Lydon informally dubbed "The Gang of Johns" – John Lydon, John Wardle, John Gray, and Simon John Ritchie/Beverley, a.k.a. Sid Vicious). Lydon and Wobble had previously played music together during the final days of the Sex Pistols. Both had similarly broad musical tastes, and were avid fans of reggae and world music. Lydon assumed, much as he had with Sid Vicious, that Wobble would learn to play bass guitar as he went. Wobble would prove to be a natural talent. Lydon also approached guitarist Keith Levene for the new band. Levene and Lydon had become acquainted while touring in mid-1976 when Levene was still a member of the Clash. At the time, Lydon and Levene had both considered themselves outsiders even within their own bands. Jim Walker, a Canadian student newly arrived in the UK, was recruited on drums, after answering an advertisement placed in Melody Maker published on May 6, 1978.

The band began rehearsing together in mid-May 1978, although they were still unnamed. In July 1978, Lydon officially named the band "Public Image" (the "Ltd" was added when the company was incorporated in July 1978), after the Muriel Spark novel The Public Image (1968). PiL debuted in October 1978 with "Public Image", a song written while Lydon was still a member of the Sex Pistols, and discussed his feelings of being exploited by their manager Malcolm McLaren. The single was well received and reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, and it also performed well on import in the US.

Public Image: First Issue (1978)
In preparing their debut studio album, , the band spent their recording budget well before the record was completed. As a result, the final album comprised eight tracks of varying sound quality, half of which were written and recorded in a rush after the money had run out. The album was released in December 1978.

The single "Public Image" was widely seen as diatribe against Malcolm McLaren and his perceived manipulation of Lydon during his career with Sex Pistols. The track "Low Life" (with its accusatory lyrics of "Egomaniac traitor", "You fell in love with your ego" and "Bourgeoisie anarchist") has also been regarded as an attack on McLaren, although Lydon has stated that the lyrics refer to Sid Vicious. The two-part song "Religion" refers contemptuously to the Catholic Church; Lydon came up with the lyrics when he was part of the Sex Pistols but he claims the other members of the band were reluctant to use them. The closing track "Fodderstompf", heavily influenced by dub, comprises nearly eight minutes of a circular bass riff, played over a Lydon/Wobble double act lampooning public outrage, love songs and teenage apathy, whilst openly acknowledging the lack of effort being put into it. The track culminates with the sound of a fire extinguisher being let off in the recording studio by Wobble. The photography for the album was shot by Dennis Morris who also created the PiL logo.

"PiL was the simple thing of four different people doing different drugs at different times," Wobble observed to Select. "It was only in any way together for the first two months of its existence. We had a fuckin' good drummer called Jim Walker, but he fucked off after a few months [in early 1979] and it just fell apart. Somehow it had sort of death throes that produced a couple of blinding albums."

Metal Box (1979) and Paris au Printemps (1980)

The departure of Jim Walker made way for a series of new drummers. Auditions were later held at Rollerball Studios in Tooley Street, London Bridge. David Humphrey was their second drummer, who went on to record two tracks at Manor Studios in Oxford, "Swan Lake" and "Albatross", for Metal Box. "Death Disco" (a.k.a. "Swan Lake") was released as a single in 1979 and reached No. 20 in the charts. The majority of the drumming on the album was provided by Richard Dudanski (formerly of the 101ers), PiL's drummer from April to September 1979. He was replaced by Karl Burns (of the Fall), who in turn was replaced by Martin Atkins. The recording and practice sessions were chaotic; Atkins said in 2001 that his audition was playing "Bad Baby" during a recording session--a take which was taped and released on Metal Box. Atkins was PiL's drummer from 1979 to 1980 and 1982 to 1985.

Metal Box was originally released as three untitled 45-rpm 12-inch (30-cm) records packaged in a metal box resembling a film canister with an embossed PiL logo on the lid (it was later reissued in more conventional packaging as a double LP set, Second Edition), and features the band's trademark hypnotic dub reggae bass lines, glassy, arpeggiated guitar, and bleak, paranoid, stream of consciousness vocals.

PiL had a series of contentious live shows and behind-the-scenes controversies during their first American tour in 1980. Their appearance at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles was fraught with hostile exchanges between Lydon and the audience. Tensions offstage mounted as well. PiL demanded that they work only with local promoters, bucking the promotional machinery of Warner Bros. Records, their American label. For both the Los Angeles and San Francisco appearances, PiL agreed to work with David Ferguson and his independent CD Presents label. This business arrangement pitted the band and CD Presents in a pitched battle against San Francisco-based promoter Bill Graham, who negotiated with concert venue owners and San Francisco government officials to deprive PiL of a concert location. Fearing public outbursts if the show was cancelled, San Francisco city officials instead opted to allow the CD Presents-sponsored event to proceed.

On 17 May 1980, the group appeared on the teenage music show American Bandstand at the invitation of host Dick Clark. PiL's performance was chaotic; they abandoned lip-syncing, invited the audience onto the stage while the music played and Lydon clowned. Clark named the performance among his top 100 AB favorites.

In June 1980, Lydon and Levene were interviewed on NBC's The Tomorrow Show by host Tom Snyder. The interview was awkward (and combative at times). At one point, Snyder asked Lydon if PiL was a band to which Lydon replied with, "We ain't no band, we're a company. Simple. Nothing to do with rock and roll. Doo Da." The segment ended with Snyder apologising to the audience: "The interesting part is, is that we talked to these two gentlemen a couple of weeks ago, a pre-interview, apparently that went all just fine and it made great sense, and what I read about them this afternoon, but somehow it got a little lost in translation tonight. But that's probably my fault." Lydon re-appeared on Tom Snyder's show in 1997, and Snyder apologised about what happened that night. Lydon shook it off by saying "it's just entertainment", and the completely normal interview proceeded without difficulty.

1980 also saw the release of PiL's first live album, Paris au Printemps – also the group's last album featuring Jah Wobble. On this release's album sleeve, the band's name and all of the track titles were translated into French. The album cover was a painting by John Lydon depicting himself, Keith Levene and Jeannette Lee.

In May 1981, PiL appeared in New York at The Ritz, playing from behind a projection screen. Lydon, Levene and Jeanette Lee were joined by a new drummer, 60-year-old jazz player Sam Ulano, who had been recruited for the gig from a bar, having apparently never heard the band before. While something reminiscent of but clearly different from PiL improvised behind the screen, PiL records were played simultaneously through the PA. Lydon taunted the audience, who expected to hear familiar material (or at least see the band), and a melée erupted in which the audience pelted the stage with bottles and pulled on a tarp spread under the band, toppling equipment. The promoters cleared the hall and cancelled the next night's show, and a local media furore ignited in New York.

The Flowers of Romance (1981)
Later in 1980, Jah Wobble left the band and was not formally replaced. The resulting studio album was notable for its almost complete lack of bass parts. Martin Atkins, who had initially joined at the tail end of the Metal Box sessions, was re-recruited to drum on The Flowers of Romance. Levene had by then largely abandoned guitar in favour of synthesiser, picking up a new technique although owing a debt to Allen Ravenstine of Pere Ubu. Atkins' propulsive marching band-style drumming, the lack of bass and guitar, and Lydon's increasing lyrical abstraction made this album a difficult listen for rock fans, and contemporary reviews expressed great confusion. The record consists mostly of drums, vocals, musique concrète, and tape loops, with only gestures toward bass (played by Levene) and keyboards. The title "Flowers of Romance" was the name of a short-lived band featuring Keith Levene, Viv Albertine, and Sid Vicious in 1976. The track "Francis Massacre" was partially inspired by Lydon's incarceration in Mountjoy Prison and the track "Hymie's Him" began life as an instrumental piece intended for the score of Michael Wadleigh's crime horror film Wolfen (1981).

1983–1986: Commercial Zone, This Is What You Want... and Album
An aborted fourth studio album recorded in 1982 was later released by Levene as Commercial Zone, which included contributions from bassist Pete Jones. Lydon and Atkins claim that Levene stole the master tapes. Atkins stayed on through a live album (one of the first digital live albums ever recorded), Live in Tokyo (1983) – in which PiL consisted of him, Lydon, and a band of session musicians—and left in 1985, following the release of This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get (1984). This album consists of re-recorded versions of five songs from Commercial Zone (several of which feature a horn section) and three new tracks (four songs from Commercial Zone were not re-recorded for the new album). PiL was moving towards a more commercial pop music and dance music direction, and while many new fans found PiL, little of their original audience (or sound) remained.

During this interim period, the band released the single "This Is Not a Love Song" in 1983, the song's lyric lampooning the anger of some fans and music press over the band's movement towards a more commercial style. The song's title was inspired by a line in the song "Her Story" (1979) by Virgin label stablemates the Flying Lizards, about bands 'selling out' their artistic principles for commercial success ("But you can still make money, by singing sweet songs of love... this is a love song"). Ironically, it gave the band their biggest international hit single, reaching No. 5 in the UK singles charts and No. 12 in the Netherlands.

A re-recorded version with harsher vocals and a brass section was included on the album This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get.

In 1985, Lydon recorded a song entitled "World Destruction" in collaboration with Afrika Bambaataa's band Time Zone and producer Bill Laswell. PiL's 1986 studio album release was simply entitled Album, Compact Disc, or Cassette, depending on the format. The cover's blue typeface and spartan design parodied generic brands; promotional photos featured Lydon in a "generic blue" suit surrounded by generic foods and drinking generic beer. Produced by Bill Laswell (despite Lydon-fuelled faction and disunion) and with many of Laswell's usual rotating cast of musicians, it also featured guitar solos by Steve Vai, considered by Vai himself to be some of his best work. Jonas Hellborg, solo bassist and at the time, member of John McLaughlin's reformed band, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, played bass on the album. Jazz great Tony Williams and legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker drummed on the album, which also featured Ryuichi Sakamoto of the Japanese electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). Controversy reared again, with claims that the album cover and title concept had been stolen from the San Francisco noise/punk band, Flipper, contemporaries of PiL, whose album, Album, featured a similarly unadorned sleeve. Flipper retaliated by naming their next album, Public Flipper Limited.

To tour Album in 1986, Lydon recruited former Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist John McGeoch, world music multi-instrumentalist (and former Damned guitarist) Lu Edmunds, bassist Allan Dias, and former the Pop Group and the Slits drummer Bruce Smith. (Dias had previously played with David Lloyd and Andrew Edge in Uropa Lula). As the years went on, PiL's line-up grew steadier as the sound of the albums drifted toward dance culture and drum-oriented pop music. Edmunds left due to tinnitus in 1988, and Smith left in 1990. McGeoch and Dias were members of PiL from 1986 until 1992, making them the group's longest-running members besides Lydon.

1987–1992: Later career
PiL released the studio album Happy? in 1987, and during early 1988 were the supporting act on INXS' Kick tour in the US. Bill Laswell, who produced PiL's previous studio album, was at one point supposed to produce Happy?, but this idea fell through allegedly because Laswell wanted to replace the PiL line-up with his own session musicians (as had been the case with Album), a request to which John Lydon would not agree. Happy? was ultimately produced by Gary Langan and PiL. The album produced the single "Seattle" as well as the abortion-themed single "The Body", a sequel of sorts to the similarly titled Sex Pistols song "Bodies". In 1989, PiL toured with New Order and the Sugarcubes as "The Monsters of Alternative Rock". PiL's seventh studio album, 9 – so called as it was the band's ninth official album release, including the two live albums – appeared in early 1989 and featured the single "Disappointed". The album was produced by Stephen Hague (who was known for working with the Pet Shop Boys and New Order), Eric "E.T." Thorngren and the band.

In 1990, Public Image Ltd's song "The Order of Death" (from This is What You Want... This is What You Get) was prominently featured in Richard Stanley's film Hardware. That same year saw the release of PiL's first compilation album The Greatest Hits, So Far, which featured one new song, the environmentally themed single "Don't Ask Me". The rest of the album consisted of previously released material, though remixes of several songs were used rather than original album versions and the album remake of "This is Not a Love Song" was included rather than the original single version. Lydon claims that he wanted the album to be 28 tracks long; the eventual 14-track listing was a compromise with Virgin Records (who, according to Lydon, originally wanted only eight tracks). The compilation, which boasted album-sleeve artwork by Reg Mombassa, made No. 20 on the UK Albums Chart.

PiL's last studio album of this period, 1992's That What Is Not, included a sample from the Sex Pistols' song "God Save the Queen" in the song "Acid Drops" (the younger Lydon's voice is heard chanting the words, "No future, no future..." in the outro). Lydon disbanded the group a year later after Virgin Records refused to pay for the tour supporting the album, and Lydon had to pay for it out of his own pocket. The band's last concert was performed on 18 September 1992 with the line-up of Lydon, McGeoch, Ted Chau (guitar, keyboards), Mike Joyce of the Smiths (drums), and Russell Webb (bass guitar). Allan Dias, PiL's bassist since the spring of 1986, quit the band in the summer of 1992, some months before PiL itself went on hiatus.

Hiatus
In 1993, Lydon worked on his memoirs, first published in 1994 as Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs, and in 1996 he regrouped with Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook for the Sex Pistols' Filthy Lucre Tour. Lydon released a solo studio album, Psycho's Path, in 1997. 1999 saw the release of the 4-disc PiL compilation Plastic Box; it offered a more comprehensive retrospective of PiL's recorded output than the single-disc The Greatest Hits, So Far. Plastic Box contained a mixture of previously released and unreleased material spanning PiL's entire career, although no material from Commercial Zone or PiL's two live albums was included (in the compilation's liner notes, Lydon wrote that "this collection represents a comma not a full stop, I fully intend to carry on with PiL, and there will be more in the future.").

2009–present: Reunion and new albums
In September 2009 it was announced that PiL would reform for five UK shows, their first live appearance in 17 years. Lydon financed the reunion using money he earned doing a UK TV commercial for Country Life butter. "The money that I earned from that has now gone completely – lock stock and barrel – into re-forming PiL," said Lydon.

On 15 October 2009, Lydon registered the private limited company PIL Twin Limited as his new music publishing company in the UK. The new line-up (consisting of Lydon, earlier members Bruce Smith and Lu Edmonds, plus multi-instrumentalist Scott Firth) played to generally positive reviews in late 2009, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Metal Box. However, protested Lydon, "This tour is absolutely nothing to do with an anniversary of anything… We didn't even know that Virgin were planning on releasing a very limited edition of Metal Box because they never bothered to confer with us." The tour spawned a live album, ALiFE 2009.

In April 2010, PiL began an extensive North American tour, including a sub-headlining appearance at the Coachella Festival. The band played several European concerts in July 2010 and at the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan in August 2011.

In November 2009, Lydon said PiL might re-enter the studio if they could raise enough money from their December tour or from a record company.

PiL went to Tel Aviv to headline the Heineken Music Conference 2010 Festival in August 2010. The group met with criticism for breaking the artistic boycott of Israel by some British musicians organized in protest over Israeli policies toward Palestinians. Lydon said in response:

"I really resent the presumption that I'm going there to play to right-wing Nazi Jews. If Elvis-fucking-Costello wants to pull out of a gig in Israel because he's suddenly got this compassion for Palestinians, then good on him. But I have absolutely one rule, right? Until I see an Arab country, a Muslim country, with a democracy, I won't understand how anyone can have a problem with how they're treated."

On 30 November 2011, the band's own label PiL Official Limited was registered as a private limited company in the UK.

PiL released the vinyl-only EP One Drop in late April 2012, which was eventually made available for streaming. The new 12-track studio album, This is PiL, followed in May. This is PiL was the band's first studio album in twenty years.

On 28 July 2015, the band uploaded a promo video for lead single "Double Trouble" from their next studio album, What the World Needs Now..., via their YouTube channel. On 21 August, PiL released the single (backed with "Bettie Page") and a non-album track, "Turkey Tits". What the World Needs Now... is PiL's tenth studio album, released in September 2015. On 17 November 2015, the group played "Double Trouble" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

In December 2016, the group released super deluxe editions of Metal Box and Album.

In 2018, a documentary film, The Public Image Is Rotten, was released. Also in 2018, the band released The Public Image is Rotten – Songs from the Heart, a compilation CD/DVD box set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band. It consists of five CDs and two DVDs that include B-sides, rarities, radio sessions, live concerts, 12" mixes and promo videos.

On 9 January 2023, it was announced that the band was one of the six acts chosen to compete in Eurosong 2023 for the chance to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. They competed with the song "Hawaii", and ultimately finished in 4th place with 18 points. The song, called by the band "the most personal piece of songwriting", was released as a single, and was described as a love letter to Lydon's wife, Nora Forster. After her death on 5 April, the band announced their studio album End of World, released on 11 August, along with a new European tour.

Members
Current members
 * John Lydon – lead vocals, keyboards, violin, saxophone (1978–1992, 2009–present)
 * Bruce Smith – drums, percussion, programming, backing vocals (1986–1990, 2009–present)
 * Lu Edmonds – guitar, keyboards, saz, banjo, backing vocals (1986–1988, 2009–present)
 * Scott Firth – bass, keyboards, synthesisers, backing vocals (2009–present)

Discography
Studio albums

 * Public Image: First Issue (1978)
 * Metal Box (1979)
 * The Flowers of Romance (1981)
 * This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get (1984)
 * Album (1986)
 * Happy? (1987)
 * 9 (1989)
 * That What Is Not (1992)
 * This Is PiL (2012)
 * What the World Needs Now... (2015)
 * End of World (2023)

title: Public Image Ltd


text:
Walden, New York

Walden is the largest of three villages of the town of Montgomery in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 6,818 at the 2020 census. It has the ZIP Code 12586 and the 778 telephone exchange within the 845 area code. Walden is part of the Kiryas Joel−Poughkeepsie−Newburgh, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York−Newark−Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.

The precursor to the village began in the early 18th century as a mill town along the Wallkill River. One miller, Jacob Walden, was so successful the village that incorporated in the mid-19th century took its name from him. Later, it would be the village's three knife manufacturers that brought it growth and prosperity. They are gone today, but other industrial concerns remain.

History

The first Europeans began to arrive in the region around the 1650s, and began establishing permanent settlements in the area by the early 18th century.

The area around present-day Walden was purchased in 1736 by Alexander Kidd, and settlers of Scots-Irish, English and German descent started arriving not long afterwards. It was the first settlement west of the Wallkill River, known at the time as Kidd's Town.

In 1813, an entrepreneur from New York City named Jacob Treadwell Walden began purchasing land on both sides of the Wallkill River, with plans to develop a manufacturing settlement along the River. He convinced some of his business partners to finance the construction of wool mills on the river, attracted by the Great Falls as a source of power and the railroad connections at nearby Maybrook. He dammed the Wallkill above the falls, creating a power station that remains in use today, and his mill was a success. By the 1820s, his mill became a notable regional producer of cotton and woolen cloth. Wool-makers followed as the Industrial Revolution picked up steam and the growing population center became known instead as Walden's Mills. The area became a significant local producer of woolen products by the 1840s.

In 1855, Walden was formally incorporated as a village.

Most of Walden's wool industry failed a few decades after it began, and people in the village sought to replace the mills with a different source of employment. The village began encouraging knife manufacturers to relocate from nearby Dutchess County to vacant mills. In 1856, the New York Knife Company moved to an idle cotton factory in Walden. The company would go on to make much of the cutlery employed by the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War.

After the war, other knifemakers came to Walden. In the 1870s, the Walden Knife Company set up a factory in the village, and Schrade Cutlery built a factory in Walden in 1904. The village soon became colloquially known as "Little Sheffield" and "Knifetown". During this time, rail service arrived to Walden, facilitating passenger service and increased mobility for local manufactured goods. Other industrial concerns, making products as diverse as engines and women's underwear, also set up shop.

In the early 1890s, President Grover Cleveland lowered tariffs on many imported goods, including knives. Competitively priced German cutlery began to flood the American market, and together with the Panic of 1893 and the economic slowdown that followed for several years, the knife companies and their owners went heavily into debt and it looked for a while as if they might not survive. But in 1897 President William McKinley, a personal friend of Thomas Wilson Bradley of the U.S. Knife Company, pushed through the Dingley Tariff that restored the status quo ante. The knifemakers returned to profitability and were able to pay off their debts; and in gratitude Bradley had a statue of McKinley erected that remains in Walden today.

Throughout the early 1900s, the village experienced a period of substantial growth. Dense mixed-used development flourished in the village's downtown, often taking form of residences above shops. Single-family homes also proliferated throughout the village, typically on relatively small lot sizes. During this time, numerous government buildings were constructed.

In the 1910s the facilities at the dam began to be primarily used for power and less for industry.

Walden's Main Street was the site of an active retail trade which included Millspaugh's Furniture as well as Roosa's Jewelers, both still in business. Lustig's Department Store, established by Carl Lustig in 1883, was the mainstay of Main Street until its closing in 1986.

The Depression was hard on many of the village's economic concerns, but the knifemakers persisted. However, after World War II they gradually became less prominent and moved as the rail connections they had depended on were replaced by trucking on the growing Interstate Highways. In 1957, Schrade Cutlery (renamed to Imperial Schrade) closed down its factory, and moved to nearby Ellenville. Schrade was the last company making knives in the village, and closed down its factory after a fire. It continued production in Ellenville until 2004. The ruins of the factory still stand behind the Thruway Markets hypermarket.

Apart from knifemaking, Walden became a regional center for the garment industry from the 1930s through the 1950s.

As car dependency increased in the region during the late 20th century, aided by the construction of the New York State Thruway system and Interstate 84, downtown businesses struggle to compete with car-oriented retail centers throughout the region.

Throughout the 1990s, the village was the subject of an ongoing joke by a disc jockey at the nearby WPDH-FM radio station, who would constantly joke about Walden being a poor, redneck, and inbred town. Some villagers interviewed by The New York Times on the matter claimed the long-running joke hurt their civic esteem, and even real estate values in the village.

From 1995 until 2016, Walden was the headquarters of the Big Apple Circus.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.0 sqmi, of which 2.0 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (3.9%) is water.

The village's most notable geographical feature is the Wallkill River, which flows from the south to the north across the village and divides one-third of it from the rest. Within the eastern portion, Tin Brook, the Wallkill's major right tributary in New York, meanders across as well, forming part of the northern village boundary. There are two waterfalls and dams on the river within the village limits, known as the Great and Little Falls; and two auto bridges, the "high" (formally, the Walden Veterans' Memorial Bridge, which carries NY 52 through the village as West Main Street) and "low" (Oak Street) bridges).

The Wallkill passes through a small gorge between the two dams and loses approximately 60 ft of elevation in the process. The surrounding topography in the village is, correspondingly, gentle rolling hills of this section of the Great Appalachian Valley between the higher rises of the Shawangunk Ridge, visible to the west from some sections of the village, and the Hudson Highlands to the southwest. The highest elevation is roughly 520 ft above sea level along Overlook Road at the village's western boundary; the lowest is 260 ft along the Wallkill at the northern village line.

Walden's growth began near the mills and later the knife-making plants, particularly the New York Knife Company, located on the steep east bank of the river just south of the Veterans' Memorial Bridge; the building's footings are still visible on the slope. The central business district of the village is today a few blocks to the east, along Main Street. Just to its south is the village hall and the main square. East Main Street, the section of 52 from the 208 junction to the village line, has seen many newer businesses locate there, including a small strip mall. There is also some scattered commercial presence along Orange Avenue (208 south of the junction), primarily professional office space. This parallels the village's remaining industrial presence along the railroad line to the east, which at its northern terminus abuts downtown to the southeast. Walden's other major commercial area is the Thruway Markets complex located along the river north of Oak Street, just south of the remains of the Walden Knife Company.

On the southern side of the village is the Fox Hill Bruderhof Community where about 250 community members live and work in their factories and the Plough Publishing House. There are two schools, public Walden Elementary School on Orchard Street and Most Precious Blood Catholic school near the northern village line along Ulster Avenue. The village includes public parks and a walking trail.
 * Bradley Park - along Albany Ave, on the high ground between Thruway Market and Ulster Ave (Rte 208), contains 4 baseball & 1 softball field (Home to the Walden Little League), 2 tennis courts, a playground, and a skateboard park.
 * Wooster Grove - along East Main St (Rte 52), surrounded by the Tin Brook, offers a large playground, indoor & outdoor basketball courts, a bandstand, an ice rink; the village's teen center is also here.
 * James Olley Park - at the end of Sherman Ave, includes a manufactured beach with public swimming and fishing, a small playground, a picnic grove, unimproved walking trails, and a summer recreation camp.
 * Alfred Place Park - the only park on the west side includes a small playground and basketball court.
 * Walden–Wallkill Rail Trail - beginning at Woosters Grove, a 3.22 mi-long paved walking and biking trail linking the village to the hamlet of Wallkill in Ulster County.

Much of the remainder of the village is residential, with houses tending from modest and small near downtown, the river and railroad, to more expansive homes (such as the Victorians along the west side of Ulster Avenue) being found on the hills, newer development near the southwestern and eastern borders with the town, and 6 small apartment and townhouse complexes.

A large tract along the river south of the power station had remained undeveloped until very recently. A small area between McKinley Avenue, South Mountgomery Street and the river remains open, used for NYSEG's purposes. On the other end of the village, the sewage treatment plant is also in the middle of an undeveloped area.

Climate
Walden has a humid continental climate, and tends to be significantly cooler than Manhattan, especially at night.

Demographics
As of the 2020 Census, there were 6,818 people living in 2,466 households in the village, giving it an average household size of 2.76. The population density was 3,325.6 PD/sqmi. There were There were 2,671 housing units, at an average density of 1,302.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 77.3% white, 13.7% African American, 2.9% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 15.8% from other races, and 12.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.4% of the population. Per the 2022 American Community Survey five-year estimate, the majority of Walden's Hispanic or Latino is of Puerto Rican origin, whom account for 11.7% of Walden's total population.

Of the village's 2,466 households, 1,121 (45.5%) comprised married couples living together, 10.3% were cohabiting couples, 15.8% were male householders with no spouse, and 28.4% were female householders with no spouse. 23.1% of Walden's population was under 18 years old, and 12.9% was 65 year old and over. The median age was 36.2 years old. Walden has a sex ratio of 108.5 females per 100 males.

Per the 2022 American Community Survey five-year estimate, Walden has a median household income of $76,724, and a mean household income of $85,463. The median income for families in the village is $103,672, and the mean income for families is $106,984. 17.6% of Walden's population and 13.2% of Walden's families are below the poverty line. 22.9% of people under 18 years old, and 19.9% of people 65 years old and over live below the poverty line.

Economy
For 95 years, Walden was the home of Spence Engineering, a steam regulator manufacturer founded by Paulson Spence in 1926. He located his manufacturing facilities in Walden to serve the district steam heating loops in the northeast, especially ConEd in New York City. In 2019, Emerson Electric purchased Spence Engineering, ultimately moving it to Mexico in 2021 to improve their profitability.

The knife making plants are also gone, but other light-industrial concerns remain along the rail spur. The growing service sector is most strongly represented by two regional banks, Walden Federal and Walden Savings Bank, are based in the village (though the latter has moved to new headquarters at Scotts Corners, the 17K/208 intersection).

Retailing has long been a strong point for the village. The opening of Thruway Markets in 1955 filled the need not only for a supermarket but the entire big box sector, long before it existed in the country at large. While it eventually drove smaller stores from Main Street, it remains a substantial part of the village's tax base and a major draw for consumers from outside not only Walden but the Town of Montgomery (particularly the nearby hamlet of Wallkill, which has no large retailers of its own), despite the openings of chain supermarkets in several nearby communities. The Thruway complex also boasts an outdoor-recreation store, tire-repair shop and the oldest of the village's three Chinese restaurants. In 2013, Thruway's owners closed the supermarket and hardware store after selling that space to the Maine-based Hannaford supermarket chain. Building of the new Hannaford supermarket is complete. The Ace hardware store has also since reopened.

While vacant space remains on Main Street, specialty stores and restaurants have managed to thrive there. Millspaugh Furniture, founded in Walden (but with another outlet in Poughkeepsie), is another popular draw for out-of-town shoppers due to its long history in the area and reputation for quality merchandise. National and regional chain stores once had little presence in Walden beyond two filling stations along the 52/208 section of Main Street, but in the last decade the amount of convenience stores has doubled.

Outside of jobs at the enterprises in the village, most residents work in the area. The nearby interstate and its associated "Golden Triangle" (with the New York State Thruway/I-87 and NY 17 (the future I-86) provide many jobs in transportation and distribution, particularly at Maybrook's Yellow Freight facility and the large Staples warehouse just north of I-84. Local government agencies, and some state ones such as the Department of Correctional Services, also employ residents. More recently, residents of the newer housing have been commuters traveling to jobs in New York City or other areas close to it.

Government
As a village of the Town of Montgomery, Walden residents are taxpayers and electors in both.

The village has seven elected officials, a village board consisting of the mayor and six nonpartisan trustees, per the New York State Village Law. Most of the executive functions are handled by the village manager, who serves at the board's pleasure.

Walden has had this system of government since 1964. A 1972 referendum to return to a strong-mayor system was defeated.

The village has its own police force, which provides 24-hour protection for residents; a public works department which maintains roads, water and sewer lines; a skate park in Bradley Park which was built in fall 2006 due to the ongoing complaints from older residents about all the skateboarders, a recreation department which maintains several parks within the village, including one with a pond in which swimming is permitted; and a village court presided over by an elected justice. Fire protection is provided for the village and surrounding fire district by the Walden Fire Department.

The Village Hall, pictured left, housed both the Walden Fire Department and Police Station until 1994 when the Fire District moved to a newly constructed firehouse at 230 Old Orange Avenue, near the edge of the village. Since then, the police station on the ground floor has grown from a tiny office and a few cells to nearly encompassing the entire ground floor. Fire department meeting rooms on the second story have been converted since then to a children's section of the local Josephine-Louise Library.

Transportation
Two state highways and two county roads serve Walden. Route 52 crosses the town from east to west, providing connections to Newburgh, 12 mi in the former direction and Pine Bush, the Shawangunks and the Catskills in the latter. NY 208 crosses from north to south, with the nearest settlements in each direction being Wallkill and Maybrook, respectively. The two share a brief block in the center of town. Most traffic from outside the area comes in via Route 208 from the south due to its exit on Interstate 84 about 5 mi south of the village, as well as its intersection with paralleling NY 17K at Scotts Corners 3 mi to the south. County routes 23 (River Road) and 75 (Coldenham Road) connect to 17K at Montgomery to the southwest and the hamlet of Coldenham to the southeast, respectively.

The remaining spur of the old Wallkill Valley Railroad, now operated by Norfolk Southern, serves several businesses in the village and ends just short of East Main Street. There have been suggestions that commuter rail service via the Metro-North Port Jervis Line, where the spur connects at Campbell Hall, currently the nearest passenger rail station, be initiated. Metro-North rail service directly into New York City is available just across the Hudson River from Newburgh at Beacon and other stations on the Hudson Line. Amtrak stops at Poughkeepsie, the Hudson Line's northern terminus. The nearest airport to Walden, Orange County Airport, is a general aviation facility just south of Montgomery. Commercial airlines, both freight and passenger, fly out of Stewart International Airport.

Short Line serves Walden on its route from Newburgh to Middletown.

title: Walden, New York


text:
Wallkill, Orange County, New York

Wallkill is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 30,486 at the 2020 census. It is centrally located in the county. Interstate 84 crosses New York State Route 17 in the southern part of the town. U.S. Route 6 and New York State routes 17K, 211 and 302 also cross portions of the town.

History
The original land patent for the town was dated 1724, but little was done for decades to develop and settle the region. The town was established in 1772, but part of the town was lost upon the formation of Ulster County. Wallkill's claim to fame during the American Revolution was the production of gunpowder in factories in Phillipsburgh and Craigville for American troops by Henry Wisner and his son-in-law Moses Phillips.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 62.8 sqmi of which 62.2 sqmi is land and 0.6 sqmi (0.92%) is water.

Wallkill is bordered by the towns of Hamptonburgh and Montgomery on the east, Crawford on the north, Mamakating and Mount Hope on the west, and Wawayanda and Goshen on the south. The town almost completely surrounds the city of Middletown.

Communities and locations in Wallkill

 * Baileyville – a hamlet near Howells, located on NY-211 near the western town line
 * Crystal Run – a hamlet south of Michigan Corners, near Interstate 84 at County Road 83
 * Circleville – a hamlet in the northern part of town on NY-302
 * East Middletown – a village in the southeastern part of town
 * Fair Oaks – a hamlet in the northern part of town on NY-17
 * Highland Lake – a small lake near the western town line
 * Highland Lakes State Park – an undeveloped state park in the northern part of the town
 * Howells – a hamlet in the northwestern part of town, north of Baileyville
 * Maple Glen – a hamlet near the western town line
 * Mechanicstown – a hamlet and census-designated place in the southeastern part of town
 * Michigan Corners – a hamlet near Scotchtown in the eastern part of town on NY-211
 * Middletown, a city almost entirely surrounded by the town of Wallkill
 * Milburn – a hamlet by Highland Lakes State Park
 * Phillipsburg – a hamlet in the southeastern part of the town, on the Wallkill River and NY-17
 * Pilgrim Corners – a hamlet bordering the western side of Middletown on NY-211
 * Rockville – a hamlet in the northern part of town
 * Scotchtown – a hamlet and census-designated place in the eastern part of town on Route 101
 * Silver Lake – a small lake east of Middletown
 * Stony Ford – a location near the eastern town line at the Wallkill River on County Road 53
 * Van Burenville – a hamlet in the northwestern part of town near Mount Hope
 * Washington Heights – a hamlet and census-designated place in the northwestern part of town

Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 27,426. The ethnic makeup of the population was 57.8% white (non-Hispanic), 22.5% Hispanic, 16.0% African-American, 3.2% Asian, and 0.5% Native American.

As of the census of 2000, there were 24,659 people, 8,866 households, and 6,330 families residing in the town. The population density was 396.6 PD/sqmi. There were 9,283 housing units at an average density of 149.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 80.70% white, 9.34% African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.31% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.40% of the population.

36.5% of the households had children under the age of 18 living with them; 54.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,625, and the median income for a family was $57,088. Males had a median income of $40,145 versus $29,788 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,654. About 7.7% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
The town was the site of the first Lloyd's Supercenter. It is home to many retail stores, shopping centers and restaurants, many of which are located along Route 211, in a suburban pattern related to highway development. Both the Galleria at Crystal Run and a Super Wal-Mart are located in the town. The latter replaced Orange Plaza, the first mall constructed in the area.

Arts and culture
The town of Wallkill is home to the Orange County Fair each summer.

Town of Wallkill Golf Club
Town taxpayers own an 18-hole golf club which was designed by landscape architect Steve Esposito.

Government

The supervisor of the town is George Serrano, and the four councilman are Mark Coyne, Eric Valentin, Steven Vinella, and Eric Johnson.

Police department
The police department is a full-time police force led by Chief Robert Hertman.

From 2001 to 2006 the department was subject to oversight by a federal court-appointed monitor, the result of a consent decree in a suit brought against the town through the New York Attorney General's office. The suit was prompted by multiple complaints of harassment of young women and other abuses of police authority.

The department consists of one lieutenant, seven sergeants, four detectives, 54 patrol officers, 23 dispatchers, nine parking enforcement officers, one animal control officer, and 10 court bailiffs. .

Fire departments
Wallkill is divided into seven fire districts: Circleville, Howells, Mechanicstown, Silver Lake, Pocatello, Washington Heights, and Bloomingburg.

Education
The Wallkill Central School District operates five schools. It has three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.

title: Wallkill, Orange County, New York


text:
Walton Park, New York

Walton Park is a census-designated place (CDP) in Orange County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 3,907. Walton Park is on the town line separating the towns of Chester and Monroe. Street addresses within Walton Park are usually assigned to Monroe, not Chester.

Geography
Walton Park is located at 41.31194°N, -74.22389°W (41.311849, -74.223838).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.7 sqmi, of which 2.4 sqmi is land and 0.3 sqmi is water. The total area is 11.57% water.

The community is on the west side of Walton Lake.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,330 people, 776 households, and 637 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 983.0 PD/sqmi. There were 871 housing units at an average density of 367.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.08% White American, 1.03% African American, 0.90% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.04% of the population.

There were 776 households, out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $70,938, and the median income for a family was $81,139. Males had a median income of $54,375 versus $34,917 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $28,463. About 2.5% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older.

title: Walton Park, New York


text:
Washington Heights, New York

Washington Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 2,205 at the 2020 census.

Washington Heights is a contiguous suburb of the city of Middletown. The community is in the town of Wallkill.

Geography
Washington Heights is located at 41.4671°N, -74.4112°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.5 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,318 people, 492 households, and 348 families living in the CDP. The population density was 874.3 PD/sqmi. There were 510 housing units at an average density of 338.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.60% White, 7.74% African American, 0.83% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 3.34% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.62% of the population.

There were 492 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,981, and the median income for a family was $52,125. Males had a median income of $30,813 versus $26,023 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,929. About 7.4% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

title: Washington Heights, New York


text:
Washingtonville, New York

Washingtonville is a village in the town of Blooming Grove, Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,657 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The village is named in honor of George Washington.

History
Washingtonville was first settled in 1731. The village maintained a slow but steady growth during the second half of the 18th century. In 1809, John Jaques, a boot and shoemaker, set up his shop in this tiny settlement of nine houses, then known as "Little York." In 1839 he established Brotherhood Winery, now the oldest continuously operating winery in the United States.

In its earlier years, Washingtonville was called "Matthews Field," even before it was known as Little York. A part of the Rip Van Dam patent, it was sold to Vincent Matthews in 1721. Matthews was the first white European settler of the region. Its earliest known inhabitant was an Indian by the name of Moringamus, whose wigwam or tepee was once pitched in back of where the Coleman bottled-gas plant is located now.

Samuel Moffat built a trading post on the village square in 1811 at the junction of the New Windsor and Blooming Grove Turnpike with the Goshen Road. His son David later endowed Moffat Library on the spot. The hamlet began to prosper with a tannery, grist and plaster mills. A hotel was needed and Samuel Moffat built his Washington Tavern in 1818. The same year Samuel and John Jaques bestowed the village with a new name, Washingtonville, in honor of the late general and first president of the United States. George Washington was said to have come through and watered his horse at the trough which had been located under an elm tree in the center of the village.

Washingtonville grew after 1850, when the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railway built its branch through the village. Incorporated in 1895, the village had become an important dairying center where two creameries, Borden's (later used as a bus garage for the Washingtonville Central School District) and the Farmers Cooperative Market on South Street, several groceries, a bank, feed and lumber dealers, wagon shops, furniture makers and a hub shop all prospered. Its greatest growth in that time occurred in the seventh and eighth decades.

C.R. Shons opened up a cooperative on Depot Street and also had a large orchard on Goshen Avenue. Thomas Fulton's grist mill was destroyed by fire in the early 1900s. Hugh Lunney had his slaughterhouse on Goshen Avenue, near where the Spear Printing Company plant was, and also had a large ice house beside the point to Coopers Creek, harvesting ice for commercial use from the pond in the winter.

Borden's Creamery maintained a bottling plant and its refrigerator cars, loaded with milk, were shipped to Greycourt (Harriman) on either the Erie freight or passenger runs. This firm cut its ice from the small pond south of its creamery, storing it in the ice house on the east side of the plant.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.54 sqmi. The village developed on each side of Moodna Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River. It is prone to seasonal flooding. There are also three lakes in the village, none of these have a formal name.

Washingtonville is at the junction of highways NY-94 and NY-208.

The tallest point in the village is approximately 500 feet and is located on the crest of Capital Drive, the lowest point is the easterly most section of the Moodna Creek in the village, at 295 feet.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 5,899 people, 2,177 households, and 1,514 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,300.2 PD/sqmi. There were 2,044 housing units at an average density of 803.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 80.3% White, 8.22% African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.51% Asian, 6.15% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.27% of the population.

There were 2,177 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 9.2% had a male householder with no wife present and 30.5% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 20 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $62,568, and the median income for a family was $69,145. Males had a median income of $57,552 versus $39,958 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,036. About 1.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The Village of Washingtonville consists of an Elected Mayor and five elected trustees that serve on a board. Elections are held every two years for these positions and those who serve must be village residents.

The village also has a Zoning, Planning, and Architectural Review Board. These consist of five appointed members each.

The Village collects its own taxes separate from that of the town. With these taxes it manages a department of public works, a water and sewer department, police department, municipal services, public parks, parking lots, and more.

Police
The Village Of Washingtonville Police Department was formally founded as per the village code in late 1974. They settled into their current headquarters located in the old Monell Engine Company fire station. Prior to this the police department was stationed out of a small booth located in the center of the Village. The booth has been restored and sits where it first was in the center of a traffic circle. The first officer for the department was formally appointed in 1929. The first chief of police would be hired in 1932.

Today the department consist of 20 full and part time officers as well as 4 dispatchers / clerks and 1 crossing guard. Of these 20 officers, there is one chief, three sergeants, two detectives, and a K9 unit. The village police dog is named Jax, after John Jaques founder of the Brotherhood Winery.

Education
Washingtonville Central School District is made up of five schools; Washingtonville High School, Washingtonville Middle School, Little Britain Elementary School, Taft Elementary School, and Round Hill Elementary School. Three of these are located in Washingtonville. Those being the districts High School, Middle School and Taft Elementary School

Completed in 1933, the current Washingtonville Middle School housed all the grades of Kindergarten through 12th grade. Little Britain was adjacent to Stewart Air Force Base, and was only for children whose parents were in the military. The air base has long since been closed, but military personnel are still housed in new housing units located just west of Little Britain Elementary. The high school has undergone several renovations, the last completed in 2010. In addition to adding on classrooms, three computer labs were also added, including a Mac Lab.

The district's sports teams are the Washingtonville Wizards, and the mascot portrayed on murals and other artwork at the high school is named Merlin.

Notable people

 * Brian Cashman, general manager of the New York Yankees
 * Mel Gibson, actor and director (as a child before moving to Australia)
 * Tony Gilroy, writer and director
 * James Mangold, director and screenwriter
 * Scott Pioli, National Football League executive
 * Naomi Sewell Richardson, founder of Delta Sigma Theta, one of the oldest African American Sororities in the United States
 * Dennis Smith, FDNY firefighter and author.

title: Washingtonville, New York


text:
Wawayanda, New York

Wawayanda is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,534 as recorded by the 2020 census. The town of Wawayanda is in the western part of the county, south of Middletown.

History
The town of Wawayanda was established in 1849 from the town of Minisink. It had been first settled after the American Revolution. The name Wawayanda had historically been more broadly used to describe the region, even earlier than a 1769 map, which also shows the line of partition used to resolve the 50-years long New York – New Jersey Line War.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.0 sqmi, of which nearly 35.0 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.14%) is water.

The town is bordered on the north by the city of Middletown and the town of Wallkill, east by the town of Goshen, south by the town of Warwick, southwest by the town of Minisink, west by the town of Greenville, with a very short shared border with the town of Mount Hope to the northwest.

Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 6 (US 6, the Grand Army of the Republic Highway) are important east-west highways. New York State Route 17M (NY 17M) crosses the northern part of the town. NY 284 is a north-south highway.

Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,266. The racial makeup was 80.7% white, 12.2% Hispanic, 5.0% African-American, 1.9% Asian, and 0.2% Native American.

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,273 people, 2,095 households, and 1,719 families residing in the town. The population density was 179.3 PD/sqmi. There were 2,174 housing units at an average density of 62.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 92.86% white, 1.75% African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.88% of the population.

There were 2,095 households, out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $61,885, and the median income for a family was $67,479. Males had a median income of $42,491 versus $27,993 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,856. About 2.8% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Hamlets of Wawayanda

 * Denton – a hamlet near the eastern town line on NY 17M.
 * Gardnerville – a hamlet on County Route 62 (CR 62) in the southern part of the town.
 * Millsburgh – a hamlet south of South Centerville on CR 22.
 * New Hampton – a hamlet on US 6 in the northeastern part of Wawayanda.
 * Pellets Island – a location at the eastern town line.
 * Ridgebury – a hamlet east of Slate Hill.
 * Slate Hill – a hamlet on US 6 near the eastern town line.
 * South Centerville – a hamlet located on US 6 at CR 22, near the western town line.

Former town supervisors
Denise Quinn, (2020-   ), Republican

John Razzano, (2006-2020), Republican

Wayne Skinner, (2004–2006), Democrat

Thomas Deblock, (1996–2004), Republican

Jeffrey K. Bridges Jr., (1992–1996), Republican

Ed. Flynn, (1988–1992), Democrat

Brice "Buzzy" Flynn, (1970–1988), Democrat

title: Wawayanda, New York


text:
West Point, New York

West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 during the American Revolutionary War, and later called it "the most important Post in America" in 1781 following the war's end. West Point also was the site of General Benedict Arnold's infamous and failed attempt at treason during the Revolutionary War.

West Point was first occupied by the United States Armed Forces in January 1778, when Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons and his brigade occupied West Point. From then to the present, West Point has been occupied by the United States Army. It comprises 25.1 sqmi land and water including the campus of the United States Military Academy, which is commonly called "West Point" as well.

West Point is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Highlands in Orange County, located on the western bank of the Hudson River. The population was 7,341 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area.

Construction
The site for West Point was originally picked because of the pronounced S-curve in the Hudson River at that point during the American Revolutionary War, and was the subject of a committee reporting on fortifications in the Hudson River in November 1775, which first recommended occupying the land. Construction of the fort was begun under Captain Louis de la Radiere as chief engineer of the fort, however, New York Governor George Clinton thought that Radiere was "lacking" in the knowledge needed to hold his position. Thus it was completed under Polish Colonel Tadeusz Kościuszko between 1778–1780; it was a key defensive fortification, overlooking the turn in the Hudson River and the Great Chain. On January 27, 1778, Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons and his brigade, including elements of Connecticut Colony's patriot militia, crossed an iced over Hudson River and climbed to the plain on West Point.

General George Washington watched the construction of the fort closely and considered the fort to be General Alexander McDougall's "first priority".

In 1778, Major General Israel Putnam wrote, "The place agreed upon to obstruct the navigation of Hudson river was at West Point." A fort there, Fort Clinton, named after the governor's brother, Colonel James Clinton (whose brigade built the main fort), was built as well. The southern and western walls were nine feet high and twenty feet thick. Three redoubts and batteries on the south were named Forts Meigs, Wyllys, and Webb.

After construction
West Point was staffed by a small garrison of Continental Army Soldiers from early in 1776 through the end of the war. A great iron chain was laid across the Hudson at this point in 1778 in order to prevent British Navy vessels from sailing further up the Hudson River, which was never tested by the British.

The site comprised multiple redoubts, as well as Fort Putnam, situated on a high hill overlooking the river. Named after its builder, Revolutionary War General and engineer Rufus Putnam, the fort is still preserved in its original design.

Capture of Stony Point and Verplanck's Point
Parliament sent instructions to General Sir Henry Clinton to force George Washington out of West Point. Clinton decided to capture the strategically important posts Stony Point and Verplanck's Point, which were twelve miles south of West Point. Clinton captured the forts on June 1, 1779. To block the British advance, Washington moved his troops further up the Hudson.

Betrayal of Benedict Arnold
Early on in May 1779, General Benedict Arnold had met with a Philadelphia merchant named Joseph Stansbury. Afterwards, Stansbury had gone to Sir Henry Clinton, to whom he offered Arnold's "services". Clinton had been pursuing a campaign to take control of the Hudson River, so he had been interested in the plans and information of the defenses of West Point and other defenses on the Hudson River. Arnold wrote a series of letters to Clinton, one of which was written on July 12, making explicit the offer to surrender West Point to the British, later for a finalized offer of £20,000. On August 3, 1780, Arnold obtained command of West Point, which also gave him command of the American-controlled portion of the Hudson. Arnold then intentionally started weakening the fort's defenses, and through a letter sent to Clinton, proposing a meeting with British Major John André to discuss information on West Point. A meeting was set for September 11, however, Arnold and André did not meet until September 21. Carrying the plans for West Point, André was captured on September 23 by three militiamen, and the information to West Point was found. After Arnold's betrayal, the fort, which was also known as Fort Arnold at the time, was renamed to Fort Clinton after General James Clinton.

Post-war
After the conclusion of the American Revolution, West Point was used as a storage facility for cannon and other military property used by the Continental Army and until November 28, 1779, was used as the temporary headquarters to George Washington, who called it "the most important Post in America" in 1781. Viewing a standing army as "dangerous", Congress demobilized American forces but left fewer than a hundred men at West Point. However, it was still the largest post in the army in the immediate years after the Revolutionary War. Favoring West Point due to its location and defenses, Henry Knox and Alexander Hamilton made the first official recommendation to establish a military academy at West Point in 1790. However, Congress rejected the proposal, although earlier in 1790, New York merchant and American Revolution patriot Stephen Moore sold his estate (known as "Moore's Folly") to the United States, following an Act of Congress that solidified the sale on September 10, 1790, for $11,085, which meant Congress had gained full possession of the fort. The United States Military Academy was established at West Point in 1802 is the nation's oldest service academy, and is commonly called "West Point" as well. West Point has the distinction of being the longest continuously occupied United States military installation.

Geography and climate
West Point is located at 41° 23′ 42" N 73° 57' 18" W (41.395° N 73.955° W). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 25.1 sqmi; 24.3 sqmi land and 0.7 sqmi water. It is located in the town of Highlands and is in Orange County. West Point and the contiguous village of Highland Falls are on the western bank of the Hudson River.

West Point has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with four distinct seasons. Summers are hot and humid, while winters are cold with moderate snowfall. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 27.5 °F in January to 74.1 °F in July. The average annual precipitation was approximately 51.47 in from 1991-2020; snow averaged at 35.7 in from 1991-2020, although this total may vary considerably from year to year. Extremes in temperature range from 106 °F on July 22, 1926, down to -7 F on January 22, 1984.

Demographics
As of the census of 2020, there were 7,341 people, and 860 households residing in the CDP, with the average household size being 3.79 persons per household. The population density was 398.2 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 69.3% white, 5.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 4.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 10.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.0% of the population. The age distribution is 23.5% under the age of 18, and 0.4% who were 65 years of age or older. There were 860 households, out of which 79.5% were a married couple family household, 16.4% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 3.3% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household size was 3.79. The median income for a household in the CDP was $121,219.

About 2.3% of the population is below the poverty line.

West Point Mint
In 1937, the West Point Bullion Depository was constructed and in 1938 opened to store silver bullion. In 1988, it became the West Point Mint, as a branch of the United States Mint and gained official status as a branch of the United States Mint on March 31 of that year. The West Point Mint has a deep storage of 54,067,331.379 fine troy ounces of gold. It sits on a 4 acre parcel of land.

Notable people

 * Tony Hale, actor
 * Edith Hoyt, painter
 * Alfred Thayer Mahan, naval historian
 * Ricky Steamboat, professional wrestler
 * Gore Vidal, author

Transportation
U.S. Route 9W, combined with NY Route 218 run north-south through West Point. New York Route 293 also runs northeast-southwest through the post. Running through the lower portion of the town is U.S. Route 6, combined with the upper extent of the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

The New York Central Railroad well into the 1950s operated several passenger trains a day on the West Shore Railroad through the academy's Gothic style station; both the limited stop trains bound for Albany and the local trains to Newburgh and Kingston made stops at the station. Service finally ended in 1958.

Education
Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District is the local school district. James I. O'Neill High School is its high school.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) maintains elementary and middle schools for children of military personnel on-post at USMA, but sends high school aged students who are dependents of on-base military personnel to O'Neill. In March 2022 USMA's contract with O'Neill was renewed.

title: West Point, New York