Orangeburg, New York

Orangeburg is a

Orangeburg is located at 41°2′41″N 73°57′12″W / 41.04472°N 73.95333°W / 41.04472; -73.95333 (41.044796, -73.953404).^[3]

History

Orangeburg was the site of Camp Shanks, known as "Last Stop USA", the largest World War II Army embarkation camp. A total of 1.3 million US service personnel en route to Europe were processed at a sprawling camp that covered most of the town.^[4] The hamlet also has one of the world's largest psychiatric hospitals, Rockland Psychiatric Center, formerly called Rockland State Hospital. Orangeburg pipe was once manufactured here. Before plastic pipes, it was the standard alternative to metal pipes, especially for sewer and outdoor drainage applications.

After World War II, even through it lies only 19 miles (31 km) north of New York City, Orangeburg was very rural with few residents, many of whom lived quite modestly in former soldiers' housing. That lasted until the late 1950s when developers introduced modern suburban housing to young couples who saw it as an alternative to city living. Today, Orangeburg is a suburb of New York City.

Demographics

At the 2010

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

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

The

Landmarks and places of interest

• Italian and German prisoners of war were housed and repatriated here. The monument is located at Independence Avenue and Lowe Lane off Western Highway. The museum is located on South Greenbush Road near the intersection of Routes 303 and 340 and is open at weekends.^[7]
• Douglas House - a Dutch Colonial farmhouse owned by Marjorie Douglas and her late husband Henry that since 1981 has been used for several New York-based film and television productions, including Saturday Night Live and Daredevil.^[8]
• New York City FC's training facility is located in Orangeburg.^[9]

Tallest buildings in Rockland County

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

Historical markers

Notable people

• Zita Johann, actress.^[10]
• Lew Leslie, Broadway writer and producer.^[11]
• George Worth, born Gyorgy Woittitz (1915–2006), Olympic medalist saber fencer and chief commissioner of the Orangeburg Fire Department.^[12]

Public transportation

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

References

External links

• Historical Markers and War Memorials in Orangeburg, New York
• Orangeburg Fire Department