Rockland County, New York

Rockland County is a located in the  of, 12 miles north-northwest of. As of the, the population was 286,753. The is. The name comes from "rocky land," an early description of the area given by settlers. Rockland is New York's southernmost county west of the Hudson River. It is suburban in nature, with a considerable amount of scenic designated parkland.

Rockland County ranks 9th on the list of highest-income counties by median household income in the United States with $75,306 according to the 2004 census. It is served by.

History
The area that would become Rockland County was originally inhabited by -speaking Indians, including s, or.

In 1609, Henry Hudson, thinking he had found the legendary "Northwest Passage", sailed up the river that would one day bear his name and anchored near the area that is now before continuing to disillusionment at.

The area was originally settled by the. A number of unique Dutch-style red sandstone houses still stand, and many placenames in the county reveal their Dutch origin.

When the (who became King ) established the first twelve counties of New York in, present-day Rockland County was part of. was created at the same time, originally encompassing all of modern Rockland County. Haverstraw was separated from Orangetown in 1719 and became a town in 1788; it included the present-day Clarkstown, Ramapo and Stony Point. Clarkstown and Ramapo became towns in 1791, followed by Stony Point in 1865. Rockland County was split from Orange County in.

During the, when control of the was viewed by the  as strategic to dominating the American territories, Rockland saw skirmishes at ,  and , and significant military engagements at the  , where General "Mad"  earned his nickname. had headquarters for a time at John Suffern's tavern, the later site of the village of.

British Major John André met with American traitor Benedict Arnold near Stony Point to buy the plans for the fortifications at. André was captured with the plans in on his way back to the  lines; he was brought to  for trial in the Tappan church, found guilty, hanged and buried nearby.

The American was supplied, in part, from s and  mines in Rockland County. Resource utilization extracted a heavy toll on the region, especially from lumbering and agriculture, since the poor, thin soils on hillsides were easily depleted. By the early development along the lower Hudson River had begun to destroy much of the area's natural beauty.

Many unsuccessful efforts were made to turn much of the into a forest preserve. However, when the State of New York tried to relocate to  in, some of the wealthy businessmen who had homes in the area, led by  president , donated land as well as large sums of money for the purchase of properties in the area of Bear Mountain. / became a reality in, and by it was estimated that more than a million people a year were coming to the park.

County Executive
The county executive is (R), who was re-elected in 2005 to his fourth four-year term. He is the second county executive in Rockland history, having defeated the incumbent, (D), in 1993. Vanderhoef ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2006. Prior to 1985, Rockland County did not have a county executive.

County Legislature
Rockland is divided into 17 single-member legislative districts. The Chairwoman of the Legislature is Harriet Cornell (D). The other legislators are: Gerold Bierker (R-C), Connie Coker (D), William Darden (D), (R), Theodore Dusanenko (R),  (D), Michael Grant (D), Jay Hood Jr. (D), Douglas Jobson (R), Bruce Levine (D), John Murphy (R), Patrick Moroney (R), V.J. Pradhan (D), Ilan Schoenberger (D), Philip Soskin (D), and Patrick Withers (D).

County Courts
There are three types of general trial courts in Rockland County: the, the County Court and the. The Supreme Court is the trial level court of the New York State Unified Court System, which presents some confusion as the Supreme Court is the highest court of appeals in the federal system as well as in most states (the Court of Appeals is the highest court in New York State). The Supreme Court has broad authority over all categories of cases, both civil and criminal. Generally the Supreme Court in Rockland County hears civil cases involving claims in excess of $25,000. While the Supreme Court has jurisdiction over criminal cases in most counties this is handled by the County Courts. In Rockland however, the Supreme Court does exercise jurisdiction over some criminal cases.

The County Court is inferior to the Supreme Court and is authorized to hear all criminal cases that have occurred in the county as well as limited jurisdiction over civil cases. The County Court handles felony cases exclusively and shares jurisdiction with the town and village justice courts on midemeanor cases and other minor offenses and violations. The County Court's jurisdiction on civil cases is limited to those involving less than $25,000.

Each of the towns and fifteen of the villages have. These courts mostly hear routine cases, especially from the  and the. They also handle charges, lower-level criminal  matters, and they will occasionally perform  on  (most felony proceedings are heard in County Court). These courts generally handle the highest volume of cases, which, considering the population density and highways in the county, is not surprising.

Geography


Rockland County lies just north of the -New York border, west of the, and south of Orange County.

According to the, the county has a total area of 516 (199 ). 451 km² (174 sq mi) of it is land and 65 km² (25 sq mi) of it (12.60%) is water. Approximately 30% of Rockland County is parkland.

The highest elevation in the county is Rockhouse Mountain, at 391 m (1,283 feet). However, nearby Jackie Jones Mountain also has a summit above 390 m (1,280 feet) whose exact elevation is not known and may well be higher.

The lowest elevation is sea level along the Hudson River.

Rockland is the smallest county in New York outside of New York City

Adjacent counties

 * (northwest/north)
 * , across the (northeast)
 * , across the Hudson River (east)
 * (south)
 * (west)

Rockland's borders with Putnam and Passaic counties are short, totalling little more than one mile.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 286,753 people, 92,675 households, and 70,989 families residing in the county. The was 636/km² (1,646/sq mi). There were 94,973 housing units at an average density of 210/km² (545/sq mi). However, Rocklanders live closer together than the census numbers indicate, as 30 percent of the county is reserved as parkland. The racial makeup of the county was 76.91%, 10.98% or , 0.24% , 5.52% , 0.07% , 3.78% from , and 2.51% from two or more races. 10.18% of the population were or  of any race. 9.17% reported speaking at home, 4.96%, 4.33%  or a , 1.45% , 1.30% , 1.25% , and 1.01%. Other languages spoken at home by at least 1000 people include, , , , and.

The 2005 estimates show that Rockland county remains a diverse place. 69.2% of the population was grouped under the heading "non-Hispanic whites" but with such high numbers of speakers of such languages as Russian and Italian, this figure hid more than it revealed. The percentage of African-Americans had risen to 11.9. Native Americans were gaining ground now constituting 0.3% of the population. Asians continued to grow in their percentage of the county population, now making up 6.4% of the population. Latinos were now 12.2% of the population. In 2000 there were 92,675 households out of which 37.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.80% were living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.40% were non-families. 19.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.47.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $75,306, and the median income for a family was $86,624. Males had a median income of $58,214 versus $43,955 for females. The for the county was $31,680. The mean, or average, income for a family in Rockland County is $102,542 according to the 2004 census. About 6.30% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

31.4% of Rockland residents are Jewish, the highest Jewish population per capita of any county in the United States. .The county is also home to several large ish communities, especially in the  of, and the  of , , , and.

Towns
There are five in Rockland County:
 * (Pop. 82,082)
 * (Pop. 33,811)
 * (Pop. 47,711)
 * (Pop. 108,905)
 * (Pop. 14,244)

Incorporated villages
There are nineteen in Rockland County, twelve of which are located at least partially in the town of Ramapo:
 * (Town of Ramapo)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Haverstraw)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Orangetown/Clarkstown)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Haverstraw/Ramapo)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Ramapo/Clarkstown)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Clarkstown)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Haverstraw)

There are no villages in the town of Stony Point.

Unincorporated hamlets
Rockland County has a number of, including:
 * (Town of Clarkstown)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Clarkstown)
 * (Clarkstown)
 * (Haverstraw)
 * Grassy Point (Stony Point)
 * (Ramapo)
 * Jones Point (Stony Point)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Haverstraw)
 * (Clarkstown)
 * (Clarkstown)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Stony Point)
 * (Orangetown)
 * (Haverstraw)
 * (Stony Point)
 * (Clarkstown)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Clarkstown)
 * (Orangetown)

Historical settlements

 * (Town of Stony Point) in Harriman State Park is now a ghost town.

Communities of significant population
According to the 2000 census, these nine Rockland communities have a population exceeding 10,000 people:


 * 1) New City, a hamlet of 34,038
 * 2) Spring Valley, a village of 25,464
 * 3) Nanuet, a hamlet of 16,707
 * 4) Pearl River, a hamlet of 15,553
 * 5) Monsey, a hamlet of 14,504
 * 6) Stony Point, a hamlet of 11,744
 * 7) Suffern, a village of 11,006
 * 8) West Haverstraw, a village of 10,295
 * 9) Haverstraw, a village of 10,117

School Districts
There are 8 school districts in Rockland
 * Clarkstown
 * East Ramapo
 * Nanuet Union Free
 * North Rockland
 * Nyack
 * Pearl River
 * Ramapo
 * South Orangetown

Post-Secondary Schools

 * (See Nyack College)
 * (Palisades)
 * (Thiells)
 * (Orangeburg)
 * (New City)
 * (Pearl River)
 * (Orangeburg)
 * (Sparkill)
 * (Nyack)
 * (Ramapo)
 * (Garnerville)
 * (Sparkill)
 * (Chestnut Ridge)
 * (Spring Valley)
 * (Suffern)

Hospitals in Rockland County

 * Helen Hayes Hospital - Route 9W 10993 845-786-4225 Toll Free: 1-888-70-REHAB (73422), TTY: 845-947-3187, FAX: 845-947-3097 - One of the country’s first physical rehabilitation facilities,  recognized as a leader in rehabilitation medicine and research. For over 100 years, Helen Hayes Hospital helped restore function to individuals with catastrophic injuries and chronic disabling illnesses, enabling them to move on to active, productive, independent and fulfilling lives using state-of-the-art equipment and technology, making recovery a reality.


 * Good Samaritan Hospital, 255 Lafayette Ave., 10901 (845) 368-5000, is a non-profit, 370-bed hospital providing emergency, medical, surgical, obstetrical / gynecological and acute care services to residents of Rockland and southern Orange Counties in New York; and northern Bergen County, New Jersey. The hospital also serves these communities as an Area Level II Trauma Center.


 * Nyack Hospital, 160 North Midland Ave 10960. (845) 348-2000, is a 375-bed community acute care medical and surgical hospital located at


 * Summit Park Hospital & Nursing Care Center, 10970. (845) 364-2700 (Daytime Phone), (845) 364-2910 (Night & Weekend).

Twin/Sister cities
Rockland County has been paired with, as its.

Additionally, the town of Ramapo is twinned with a number of cities.

Famous/Notable people from Rockland County
Additionally, singer-songwriter produced a demo named "Rockland County", about staying with a relative in Rockland County after coming to America from Russia.