Warwick, New York

Warwick, New York
Town
Village of Warwick
Location in Orange County and the state of New York.
Warwick, New York Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 41°15′40″N 74°21′19″W / 41.26111°N 74.35528°WCoordinates: 41°15′40″N 74°21′19″W / 41.26111°N 74.35528°W
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Orange
Government
• Town Supervisor	Michael P. Sweeton
Area
• Total	104.9 sq mi (271.6 km^2)
• Land	101.7 sq mi (263.3 km^2)
• Water	3.2 sq mi (8.3 km^2)
Elevation	538 ft (164 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	32,065
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	10990
Area code(s)	845
FIPS code	36-78366[1]
GNIS feature ID	0979600[2]
Website	http://www.townofwarwick.org

Warwick is a town in the southwest part of Orange County, New York, in the United States. Its population was 32,065 at the 2010 census. The town contains three villages (Village of Florida NY, Village of Greenwood Lake, and Village of Warwick a village also named Warwick) and eight hamlets (Amity, Bellvale, Edenville, Greenwood Forest Farms, Little York, New Milford, Pine Island, and Sterling Forest). Warwick is the home of the annual Applefest, the Summer Arts Festival, The Black Dirt Feast, the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival, and other events and festivals.

History

Warwick station, ca. 1910

The region has been referred to as Warwick since the early eighteenth century; the town of Warwick was officially created in 1788.^[3] During the American War for Independence, Warwick was the site of a Continental Army encampment. The Hudson River Chain was forged at Stirling Iron Works in Warwick, preventing the British Navy from sailing up the Hudson River. In 1783, George Washington traveled through Warwick, stopping at Baird's Tavern and spending the night in the home of John Hathorn.

Warwick is situated along a freight rail line, which, along with many other towns in Orange County (Goshen, Middletown, Newburgh), contributed to the growth of the area. The nineteenth-century writer and naturalist Henry William Herbert, writing as Frank Forrester, popularized the area with his 1845 book, "The Warwick Woodlands."^[4] Today the town of Warwick is a rural community with many agricultural pursuits that stimulate its economy.

Geography

View of the Warwick Valley from Mt. Peter

The town of Warwick comprises the southern tip of Orange County. It borders the townships of Vernon and West Milford to the south, both in the state of New Jersey. To its north, Warwick is bordered by Chester via Sugar Loaf, Orange County's oldest hamlet, predating both Warwick and Chester, and part of Warwick until the mid-nineteenth century. To its east, Warwick is bordered by the town of Tuxedo, home of the New York Renaissance Faire and the hamlet of Tuxedo Park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town is the second largest township in New York State and has a total area of 104.9 square miles (271.6 km²), of which, 101.7 square miles (263.3 km²) of it is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) of it (3.04%) is water. Greenwood Lake is Orange County's largest lake, and is bisected by the border between New Jersey (to the south) and New York (on its north). Glenmere Lake, an extremely critical endangered species habitat, is bisected by Warwick and Chester.

Warwick is served by Warwick Municipal Airport and two regional state highways, New York State Route 17A (NY 17A) and NY 94. The Appalachian Trail passes through Warwick, which has been designated an Appalachian Trail Community.^[5]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	4,506		—
1830	5,013		11.3%
1840	5,113		2.0%
1850	4,902		−4.1%
1860	4,628		−5.6%
1870	5,736		23.9%
1880	5,699		−0.6%
1890	6,000		5.3%
1900	6,403		6.7%
1910	7,141		11.5%
1920	7,462		4.5%
1930	8,017		7.4%
1940	9,369		16.9%
1950	9,828		4.9%
1960	12,551		27.7%
1970	16,956		35.1%
1980	20,976		23.7%
1990	27,193		29.6%
2000	30,764		13.1%
2010	32,065		4.2%
Est. 2014	31,293	[6]	−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 30,764 people, 10,868 households, and 7,955 families residing in the town. The population density was 302.6 people per square mile (116.8/km²). There were 11,818 housing units at an average density of 116.2 per square mile (44.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.06% White, 4.51% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.60% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.47% of the population.

There were 10,868 households out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

Education

The Warwick Valley Central School District (WVCSD) serves as the public school system for Warwick residents and residents of the southern portion of the town of Chester. It does not serve all of the residents in the town of Warwick; the Village of Greenwood Lake, and the Village of Florida have their own school districts.

The WVCSD consists of two elementary schools (Park Avenue Elementary, Sanfordville Elementary), a middle school, and Warwick Valley High School. Warwick Valley High School is a relatively large school. The elementary school Pine Island Elementary was recently closed down. The elementary school Kings Elementary was recently voted to be closed by a vote of 6 to 3 by the current board of education. The New York State Department of Education has been petitioned to review the closing of Kings Elementary, as it was after the award-winning Pine Island Elementary school was closed.

Festivals and local media

Since its first appearance in 1989, Applefest has been selected as one of the top ten festivals in the "Top 100 Events in North America" by the American Bus Association attracting up to 35,000 people each year. It features food and artisan vendors, games and rides, and live music. Each year, Applefest is held on the first Sunday in October; in 2012, however, the festival was pushed back a week, to October 14, to avoid conflicting with Columbus Day weekend.^[8]

In addition to Applefest, since 2000 the Warwick Summer Arts Festival,has been held in local agricultural settings bringing art and concerts to various locations.Founded by Elizabeth Reese, the WSAF has brought crowds to underused parks, established a performance venue on a farm in the middle of the Black Dirt and established an annual Main St. storefront art exhibit. There are regular smaller events such as Art on The Green, the Village Concert Series, and Music in the Courtyard on Railroad Avenue, which features live music.

"Ladies Night Out" first held in August 1997, started with a few local merchants offering some in store specials, promotions over wine and cheese, has now become a village wide, merchant guild sponsored event that draws thousands of women (and men) into the village at the end of August every year. Besides late night shopping, there are dozens of street vendors, music and dance demonstrations and the crowning of the "Queen for a Day" winner.

In 2012 the Warwick Merchants Guild teamed up with Bon Secours Charity Health System to host their first "Pink Friday" which will be held in October each year in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Following the very successful format of their Annual Ladies Night Out celebration... This event raises money and awareness for Breast Cancer and for the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation of the Hudson Valley.

The Warwick Valley Jazz Festival, first held in August 2010, has become a regular part of the Warwick's artistic landscape.^[9] In 2012, the festival was renamed the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival, expanded to include other areas in Orange County and the greater Hudson Valley. Coverage has been seen into New York City and beyond.^[10]

The annual “Warwick Valley Bridal Trail”, an event that includes wedding-themed vendors and held in the downtown business and historical district, has also become popular.

WTBQ

One of the few remaining independent radio stations in the Hudson Valley (and the only one in Orange County), is WTBQ, which has broadcast from the Town of Warwick since 1969. WTBQ's studios were originally in the village of Warwick, then moved to the village of Florida in 1984 when polka king Jimmy Sturr purchased the station. WTBQ currently broadcasts from "The Old Barn" at 179 Sanfordville Road, just south of the village of Warwick.

Transportation

Warwick is served by the 196 & 197 buses to Manhattan. (operated by New Jersey Transit). It is also served by the Warwick Inter-Municipal bus.^[11][12]

Communities

Villages

• Warwick – The village of Warwick, located by the junction of NY 94 and NY 17A.
• Florida – village of Florida, It is located on NY 17A.
• Greenwood Lake – The village of Greenwood Lake, located on NY 17A at the north end of Greenwood Lake.

Hamlets

Although there are only eight official hamlets in the Town of Warwick, several additional districts have maintained unique characteristics since pre-Revolutionary days. These include the following:

• Amity – Located between Edenville and Pine Island near the New Jersey state line. It is served by the Amity Station of the Pine Island Fire Department and is the site of the Amity Presbyterian Church, which was first opened in 1796. Amity is also home to the Crystal Inn, a famous restaurant and bar located on Amity Road, which opened in 1965.
• Bellvale – A hamlet on NY 17A between Warwick village and Greenwood Lake.
• Big Island – A hamlet near the north town line. Geographically part of the town of Goshen.
• Black Walnut Hill – North of Hoopstick on Pulaski Highway.
• Center – identified solely by the Center, NY, post office that was located at the Warwick Woodlands Hotel from 1909-1916 on the west shore of Greenwood Lake north of Furnace Brook. An earlier post office by the name of Warwick Woodlands, NY, operated at the same location from 1882-1891.
• Durland – A hamlet northeast of Warwick village and west of Wickham Lake.
• Edenville – A hamlet in the western part of Warwick, on Pine Island Turnpike, just off County Route 1 (CR 1).
• Greenwood Forest Farms – Just north and east of the Village of Greenwood Lake, an early area retreat for African-American families.
• Hoopstick – Just north of Pine Island in the Black Dirt on Pulaski Highway, historically the home of nineteenth century barrel hoop makers.
• Lakeville – Located at the south end of Sterling Lake.
• Liberty Corners – A hamlet on CR 88, near the New Jersey state line in the southwest part of Warwick.
• Little York – A hamlet east of Pine Island.
• New Milford – A hamlet near the New Jersey state line on NY 94.
• Newport – A hamlet south of Pine Island.
• Pine Island – Pine Island is at the junction of CR 1 (Pine Island Turnpike), CR 6 (Pulaski Highway), and CR 26 (Glenwood Road) near the northwest town line. It is the commercial center of the Black Dirt Region and is home to the Pine Island Firehouse and Ambulance Corps, as well as many stores, and the Scenic Farms Golf Course and driving range.
• Quaker Creek – South of Snufftown on Pulaski Highway, directly on the border with the town of Goshen. Home of the famous Quaker Creek Store.
• Snufftown – A hamlet north of Pine Island near the town line; historically considered the "Snufftown section of the village of Florida", it is last settlement in the Florida Union free school district. Named for the habit of the early twentieth century farmers who relaxed on the front porch of one of the earliest homesteads, drinking beer, and chewing snuff.
• Sterling Forest – a hamlet located at the New Jersey state line on the east shore of Greenwood Lake, and served by the Sterling Forest, NY, post office. It was the site of the First American Rocket Airplane flight that carried mail from NY to NJ on February 23, 1936. Babe Ruth often rented a cabin there for the summer season during his retirement.
• Wisner – A hamlet northeast of Warwick village.

Other locations

• Cascade Lake – A small lake in the hills on the southern part of town.
• Glenmere Lake – A reservoir that hosts New York's last population of the endangered Northern Cricket Frog.
• Greenwood Lake – A lake on the border of New York and New Jersey.
• Mount Adam – A granite and shale mount directly on the border of the Black Dirt, near the northern town line and directly southwest of Mount Eve.
• Mount Eve – A granite and shale mount, 1/4-mile south of Snufftown and northeast of Mount Adam.
• Pochuck Neck – A location near the west town line between Liberty Corners and Pine Island.
• Sterling Lake – A lake in the eastern part of the town.
• Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge – The northernmost part of the refuge.
• Wickham Lake – A small lake near the north town line.

Notable citizens

• Jasper Francis Cropsey – Hudson River School artist.
• Susan J. Elliott – author and media commentator, owns a residence in Pine Island.
• Derek Jeter – owns a residence on the western shore of Greenwood Lake.
• Robert Abruzzese  – created the YES Network Yankees blog Bronx Baseball Daily.
• Carleton Carpenter, actor.
• Richard Kiley – actor.
• Bill Pennington – sports reporter for The New York Times and author of multiple books.
• Jimmy Sturr – eighteen-time Grammy Award Winner, grew up and resides in the village of Florida.
• Jonathan Talbot – internationally known painter, collage artist, and author.
• E. Jean Carroll – advice columnist with Elle magazine.
• William H. Seward – Secretary of State to Abraham Lincoln, born and raised in the village of Florida.
• John Hathorn - Commander in the American Revolutionary War and New York politician.
• Steve Rubin - Musician and creator of The Warwick Jazz Festival, now The Hudson Valley Jazz Festival.
• James Cromwell - Actor and long term activist for community. Issues concerning environment.

See also

• In & Out, movie
• The Magic of Belle Isle, movie
• Michael Jackson – "Earth Song" music video
• Sterling Forest State Park

References

1. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Town of Warwick, abgerufen am 26. März 2014
4. Merritt, Jim (December 1996). "The Exile". Field & Stream.
5. "Warwick to Mark Appalachian Trail Community Day". New York–New Jersey Trail Conference. June 30, 2012.
6. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. "Celebrate annual Applefest in Warwick next week". Times Herald-Record. Middletown, NY. October 1, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
9. Sparks, Leonard (August 29, 2010). "Warwick hosts its 1st jazz festival". Times Herald-Record. Middletown, NY. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
10. "Press". Hudsonvalleyjazzfest.org. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
11. Countywide map transitorange.info
12. Town Services/Bus Schedules townofwarwick.org Archived December 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.

External links

• Geographic data related to Warwick, New York at OpenStreetMap
• Warwick in Bloom, Winner 2010 International Communities in Bloom; Winner 2003 America in Bloom
• Directory of organizations, entertainment, and events in the Warwick Valley
• Chamber of Commerce
• Town of Warwick