Middletown, New York

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Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, USA, in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Walkill River, in the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. The City of Middletown lies along the northern boundary of the New York Metropolitan Area, an imaginary line that runs from Poughkeepsie through Newburgh, Middletown, and Port Jervis, New York. The population of Middletown was 25,388 at the 2000 census. The zip code is 10940.

History and economy

Erie Railroad, Middletown Station, James Street, July, 1971. The tracks have been removed, and the station is now Thrall Library

Middletown grew up with the Erie Railroad and the New York, Ontario and Western Railway (among others) and attracted a number of employers, such as shoe, lawnmower blade, and furniture factories, but most of these businesses had closed by the 1960s. The closing of a large Ford Motor Company plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, and the downsizing of IBM operations in the area were a blow to the economy of Middletown and surrounding communities in the 1970s. However, quite a few New York City police officers, firefighters and other workers moved up to the area, especially beginning in the 1970s, to purchase houses that were much less expensive than those nearer the city. These long-distance commuters have helped bolster the economy of the area. The only railroad left in town is the Middletown and New Jersey Railway.

The "downtown" area of Middletown has suffered from the growth of a shopping strip and malls at the Eastern edge of town, near NYS Route 17 and Interstate 84. There are a number of abandoned and underutilized buildings downtown, although there has long been an active bar scene, and now there are signs of a growing restaurant scene downtown. The downtown area has a number of historic churches, and Highland Avenue has a number of large Victorian houses. Many of these are occupied by medical doctors and their families, with a section devoted to the doctor's office. Some of the largest Victorians are now used as nursing homes. There are some prosperous neighborhoods, such as Presidential Heights, but there are many less prosperous neighborhoods.

Middletown is the main business address for Mediacom Communications Corp and its related entities, a cable and other pay TV company.

Places of interest

Webb Horton House

There are two shopping malls (the largest is called Galleria at Crystal Run[1]) and a long retail strip along Route 211 East. The city also has movie theaters, WALL and WOSR radio stations, Thrall Library, the historic Paramount Theatre, a local arts council, bowling alleys and good choices for hiking, biking, and country drives nearby. There is also active participation in Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA, Lions Club, Elks Club, Kiwanis, Rotary Club and other service clubs. The Rotary Club runs an annual Horse Show at Fancher Davidge Park (in the fall).

Orange County Community College is located in Middletown (and includes the beautiful Webb Horton House), as is Horton Memorial Hospital and the Middletown Psychiatric Center (a major employer). The local award-winning newspaper is called the Times Herald-Record, the first cold press offset daily in the country. Middletown is also home to the Orange County Fair each summer. The next fair is scheduled for July 18-29, 2007. The Highland Lakes State Park is the nearest State Park.

Another historic place in Middletown is the Hillside Cemetery. The surrounding countryside is devoted partly to small dairy farms.

Geography and transportation

Middletown is located at 41°26′45″N 74°25′19″W / 41.44583°N 74.42194°W / 41.44583; -74.42194Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.445754, -74.422066)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.3 km² (5.2 mi²). 13.3 km² (5.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.19% is water.

Middletown can be reached from New York City by bus and is located near the intersection of Interstate 84 and NY 17 (the future Interstate 86). State routes 17M and 211 run right through the city, and US 6 parallels I-84 to the south.

The Middletown-Town of Walkill station on Metro-North Railroad's Port Jervis line is located nearby in the Town of Walkill, and provides rail service to Port Jervis, other communities in Orange and Rockland Counties and Bergen County, New Jersey, Hoboken and New York City via a transfer at Secaucus, New Jersey.

Randall Airport is about 4 miles from the center of Middletown. (ID: 06N)

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 25,388 people, 9,466 households, and 5,963 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,907.1/km² (4,939.5/mi²). There were 10,124 housing units at an average density of 760.5/km² (1,969.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.68% White, 15.13% African American, 0.75% Native American, 1.69% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.33% from other races, and 4.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.11% of the population.

There were 9,466 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,570, and the median income for a family was $47,760. Males had a median income of $35,990 versus $28,429 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,947. About 13.5% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

In the past 10 years the Middletown public school system has moved away from numerous neighborhood schools and combined more students into fewer Magnet schools. There are four elementary schools, each covering various grade levels from Kindergarten through fifth grade. Maple Hill Elementary is currently housing grades two through five. Truman Moon Elementary is currently Kindergarten and First Grade. Mechanicstown Elementary is grades two through five. Chorley Elementary houses Kindergarten and First grades. In 2005, the Middletown School District implemented a full day Kindergarten program at the request of the Middletown voters. There are two Middle schools in the District, Twin Towers Middle School and Monhagen Middle School. Middletown High School is the only building for High School and includes grades nine through twelve. There are also a number of Catholic schools.

Middletown High School offers many programs in addition to the basic educational classes found in most schools. The Middletown High School has a large and active sports program including Football, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Swimming, Track and Field, Soccer, Field Hockey, and various other athletic programs, as well as various other after school academic and social programs and activities. The High School also offers a Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. The best looking person in Middletown NY is Matt Gross.

Surrounding area

Communities and locations in and around Middletown

  • Baileyville -- A hamlet near Howells.
  • Crystal Run -- A hamlet south of Michigan Corners.
  • Circleville -- A hamlet north of Scotchtown.
  • East Middletown -- A village southeast of Middletown.
  • Fair Oaks -- A hamlet north of Middletown.
  • Howells -- A hamlet northwest of Middletown.
  • Mechanicstown -- A hamlet east of Middletown.
  • Michigan Corners -- A hamlet near Scotchtown east of Middletown.
  • Middletown -- The City of Middletown borders the west side of the Town of Wallkill.
  • Phillipsburg -- A hamlet southeast of Middletown on the Wallkill River.
  • Pilgrim Corners -- A hamlet west of Middletown.
  • Rockville -- A hamlet south of Circleville.
  • Scotchtown -- A hamlet northeast of Middletown, just across Route 17.
  • Van Burenville -- A village to the northeast of town near Mount Hope.
  • Washington Heights -- A hamlet northwest of Middletown.

Notable people from Middletown

Notes

  1. ^ The first mall in town was the Orange Plaza.

References

External links

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