New Paltz (village), New York

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New Paltz is a village in Ulster County in the U.S. state of New York. It is about 90 miles north of New York City. The population was 6,034 at the 2000 census.

The Mayor of New Paltz is Jason West.

The Village of New Paltz is located within the Town of New Paltz. New Paltz is also home to the State University of New York New Paltz, founded in 1828.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early development 1.2 Modern New Paltz 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Notable residents 5 New Paltz in fiction 6 Politics 7 Transportation 8 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Early development

New Paltz was founded in 1678 by French Huguenots who had taken refuge in Mannheim, Germany, for a few years before coming to America. Mannheim was, at that time, capital of the area called the Rhenish Palatinate or, in German, the Rhein Pfalz.

The European migration to New Paltz was influenced by the Esopus Wars.

The people of Mannheim leave out the "f" in the name Pfalz, pronouncing it "Paltz." Records of the New Paltz Reformed Church, which was formed in 1683, show the name of the settlement was first expressed not in German, nor in English, but in French: Nouveau Palatinat

The community was governed by a kind of corporation called the Duzine, referring to the twelve partners who acquired the royal patent. That form of government continued well past the time of the American Revolution, by special action of the New York State legislature.

The 33,000 or so acres of the patent, stretching all the way to the Hudson River and augmented soon by the other patents on the south, were eventually divided among those twelve partners, their relatives, and a few friends into large plots--part wilderness, and part farm. The farms were grouped principally around the heights west and east of the Wallkill River. The commercial center serving this agricultural base was located on the east shore of the Wallkill River, in the area where the first settlers had huddled, on the street now known as Huguenot Street.

There, the church, schools, blacksmith, seamstresses,and stores flourished for the benefit of farmers who required things like seed, tools, worship, education, clothing, and food not available on all farms, including alcoholic beverages. Many of the buildings still stand today, a museum community.

Population slowly spread from the Wallkill up along the street now known as North Front Street and then along what is now Chestnut Street, and, in the nineteenth century, along what is now Main Street. The secession of the Town of Lloyd and parts of Shawangunk, Esopus, and Gardiner, between 1843 and 1853, reduced New Paltz to its present size. In 1887, the Village of New Paltz was incorporated within a town of the same name.

Higher education has been one of the main concerns of the community since the 1830s, centering first on North Front Street, then moving late in the nineteenth century to the area of Plattekill Avenue and Manheim Boulevard (notice the French spelling), where the State University of New York at New Paltz now stands.

New Paltz farmers looked early on to surrounding communities and even to New York City for markets. Establishment of the Wallkill Valley Railroad in 1870 gave a great boost to that concern. After fifty years or so, the motor car began to replace the train, and finally, in the early 1950's, the opening of the New York State Thruway brought this community even more fully into the network of business we know in the late twentieth century.

The names of those Duzine members (Bevier, Deyo, Crispell, DuBois, Hasbrouck, LeFevre) still persist, but they have long shared the limelight with names less French: all the varied pronunciations we in America know well. One of the most famous people associated with New Paltz is Sojourner Truth.

[edit] Modern New Paltz

The mayor is Jason West, elected on the Green Party ticket along with deputy mayor and fellow Green Party member Rebecca Rotzler as well as Julia Walsh. The three became the only Green Party majority in power at that point in the country. On February 26, 2004, West announced that the village would start performing same-sex civil weddings. See Same-sex marriage in the United States. On June 8, 2004, a New York judge ruled that West lacked the authority to perform any further marriages.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.6 km² (1.8 mi²). 4.5 km² (1.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.70%) is water.

The Wallkill River runs north through New Paltz and flows into the Rondout Creek which, in turn, flows into the Hudson River. The portion of the Shawangunk Ridge which includes the Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park Preserve, is just outside of New Paltz. This mountain is considered to be one of the best rock climbing sites in America.

The Shawangunk Ridge Coalition [1] is an environmental protection interest group. The Phillies Bridge Farm Project [2] provides local, environmentally friendly agriculture practices and education programs.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 6,034 people, 1,898 households, and 586 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,346.7/km² (3,482.5/mi²). There were 1,957 housing units at an average density of 436.8/km² (1,129.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 73.42% White, 7.79% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 7.01% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 8.35% from other races, and 3.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.93% of the population.

There were 1,898 households out of which 12.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 69.1% were non-families. 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.66.

In the village the population was spread out with 6.9% under the age of 18, 58.7% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 10.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 80.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $21,747, and the median income for a family was $51,186. Males had a median income of $33,103 versus $22,935 for females. The per capita income for the village was $11,644. About 11.8% of families and 36.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable residents

• Louis Dubois, founder of one of the earliest Huguenot colonies in the Americas
• Abe Attell was a boxing champion.
• Floyd Patterson was a boxing champion.
• Lewis DuBois was a descendant of the original Huguenot refugees and a military commander in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
  • Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in New York, escaped, and continued to lived in the New Paltz area with Quakers while fighting against slavery.

[edit] New Paltz in fiction

• New Paltz was the place in which the character Penny Johnson (Cynthia Rhodes) got an abortion in the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, which was set in the early 1960s.

"The Sounds of Mohonk Mountain" is a reference during Steve and Miranda's honeymoon in Sex and the City to the famous Mohonk Mountain House.

[edit] Politics

In May 2003, progressive students and community members elected the Innovation Campaign candidates Jason West, Rebecca Rotzler and Julia Walsh to the Village of New Paltz government to serve a 4 year term. The three activists ran on a platform that promoted environmental sustainability & democracy. Mayor Jason West and deputy mayor Rebecca Rotzler are members of the Green Party and Julia Walsh is currently a member of the Democratic Party.

[edit] Transportation

New Paltz is exit 18 on the New York State Thruway which is also designated as Interstate 87. There is frequent bus service between The Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City and New Paltz with connections to many other villages and cities. Stewart International Airport is the nearest major airport to New Paltz. The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail [3] is on the bed of the Wallkill Valley Rail transport, the former main transportation link for New Paltz.

[edit] External links

• New Paltz Community Information
• Village of New Paltz Government
• Huguenot Historical Society documents the history of New Paltz with a focus on the Huguenot refugees and their descendants
• Elting Library contains a special local history collection
• Elting Memorial Library Digital Collections
• G. Steve Jordan Nature Photography
• State University of New York at New Paltz
• Mohonk Mountain House
• WikiPaltz, a Wiki (mainly about student life in and) about New Paltz
• New Paltz Nation community features and blogs
• New Paltz Farmers' Market
• One Book One New Paltz Fall 2007: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
• New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce visitor information, lodging availability and attractions
• New Paltz Journal