| Ramapo, New York | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| The Ramapo Torne in Harriman State Park | |
| Rockland County | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Rockland |
| Area | |
| • Total | 61.9 sq mi (160.4 km2) |
| • Land | 61.2 sq mi (158.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 371 ft (113 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 108,905 |
| • Density | 1,778.2/sq mi (686.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 36-60510 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979406 |
| Website | http://www.ramapo.org |
Ramapo (Ramopuck/Ramapock/Ramapough - meaning "sweet water"), formerly known as New Hempstead and then Hampstead, is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of New Jersey; southeast of Orange County, New York; south of the Town of Haverstraw and west of the Town of Clarkstown and the Town of Orangetown. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 108,905.
The Town of Ramapo is in the southwest corner of Rockland County, consisting of about one-third of the county's land area. The name is of Native American origin, meaning either "sweet water" or "sloping/slanting rocks".
In 2006 Money magazine ranked Ramapo as the 49th best place in the United States and the best place in New York State to live. Arts and leisure, business, housing, low crime rates and open spaces/parkland determined the towns ranking. In the category of park space, percentage of land set aside for gardens and parks, the town finished first. The town received the highest rating and one of the best in the country for its open spaces and parkland.
On April 24, 2006 the Town of Ramapo was awarded the Outstanding Facility Award (Class 3) for communities with a population more than 75,000 for its community, health and sports center located in the village of Hillburn.
Ramapo is run by a Town Supervisor, Christopher St. Lawrence. It is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Eliot Engel. In state government it is represented by Senator David Carlucci, and Assemblymembers Ellen Jaffee, Kenneth P. Zebrowski and Annie Rabbitt.
Contents |
During the American Revolutionary War, Commander-in-Chief George Washington is said to have climbed the Ramapo Torne (near Ramapo hamlet) with a telescope to watch the movement of British ships off Sandy Hook.
The Town of Hempstead was formed from part of the Town of Haverstraw in 1791. In 1829 the name was changed to Ramapo.
The first railroad line across Rockland County was built in 1841 and ran from Piermont to Ramapo. By 1851, the line was extended to Lake Erie, and was considered an engineering marvel.
Ramapo Iron Works - Route 17, base of Terse Mountain, Ramapo - Producer of cut nails, wood screws, cotton cloth, and spring steel in first half of 19th century. Founder, Jeremiah H. Pierson, was influential in building Nyack Turnpike and New York & Erie Railroad across the county. Cotton mill still standing on east side of road.
In 1916, what would become State Route 59, which reached from Nyack to Spring Valley in 1915, was extended to Suffern and Ramapo Hamlet.
See also the histories of Suffern and of Rockland County.
Lavender – A Ghost Story from Ramapo, New York
There is a tale of an event years ago in Ramapo, New York. Two boys wanted to go to a high school dance. So they borrowed a car and drove off toward the high school. Along the road they came across a young girl who was hitch hiking. She told them her name was Lavender. She happened to also be wearing a lavender colored dress. She was on her way to the dance as well so they offered her a ride. They arrived at the dance, and one of the boys in particular was especially taken with Lavender and they danced the night away. His friend however, did not recall his friend being able to dance at all.
It was getting late and it was time to leave. When Lavender got into the car, one of the boys noticed that she was cold to the touch. He put his jacket around her to keep her warm. She told them where she lived and as they approached the bridge to cross into the village where she lived, she suddenly told them to stop and let her out at the bridge. They did so and they drove off. The next day, the boys realized that Lavender still had the boy’s jacket. They decided to drive to her village to find her and get it back. They started through the town stopping at each home asking if they knew Lavender. Each home told them they could not help them. Until finally they knocked on the door of an old lady’s house. She answered and told them that yes, she did know Lavender. She was her daughter. They told her she must have been mistaken because Lavender was much too young to be her daughter. She said “No, that sounds like her”. And she showed them a picture of her and sure enough it was her. However, she said Lavender died years ago when she was struck by a truck on the bridge on her way to the school dance. She told them that she was buried in the Ramapo cemetery. The boys did not believe her as they saw her just the night before.
On the way home they decided to stop by the cemetery and see for themselves if her grave was really there. As they walked into the cemetery, they saw the boy’s jacket hanging over a tombstone. It was the grave of Lavender.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 61.9 square miles (160 km2), of which, 61.2 square miles (159 km2) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) of it (1.11%) is water.
The south town line is the border of New Jersey and the west town line is the border of Orange County. The break in the Ramapo Mountains at Suffern formed by the Ramapo River causes the town to be the site of the New York State Thruway and I-287, New York State Route 17, and a railroad line. The Palisades Interstate Parkway also runs through the northeast corner of the town, with an exit at the Haverstraw, New York town line on the northern border.
Torne Mountain - Harriman State Park. - Highest peak in western Rockland County, overlooking the Ramapo Pass and remnants of once-thriving Ramapo Iron Works. During Revolution, the Torne served as a lookout for British ship movement on the Hudson. Legend tells that Gen. George Washington lost his watch on the mountain, and it may still be heard ticking up there in a crevice of rock.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 108,905 people, 31,561 households, and 24,870 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,778.2 people per square mile (686.6/km²). There were 32,422 housing units at an average density of 529.4 per square mile (204.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 72.54% White, 17.04% African American, 0.32% Native American, 4.60% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.65% from other races, and 2.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.19% of the population.
There were 31,561 households out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.37 and the average family size was 3.82.
In the town the population was spread out with 33.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $60,352, and the median income for a family was $67,004. Males had a median income of $46,286 versus $34,632 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,868. About 11.5% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Rockland Community College is in the hamlet of Viola.
In recognition of Ramapo's substantial cultural diversity, former Town Supervisor Herbert Reisman, along with many volunteers from the various communities in Ramapo, started the twinning program. This program is made up of committees that raise funds and organize trips to Ramapo's twin towns around the world, providing local high school students the opportunity to experience life in other lands.
There are currently seven active twinning committees in Ramapo:
The Joseph T St Lawrence Community, Health, and Sports Complex, a state of the art sports facility was dedicated and opened to the various youth, high school, college, and semi-pro sports organizations from the Town of Ramapo and surrounding communities in Rockland County on November 19, 2006 by Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence and the Ramapo Town Board.
This facility features, a turf multi-purpose field complete with stands to accommodate 1800 spectators complete with restrooms and concession stand, a separate climate controlled dome, 60 x 40 yard, turf practice area and also features, a three multi-purpose indoor court, a running track, cardio equipment, weight training machines, 2 racquetball courts, locker rooms, a computer room, and a dance/aerobic studio in a building which is WI-FI accessible.
Sports include football, lacrosse, soccer, baseball, and field hockey, as well as year round sports programs that were not available to Ramapo residents before.
Although the residents of the Town of Ramapo have the exclusive right to join the Joseph T. St. Lawrence Community and Heath Center, everyone is welcome. The public enjoyed a free open house until the implementation of 3 months, 6 months, and one year paid memberships started on January 1, 2007. Programs, youth and fitness classes, babysitting hours are available.
Additional Fitness package includes entrance to all aerobic classes. There are also a per class sessions which Non-Residents and Non-Members of the facility are more than welcome to use with age appropriate daily guest pass.
The Town of Ramapo's Adult (18+) Leagues for Basketball and Racquetball are also hosted at the Joseph T St Lawrence Center. Check out the league websites for more information.
Rockland Boulders - An American professional baseball team based in Pomona, New York and member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, also known as the Can-Am League.
The Monsey Church (New Hope Christian Church) - An historic Reformed Christian church established in 1824 and continuing to meet every Sunday in their building dedicated in 1869.
Zimmermann, Linda, Rockland County Scrapbook. Eagle Press, 2004.
|
||||||||||||||||||||