Wallkill is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Orange County, New York Orange County is a List of counties in New York, county located in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen (village), New York, Goshen. This count ...

, United States. The population was 30,486 at the 2020 census. It is centrally located in the county. Interstate 84 crosses

New York State Route 17 New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate New York, Downstate regions of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at the New York–Pennsylvani ...

in the southern part of the town.

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...

and New York State routes 17K,

211 Year 211 ( CCXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, in the Roman Empire it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Terentius and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 964 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomin ...

and 302 also cross portions of the town.

History

The original

land patent A land patent is a form of letters patent assigning official ownership of a particular tract of land that has gone through various legally-prescribed processes like surveying and documentation, followed by the letter's signing, sealing, and publi ...

for the town was dated 1724, but little was done for decades to develop and settle the region. The town was established in 1772, but part of the town was lost upon the formation of

Ulster County Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. The count ...

. Wallkill's claim to fame during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

was the production of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

in factories in Phillipsburgh and Craigville for American troops by Henry Wisner and his son-in-law Moses Phillips.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of of which is land and (0.92%) is water. Wallkill is bordered by the towns of Hamptonburgh and Montgomery on the east, Crawford on the north, Mamakating and Mount Hope on the west, and Wawayanda and Goshen on the south. The town almost completely surrounds the city of Middletown.

Communities and locations in Wallkill

* Baileyville – a hamlet near Howells, located on NY-211 near the western town line * Crystal Run – a hamlet south of Michigan Corners, near Interstate 84 at County Road 83 * Circleville – a hamlet in the northern part of town on NY-302 * East Middletown – a village in the southeastern part of town * Fair Oaks – a hamlet in the northern part of town on NY-17 * Highland Lake – a small lake near the western town line * Highland Lakes State Park – an undeveloped state park in the northern part of the town * Howells – a hamlet in the northwestern part of town, north of Baileyville * Maple Glen – a hamlet near the western town line * Mechanicstown – a hamlet and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the southeastern part of town * Michigan Corners – a hamlet near Scotchtown in the eastern part of town on NY-211 * Middletown, a city almost entirely surrounded by the town of Wallkill * Milburn – a hamlet by Highland Lakes State Park * Phillipsburg – a hamlet in the southeastern part of the town, on the Wallkill River and NY-17 * Pilgrim Corners – a hamlet bordering the western side of Middletown on NY-211 * Rockville – a hamlet in the northern part of town * Scotchtown – a hamlet and census-designated place in the eastern part of town on Route 101 * Silver Lake – a small lake east of Middletown * Stony Ford – a location near the eastern town line at the Wallkill River on County Road 53 * Van Burenville – a hamlet in the northwestern part of town near Mount Hope * Washington Heights – a hamlet and census-designated place in the northwestern part of town

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 27,426. The ethnic makeup of the population was 57.8% white (non-Hispanic), 22.5% Hispanic, 16.0% African-American, 3.2% Asian, and 0.5% Native American. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 24,659 people, 8,866 households, and 6,330 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 9,283 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 80.70%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 9.34%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.30% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 4.31% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 13.40% of the population. 36.5% of the households had children under the age of 18 living with them; 54.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.22. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $51,625, and the median income for a family was $57,088. Males had a median income of $40,145 versus $29,788 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $21,654. About 7.7% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The town was the site of the first Lloyd's Supercenter. It is home to many retail stores, shopping centers and restaurants, many of which are located along Route 211, in a suburban pattern related to highway development. Both the Galleria at Crystal Run and a Super

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

are located in the town. The latter replaced Orange Plaza, the first mall constructed in the area.

Arts and culture

The town of Wallkill is home to the Orange County Fair each summer.

Parks and recreation

Town of Wallkill Golf Club

Town taxpayers own an 18-hole golf club which was designed by landscape architect Steve Esposito.

Government

The supervisor of the town is George Serrano, and the four councilman are Mark Coyne, Eric Valentin, Steven Vinella, and Eric Johnson.

Infrastructure

Police department

The police department is a full-time police force led by Chief Robert Hertman. From 2001 to 2006 the department was subject to oversight by a federal court-appointed monitor, the result of a consent decree in a suit brought against the town through the New York Attorney General's office. The suit was prompted by multiple complaints of harassment of young women and other abuses of police authority. The department consists of one lieutenant, seven sergeants, four detectives, 54 patrol officers, 23 dispatchers, nine parking enforcement officers, one animal control officer, and 10 court bailiffs.

Fire departments

Wallkill is divided into seven fire districts: Circleville, Howells, Mechanicstown, Silver Lake, Pocatello, Washington Heights, and Bloomingburg.

Education

The Wallkill Central School District operates five schools. It has three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.

References

External links

Town of Wallkill
{{authority control Towns in Orange County, New York Towns in New York (state) Populated places established in 1772 Wallkill River Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area Towns in the New York metropolitan area