
South Nyack is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
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
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 ...
of
Orangetown in
Rockland County
Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state's ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, United States. It is located north of
Grand View-on-Hudson, northeast of
Orangeburg, east of
Blauvelt State Park, south of
Nyack and west of the
Hudson River
The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
. The hamlet is the western terminus of the
Tappan Zee Bridge. Its population was 3,510 at the
2010 census.
The hamlet was formerly incorporated as a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
from 1878 until 2022.
History
Following the extension of the Northern Branch of The New Jersey Railroad into the area in the mid-19th century, rapid growth ensued. Town government no longer being seen as an effective means of dealing with the area's needs, village incorporation was discussed. Fearing higher taxes, those in what would have become the northern part of Nyack village formed their own municipal corporation first, named
Upper Nyack. The area of
Nyack village was still incorporated, although without this northern portion. Residents in the southern part of Nyack village, however, soon became dissatisfied with the notion of paying taxes that more heavily benefitted the rest of the village. After succeeding in dissolving Nyack's corporation, the southern portion of the former village voted on 25 May 1878 to incorporate as the Village of South Nyack with the newly-constituted Board of Trustees holding their first meeting on Monday 29 July 1878. The area between the Village of Upper Nyack and the Village of South Nyack was reincorporated thereafter, again as the Village of Nyack.
On December 17, 2020 residents voted 508-292 to dissolve the village in favor of becoming an unincorporated area within the town of Orangetown. The dissolution vote did not take immediate effect, and the village continued to exist until March 31, 2022, after which it became a hamlet within the Town of Orangetown.
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 hamlet has a total area of , of which is land and , or 63.31%, is water. South Nyack is located adjacent to the
Hudson River
The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
.
The
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...
(
Interstate 287
Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving northern New Jersey and the counties of Rockland County, New York ...
) bisects the hamlet of South Nyack on the western end of the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Demographics
As of the census
of 2000, there were 3,473 people, 1,201 households, and 690 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,258 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 71.32%
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 ...
, 16.04%
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 ...
, 0.20%
Native American, 5.79%
Asian, 0.03%
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 ...
, 2.39% from
other races, and 4.23% 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 6.91% of the population.
There were 1,201 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 18.3% under the age of 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $53,000, and the median income for a family was $62,262. Males had a median income of $45,735 versus $39,850 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,135. About 6.2% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Tourism
Historical markers

*
Carson McCullers House – 131 South Broadway – (
NRHP
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
)
*
Ross-Hand Mansion – 122 South Franklin Street - (NRHP)
*Joseph Cornell House - 137 South Broadway
Landmarks and places of interest
*
Nyack College
Alliance University (formerly Nyack College () was a private Christian university affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and located in New York City. It offered undergraduate and graduate programs; in addition, it included Allian ...
– Established 1897 by Dr. A.B. Simpson as the "Missionary Training Institute". It is considered to be the first school of its kind in North America. Simpson Hall, built 1897, is believed to be one of the oldest wooden institutional structures and largest the Victorian structure in the Hudson Valley.
*St. Paul’s United Methodist Church – 134 South Broadway at Division Avenue
Other sites of interest
The Nyack Ice House, formerly located at 90 Clinton Avenue, which opened in 1881, producing and delivering blocks of ice to homes, restaurants, bars and stores, was demolished on April 2 and 3, 2008. During the 19th century, the Nyack Ice House was the only ice plant between
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of Engle ...
and
Newburgh, New York
Newburgh is a City (New York), city in Orange County, New York, United States. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area. ...
. When sold in 1921, production of coal and later oil began at the site and the name changed to "Nyack Ice and Coal Co." In 1965, the business also sold milk and was operated under the original name. Recently, the company sold mostly to ice carvers and supermarkets and supplied the ice for magician
David Blaine
David Blaine (born David Blaine White; April 4, 1973) is an American magician, mentalist, and Endurance art, endurance performer. Born in New York City, Blaine became interested in magic at a very young age. He gained prominence in 1997, when h ...
's stunt in 2000 when he suspended himself in a block of ice over
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
.
Orangetown Fire Company No. 1, located at 90 Depot Place, was founded in 1834 and was Rockland County's first fire company. Today it is one of eight components of the Nyack Fire Department. The company was unofficially formed in 1832 with 16 members and was organized in 1834. The company still holds in its possession its first apparatus, which dates back to 1749 and survived a fire in the firehouse some years ago. The Orangetown Fire Company No. 1 also serves
Upper Nyack and
Nyack.
Transportation
South Nyack is the western terminus of the
Tappan Zee Bridge, which connects the
Rockland County
Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state's ...
to
Tarrytown
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on th ...
in
Westchester County
Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...
. South Nyack is served by the
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...
(in its section concurrent with
Interstate 87 and
Interstate 287
Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving northern New Jersey and the counties of Rockland County, New York ...
) at Exit 10. Another important arterial roadway accessible in South Nyack is
U.S. Route 9W.
Before and during its incorporation as a
Village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
, South Nyack was served by the
Northern Branch of the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...
, with service to
Pavonia Terminal
Pavonia Terminal was the Erie Railroad terminal station, terminal on the North River (Hudson River), Hudson River located in the Harsimus section of Jersey City, New Jersey. The station opened in 1861 and closed in 1958 when the Erie Railroad ...
in
Jersey City
Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous . South Nyack train station was located Between Mansfield and Cornelison Avenues, along Chase Avenue, a road that was obliterated when the massive I-287 interchange was built in the 1950s. Passenger service was discontinued in 1965, and the right-of-way has been converted into the Raymond G. Esposito Trail.
Today, South Nyack is served by
Lower Hudson Transit Link buses which are run th
NY State Department of Transportation with South Nyack's bus stop located on Franklin Street Extension. H07 buses connect South Nyack to Tarrytown while H05 buses connect to White Plains. South Nyack is also served by
Rockland Coaches/Red and Tan Lines Buses (operated by
Coach USA
Coach USA, LLC is a holding company for various American transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service across the ...
) to the
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...
and
George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
The George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter Bus station, bus terminal at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The bus stati ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
Notable people
*
Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers (February 19, 1917 – September 29, 1967) was an American novelist, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Her first novel, ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940), explores the spiritual isolation of misfits ...
, novelist, playwright, and poet.
*
Joseph Cornell
Joseph Cornell (December 24, 1903 – December 29, 1972) was an American visual artist and filmmaker, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage. Influenced by the Surrealists, he was also an avant-garde experimental filmma ...
(1903-1972), American visual artist and filmmaker
*
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...
, comedian and
LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
activist.
*
Arthur Zegart (1916-1989), American documentary film producer.
Footnotes
External links
Historical Markers and War Memorials in South Nyack, New York
{{authority control
Former villages in New York (state)
Hamlets in Rockland County, New York
New York (state) populated places on the Hudson River
Populated places disestablished in 2020