Located just 40 miles from Manhattan, Orange County is one of the most attractive areas in the New York metropolitan area. Affordable housing, excellent school systems, a low crime rate, outstanding road, rail and air transportation, lack of congestion, and a wide range of recreational activities offer unique advantages for business and for living. Visit Orange County and see why so many people and businesses call it home.

The History of Orange County

In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed up our Hudson River and anchored the "Half Moon" in Cornwall Bay. Orange County was established in 1683 as one of the original counties of the Province of New York. The county name is derived from King William III of England who was a Prince of the House of Orange. George Washington established his longest residency during the Revolutionary War in Newburgh. It was here that he founded the Order of the Purple Heart, and in 1850 Washington's Headquarters became the first Registered National Historic Landmark in the United States.

Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point has produced military heroes of great renown such as Eisenhower, Patton, and Schwartzkopf. The oldest military academy in the United States rises imposingly over the Hudson River and is still one of the most popular tourist attractions in the northeast.

Rivers

Orange is the only New York county located between two rivers, the Hudson on the east, and the Delaware on the west. At one time the Delaware and Hudson Canal connected them. A section of the Delaware and Hudson can still be seen in Cuddebackville along with a museum housing canal artifacts and history

Early Humans

The earliest carbon dated human settlement in North America, over 12,500 years old, is found in Orange County. Mastodons roamed the same territory and more of their skeletons can be found here than any place on earth.

Orange County is still making history today. The ecological movement in the United States began here at Storm King Mountain overlooking the Hudson River when environmentalists prevented a utility company from destroying the mountain. Nearby is Stewart International Airport, an alternate site for landing the space shuttle, since the airport has one of the longest runways in the United States.

Recreation

Picnic at Washington's Headquarters, hike Storm King Mountain, play golf at one of our beautiful courses and tour historic West Point. Come visit, and make your own history in Orange County!