Spring Valley, New York
Encyclopedia
Spring Valley, incorporated on July 9, 1902 is a village spanning the Town of Ramapo
and Town of Clarkstown
in Rockland County
, New York, United States located north of Nanuet
; east of Airmont
and Monsey
; south of Hillcrest and west of West Nyack
. The population was 25,464 at the 2000 census.
The Village of Spring Valley is on the border of two towns and spans the east town line of the Town of Ramapo, which is the west town line of the town of Clarkstown
. The village is next to the New York State Thruway
(Interstate 87
) and is served by a New Jersey Transit
train station
at the terminus of the Pascack Valley Line
.
Spring Valley is 22 miles north of Manhattan
, and five miles north of the New Jersey
border.
Spring Valley is considered to be one of the more urban communities in Rockland County.
Home to Rockland Community College – Spring Valley Extension
Efforts are currently underway to revitalize the downtown sector and surrounding areas.
In 1842, New York and Erie Railroad
called this part of the territory Pascack, after a stream by the same name. The residents of the area decided to call the place Spring Valley – "one certain large spring in the Valley Pond being responsible for the name. Prior to naming the territory Spring Valley, it was called Scotland
, named after their homeland, by Scotsmen who had settled in the area.
In 1914, Theodore Roosevelt
, 26th President of the United States came to Spring Valley to discuss the political issues of the day, speaking at Lyceum.
On July 21, 1919, The Valley Theatre was first opened.
In 1923, The Edwin Gould
Foundation was incorporated. The Lakeside School for Girls and the Kingsland Industrial Schools for Boys opened on South Main street.
In 1929, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then Governor of the State of New York and afterwards the 32nd President of the United States was the principal speaker at the Fourth of July
celebration in Spring Valley.
In 1948, Harry S. Truman
, 33rd President of the United States stopped at Spring Valley while touring the country in the last whistle-stop campaign by train.
Around World War II Spring Valley had summer resorts that had many New York City Jewish people as customers. After World War II large resorts in the Catskills Mountains and other areas began to attract the Jews instead, leaving the Spring Valley hotels empty. William Casey, the Rockland County historian, said that many Hasidic groups began to settle during this period.
The final steam locomotives on the Erie Railroad were commuter engines that ran between Jersey City
and Spring Valley. Steam last operated on the Erie on March 17, 1954, when the fires were dropped on K-1 class Pacific
locomotive No. 2530.
In 2007, Spring Valley Mayor George Darden was elected vice president of the World Conference of Mayors during the organizations' 23rd annual mayors' conference held in Port-au-Prince
, Haiti. The organization includes mayors from the National Conference of Black Mayors and the Union of African Villages whose goal is to foster constructive relationships among mayors around the world.
On November 3, 2008, Noramie Jasmin is elected Mayor of Spring Valley, making her the first Haitian-American mayor in the History of New York State.
Recent revitalization measures are currently underway in the downtown area of the village, including a mass-demolition of abandoned buildings on Main Street and the construction of new mixed-use commercial/residential buildings in its place.
Spring Valley is located at 41°6′52"N 74°2′52"W (41.114445, −74.047771).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.47% is water.
The village is about five miles north of the New Jersey
border.
, and 6.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.40% of the population.
There were 7,566 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.79.
In the village the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $41,311, and the median income for a family was $42,097. Males had a median income of $31,182 versus $26,350 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,861. 18.7% of the population and 15.2% of families were below the poverty line, 24.2% of those under the age of 18 and 16.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Spring Valley has the second largest African-American and Caribbean
population in Rockland County, trailing only Hillcrest. Spring Valley has a large Haiti
an population along with a growing Hispanic
population. Also, many Hasidic Jews
live in Spring Valley, which is adjacent to the hamlet of Monsey
a primarily Orthodox Jewish community. It is also the third most densely populated area in Rockland County, after Kaser
, and New Square
.
Ramapo, New York
Ramapo , 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...
and Town of Clarkstown
Clarkstown, New York
Clarkstown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county, located north of the town of Orangetown; east of the town of Ramapo; South of the town of Haverstraw and west of the Hudson River. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total...
in Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
, New York, United States located north of Nanuet
Nanuet, New York
Nanuet is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Pearl River; south of New City; east of Spring Valley and west of West Nyack. It is 19 miles north of Manhattan, and 2 miles north of the New Jersey border...
; east of Airmont
Airmont, New York
Airmont is a village in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern; south of Montebello and west of Chestnut Ridge. The population was 7,799 at the 2000 census....
and Monsey
Monsey, New York
Monsey is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern; south of Airmont and west of Nanuet...
; south of Hillcrest and west of West Nyack
West Nyack, New York
West Nyack is a hamlet in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Central Nyack; east of Nanuet; south of Valley Cottage and west of Upper Nyack. It is approximately 18 miles north of New York City...
. The population was 25,464 at the 2000 census.
The Village of Spring Valley is on the border of two towns and spans the east town line of the Town of Ramapo, which is the west town line of the town of Clarkstown
Clarkstown, New York
Clarkstown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county, located north of the town of Orangetown; east of the town of Ramapo; South of the town of Haverstraw and west of the Hudson River. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total...
. The village is next to the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
(Interstate 87
Interstate 87
Interstate 87 is a Interstate Highway located entirely within New York State in the United States of America. I-87 is the longest intrastate Interstate highway in the Interstate Highway System. Its southern end is at the Bronx approaches of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City...
) and is served by a New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
train station
Spring Valley (Metro-North station)
Spring Valley is a Metro-North Railroad station and terminus of New Jersey Transit's Pascack Valley Line. The station is in Spring Valley, New York, at Main Street, 1/8 mile from Route 59...
at the terminus of the Pascack Valley Line
Pascack Valley Line
The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit. The line runs north from Hoboken, New Jersey through Bergen County and into Rockland County, New York, terminating at Spring Valley. Service within New York is operated under contract with...
.
Spring Valley is 22 miles north of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and five miles north of the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
border.
Spring Valley is considered to be one of the more urban communities in Rockland County.
Home to Rockland Community College – Spring Valley Extension
Rockland Community College
Rockland Community College is a two-year college in the State University of New York system, located in hamlet of Viola within the Village of Suffern from the Town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York. The college began in 1959 in the former county almshouse. The college offers 48 programs and...
History
For over 50 years, Spring Valley was the site of a military parts distributor, Sarafan Auto Supply, which supplied military parts all around the world. This third-generation business became part of the community; as business expanded, it grew to take up a large portion of the industrial section of the downtown area. Recently the business moved out of Spring Valley, but the lot which it occupied still has many of the original buildings built by Jacob Sarafan in the early 1900s.Efforts are currently underway to revitalize the downtown sector and surrounding areas.
In 1842, New York and Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
called this part of the territory Pascack, after a stream by the same name. The residents of the area decided to call the place Spring Valley – "one certain large spring in the Valley Pond being responsible for the name. Prior to naming the territory Spring Valley, it was called Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, named after their homeland, by Scotsmen who had settled in the area.
In 1914, Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, 26th President of the United States came to Spring Valley to discuss the political issues of the day, speaking at Lyceum.
On July 21, 1919, The Valley Theatre was first opened.
In 1923, The Edwin Gould
Edwin Gould I
-Family:He married Sarah Cantine Shrady . She inherited $US 10,000,000 upon his death. They had two sons:*Edwin Gould, Jr., . He died on Jekyll Island in 1917....
Foundation was incorporated. The Lakeside School for Girls and the Kingsland Industrial Schools for Boys opened on South Main street.
In 1929, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then Governor of the State of New York and afterwards the 32nd President of the United States was the principal speaker at the Fourth of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
celebration in Spring Valley.
In 1948, Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, 33rd President of the United States stopped at Spring Valley while touring the country in the last whistle-stop campaign by train.
Around World War II Spring Valley had summer resorts that had many New York City Jewish people as customers. After World War II large resorts in the Catskills Mountains and other areas began to attract the Jews instead, leaving the Spring Valley hotels empty. William Casey, the Rockland County historian, said that many Hasidic groups began to settle during this period.
The final steam locomotives on the Erie Railroad were commuter engines that ran between Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
and Spring Valley. Steam last operated on the Erie on March 17, 1954, when the fires were dropped on K-1 class Pacific
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
locomotive No. 2530.
In 2007, Spring Valley Mayor George Darden was elected vice president of the World Conference of Mayors during the organizations' 23rd annual mayors' conference held in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti. The organization includes mayors from the National Conference of Black Mayors and the Union of African Villages whose goal is to foster constructive relationships among mayors around the world.
On November 3, 2008, Noramie Jasmin is elected Mayor of Spring Valley, making her the first Haitian-American mayor in the History of New York State.
Recent revitalization measures are currently underway in the downtown area of the village, including a mass-demolition of abandoned buildings on Main Street and the construction of new mixed-use commercial/residential buildings in its place.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.47% is water.
The village is about five miles north of the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
border.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,464 people, 7,566 households, and 5,523 families residing in the village. The population density was 12,122.7 people per square mile (4,681.8/km²). There were 7,812 housing units at an average density of 3,719.1 per square mile (1,436.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 32.23% White, 59.98% African American, 0.40% Native American, 5.56% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 5.33% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 6.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.40% of the population.
There were 7,566 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.79.
In the village the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $41,311, and the median income for a family was $42,097. Males had a median income of $31,182 versus $26,350 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,861. 18.7% of the population and 15.2% of families were below the poverty line, 24.2% of those under the age of 18 and 16.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Spring Valley has the second largest African-American and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
population in Rockland County, trailing only Hillcrest. Spring Valley has a large Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an population along with a growing Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
population. Also, many Hasidic Jews
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
live in Spring Valley, which is adjacent to the hamlet of Monsey
Monsey, New York
Monsey is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern; south of Airmont and west of Nanuet...
a primarily Orthodox Jewish community. It is also the third most densely populated area in Rockland County, after Kaser
Kaser, New York
Kaser is a village in the Town of Ramapo Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Monsey; east of Airmont; south of Viola and west of Spring Valley. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 3,316....
, and New Square
New Square, New York
New Square is an all-Hasidic village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Hillcrest; east of Viola; south of New Hempstead and west of New City...
.
Landmarks and places of interest
- Finkelstein Memorial Library – 24 Chestnut Street – Built in 1940. Books, maps and news-clipping files on Rockland County history and local newsworthy events.
- Holocaust Museum & Study Center – 17 South Madison Avenue – Permanent exhibit combines graphics, montages, artifacts, and audiovisual displays to detail every phase of the Holocaust. Changing art exhibits.
- St. Paul's Episcopal ChurchSt. Paul's Episcopal Church (Spring Valley, New York)St. Paul's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church at 26 S. Madison Avenue in Spring Valley, Rockland County, New York. It was built in 1872 and is a frame Gothic Revival style parish church....
– 26 South Madison Ave – The church was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2008. The first service took place in 1868, four years before the first service in the new church was held December 18, 1873. (NRHP) - Spring Valley's Columbian Fire Engine Co. Celebrated its 150th anniversary September 7, 2011.
- Spring Valley (Metro-North station)Spring Valley (Metro-North station)Spring Valley is a Metro-North Railroad station and terminus of New Jersey Transit's Pascack Valley Line. The station is in Spring Valley, New York, at Main Street, 1/8 mile from Route 59...
– Municipal Plaza, 1 North Main Street - Spring Valley High SchoolSpring Valley High School (New York)Spring Valley High School , formerly known as Spring Valley Senior High School, is a high school located in Spring Valley, New York within Rockland County, New York, educating students in grades 9 through 12. Spring Valley is one of two high schools in the East Ramapo Central School District...
– Route 59. - United States Post OfficeU.S. Post Office (Spring Valley, New York)The U.S. Post Office in Spring Valley, New York, is located on North Madison Street. It is a brick building from the mid-1930s that serves the ZIP Code 10977, covering the village of Spring Valley....
– North Madison Avenue – (NRHP)