Highlands is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

on the eastern border of

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, New York. The population was 12,492 at the 2010 census.

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, including the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, is located alongside the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

in Highlands, and the military reservation occupies a large part of the town.

History

The town was first settled ''circa'' 1725 by John Moore, a patentee for this territory. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, colonial forces constructed Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton to obstruct enemy progress on the river. Highlands was created from the town of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

in 1872, making it one of the last towns formed in the county.

Geography

Highlands is located at (41.3601108, -74.0084276) and its

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

is . According to the

2010 U.S. census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Part of the southern town line is the border of

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. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

. The eastern town boundary is the border of Putnam County, marked by the

. US-9W and NY-218 are important north-south highways. NY-293 intersects these, west of the military academy.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 12,484 people, 3,230 households, and 2,322 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 404 people per square mile (156.0/km²). There were 3,418 housing units at an average density of 110.6 per square mile (42.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 75.18%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 13.16%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, .49% Native American, 2.68% Asian, 0.16%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.27% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.08% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 9.71% of the population. There were 3,230 households, out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.32. The age distribution is 22.8% under the age of 18, 32.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 12.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 147.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 162.2 males. These statistics are consistent with the presence of the West Point military base in general, and the Academy in particular. The median income for a household in the town was $52,816, and the median income for a family was $59,345. Males had a median income of $23,491 versus $27,406 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $17,830. About 2.8% of families and 3.6% 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 t ...

, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations

Crow's Nest Mountain reflection in Hudson

* Bear Mountain State Park – part of the state park is on the southern border of the town. * Crows Nest – an elevated location near the northern town line. * Fort Montgomery – a hamlet on the bank of the Hudson River. * Gees Point – a projection into the Hudson River by West Point village. * Highland Falls – the village of Highland Falls in the eastern part of the town on the Hudson River. * Palisades Interstate Park – part of the park is by the southern town line. * West Point – a hamlet on the Hudson River north of

, the military academy.

Government in Highlands

Highlands is represented in the Orange County legislature by Laurie Tautel ( D).

Education

Most of Highlands is in Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District. A portion to the southwest is in the Haverstraw-Stony Point Central School District (North Rockland). James I. O'Neill High School is the high school of the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery portion while North Rockland High School is the high school for the North Rockland part. The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) maintains elementary and middle schools for children of military personnel on-post at USMA, but sends high school aged students who are dependents of on-base military personnel to O'Neill. In March 2022 USMA's contract with O'Neill was renewed. There was also a parochial school in Highland Falls, Sacred Heart of Jesus School (of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the New York (state), State of New York. It encom ...

), that served students in grades pre-kindergarten through eight. The school opened in 1930 and closed in 2011. The archdiocese suggested that parents send their children to St. Gregory Barbarigo School in

Garnerville Garnerville, previously known as Calicotown, is a hamlet in the town of Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of New York City; east of Mount Ivy; south of Stony Point and west of West Haverstraw. Most of the hamlet ...

References

External links

Town of Highlands
official site {{authority control 1872 establishments in New York (state) New York (state) populated places on the Hudson River Populated places established in 1872 Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area Towns in Orange County, New York Towns in the New York metropolitan area