Nanuet 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 of Clarkstown, New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is located north of

Pearl River The Pearl River (, or ) is an extensive river system in southern China. "Pearl River" is often also used as a catch-all for the watersheds of the Pearl tributaries within Guangdong, specifically the Xi ('west'), Bei ('north'), and Dong ( ...

, south of New City, east of Spring Valley, and west of

West Nyack West Nyack is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Blauvelt, east of Nanuet, southwest of Valley Cottage, southeast of Bardonia, and west of Central ...

. It is located midway between

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and Bear Mountain, north and south of each respectively; and north of the

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

border. It has one of three Rockland County stations on

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...

Pascack Valley Line The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit, in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The line runs north from Hoboken Terminal, through Hudson and Bergen counties in New Jerse ...

. The population of Nanuet was 17,882 at the 2010 census. The opening of 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 87/ 287), the Tappan Zee Bridge, and the

Palisades Interstate Parkway The Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) is a controlled-access parkway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in ...

in the mid-1950s helped usher in decades of population growth and real estate development, including the construction of the Nanuet Mall and local shopping centers. In 2011,

CNN Money CNN Business (formerly CNN Money) is a financial news and information website, operated by CNN. The website was originally formed as a joint venture between CNN.com and Time Warner's '' Fortune'' and '' Money'' magazines. Since the spin-off of ...

ranked Nanuet 76 on its annual 100 Best Places to Live list, citing its relatively inexpensive housing and the recreation and shopping opportunities in the area. Nanuet was also ranked 24th on CNN Money's annual 100 Best Places to Live list in 2007.

History

The first name of the place was Clarkstown, a name it retained until 1856 when, at the suggestion of James De Clark, the present name was given by

Munsee The Munsee () are a subtribe and one of the three divisions of the Lenape. Historically, they lived along the upper portion of the Delaware River, the Minisink, and the adjacent country in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They were prom ...

Chief (Nannawitt). Chief Nannawitt sold lands in North Jersey, signed the Wawayanda Patent and witnessed the Cheesecock Patent. 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 ...

arrived in Rockland County in 1841 along its original main line to Piermont. The

New Jersey and New York Railroad The New Jersey and New York Railroad (NJ&NY) was a railroad company that operated north from Rutherford, New Jersey, to Haverstraw, New York beginning in the mid-to-late 19th century.Please see the 1891 maps of West Haverstraw and Haverstra ...

, the predecessor of the

, reached Nanuet in 1869.

Geography

Nanuet is located at (41.095296, -74.015622). 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 CDP has a total area of , all land. The

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

is a result of the massive

glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...

of the last ice age, and as such the soil is extremely rocky and the surface shows

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock (geology), rock differing from the type of country rock (geology), rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by gla ...

boulders. The glacial ice scraped off and carried with it rocks and minerals from as far north as

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, depositing them in Nanuet in particular and southern New York in general. This is the hypothesized source of the

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

-rich parvo-mangano-edenite minerals, as well as the placer ore for gold panning within Nauraushaun Brook. There are fossil impressions of huge Precambrian Era

jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

in the wooded, undeveloped regions. One prominent surface feature, a Hopewell Indian burial mound dating to 325 AD, is located near Nauraushaun Brook at the western edge of the Manhattan Woods Golf Club in

. Aerial views of this feature reveal it to have been built in the shape of a snake. Lake Nanuet Park is a pool which is designed to look like a naturally occurring lake. The park which surrounds it offers residents a summer pool and recreational baseball/softball fields. Recent massive flooding and subsequent contamination closed the park for swimming until 2011.

Demographics

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 16,708 people, 5,975 households, and 4,302 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 6,134 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.78%

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 ...

, 13.34%

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 ...

, 0.23% Native American, 9.70% Asian, 0.08%

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 ...

, 2.30% from other races, and 2.57% 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 8.16% of the population. There were 5,975 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. Of all households, 23.5% were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.23. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $71,178, and the median income for a family was $81,205. Males had a median income of $50,713 versus $38,658 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 CDP was $30,338. About 3.6% of families and 5.2% 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 7.4% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

U.S. News & World Report reports that 100.0% of teachers at the Pearl Nanuet Union Free School District are licensed and the student-to-teacher ratio is lower than the state average, at 11:1. The district retains 2 full-time counselors on staff. The test score Proficiency range in the district for

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

are within 46%-82% and

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

53%-96%. in 2018 the Nanuet Union Free School District earn first place in the Magna Award Program for the district's innovative program development and implementation. Several years ago, the district employed an English as a New Language (ENL) directer and double the ENL staffing along with teaching assistants not required by the NY state to support their student success. Nanuet's 4 public schools is served by the Nanuet Union Free School District. * George W. Miller

Elementary School A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

** The GWM Elementary school public school serves children from

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through 2^nd grade. * Highview Elementary School ** Highview teaches grades 3^rd- 4^th. Two-thirds of the school enrollment population are minority student. One-third of enrolled student are economically disadvantage. NICHE rank proficient level at 72% and 65% for mathematics and reading respectfully. * A. MacArthur Barr Middle School ** The middle school serves children from 5^th to 8^th grade. NICHE ranked proficient level at 46% and 53% for mathematics and reading respectfully. * Nanuet Senior High School **In 2024, The total minority enrollment is 57%, and 29% of students are economically disadvantaged. **NICHE ranks proficient level at 87% and 95% for

and

respectfully. ** The district pays all students in the 10^th grade to take the PSAT's so all students have the opportunity to assess their future college plans regardless of their socioeconomic means. ** In 1989 the boys football team won the New York State Division III championship. ** In 2008-2009 girls' varsity basketball became state and federation champions. ** 2016, Nanuet Senior High School was named a National Blue Ribbon winner by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

. ** In 2024 USNews ranking of Nanuet Senior High School was 174 in the state of New York with an overall scorecard of 89.78%

Landmarks and places of interest

* Novo-Diveevo Russian Orthodox Convent, Cemetery and adult home of the

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (), also called Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia or ROCOR, or Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA), is a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Pat ...

. * The Shops at Nanuet, formerly named Nanuet Mall (which opened in 1969), is an outdoor shopping mall operated by Simon, opened in October 2013. * Nanuet Star Theatre, formerly (Nanuet Theatre -Go-Round) on Rte 59 was the recording location for the

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

album '' Rock and Roll Over'' in 1976. This location has also hosted many concerts from 1973 - 1979 * The Rockland County Times, Rockland's only paid weekly newspaper publication, has its offices in Nanuet. * Nanuet station is the second-to-last train stop in the

train line, stretching from

Spring Valley, New York Spring Valley is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the town of Ramapo, New York, Ramapo and Clarkstown, New York, Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is ...

to the

Hoboken Terminal Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by eight NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, an NJ T ...

in New Jersey.

In popular culture

"Revival of Melee 5", a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament held in Nanuet on November 17–18, 2012, has garnered controversy in the Super Smash Bros. community. In the winners' semifinals match between players Mew2King and Unknown522, an unusual rule meant that game 5 of their best-of-five series had to be replayed. This resulted in Mew2King, who won the original game 5, losing the replay.Revival of Melee 5 Controversy
/ref>

References

External links

* Personal reminiscence page

Nanuet Fire Department
{{authority control Census-designated places in New York (state) Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in Rockland County, New York Hamlets in Rockland County, New York Burial sites of the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov