The Town of New Paltz () is an incorporated U.S. town in Ulster County, New York. The population was 14,407 at the 2020 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston. New Paltz contains a village, also with the name New Paltz. The town is named for Palz (), the dialect name of the Palatinate, called Pfalz () in standard German.
Due to the presence of what is now the State University of New York at New Paltz, it has been a college town for over 150 years.
History The town of New Paltz was founded in 1678 by French Huguenots by both patent from the governor and purchase from the local Esopus tribe of the Lenape people. Prior to the purchase of New Paltz during the 17th century, the Esopus tribe had been pressured off much of their land which is now present day Ulster and Sullivan counties, because of conflicts known as the Esopus Wars. As a result, the Esopus were willing to exchange the land for a hefty sum of goods. The Huguenots were religious refugees from France who had immigrated via Mannheim in the German Palatinate, where they had settled after fleeing France during religious persecution. They settled in the area of the present-day village of New Paltz (on what is now known as Huguenot Street Historic District) and established their own local government.History of the Village of New Paltz , Retrieved February 27, 2013.
The size of the town increased with annexation from surrounding regions in 1775 and 1809. In 1842, part of New Paltz was removed to form the Town of Esopus. More of New Paltz was removed in order to form the towns of Rosendale (1844), Lloyd (1845), and Gardiner (1853).
New Paltz's current borders also encompass two now-defunct hamlets: Springtown (also known as Wallkill West) and Butterville (also known as Oleynuit, the Dutch word for butternut tree). Springtown is also listed in the official New York State Gazetteer, maintained and published by the New York State Department of Health, which includes numerous defunct hamlets and towns, some with alternate or archaic spellings.
Geography The Wallkill River flows northward through New Paltz on its way to join the Rondout Creek, which in turn feeds into the Hudson River. A portion of the Shawangunk Ridge is in the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.25%) is water.
Transportation New Paltz is accessible by a number of different roads. Interstate 87 (the New York State Thruway) is the main thoroughfare and passes through in the eastern part and houses Exit 18 for Route 299. State routes that traverse through are Route 32, Route 208, and Route 299.
The nearest train station is about away, in Poughkeepsie. Both Amtrak and Metro-North trains serve Poughkeepsie. Adirondack Trailways also provides bus transportation from New Paltz into various locations across multiple states.
The western terminus of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail is located here. The hiking/biking path eventually crosses the Walkway over the Hudson and becomes the Dutchess Rail Trail that ends in Hopewell Junction.
Education New Paltz has four public schools (K-12) and is home to a college in the SUNY system: Duzine Elementary School (K-2) Lenape Elementary School (3-5) New Paltz Middle School (6-8) New Paltz High School (9-12) State University of New York at New Paltz The town is also home to several private schools, including Mountain Laurel Waldorf School pre-K through grade 8), Montessori of New Paltz (pre-K through grade 3), and Huguenot Street Cooperative Nursery School (pre-K).
Government The town is governed by a town council, composed of four at-large members and a supervisor. The deputy supervisor is an appointed role that does not carry voting rights. +NamePositionTook officeLeft officePolitical affiliationTim RogersSupervisorJanuary 1, 2026IncumbentDemocratic PartyWilliam CharnockDeputy supervisorJanuary 1, 2026IncumbentDemocratic PartyKitty BrownCouncil memberJanuary 1, 2026IncumbentDemocratic PartyKate RyanCouncil memberJanuary 1, 2026IncumbentDemocratic PartyLauren McPaddenCouncil memberJanuary 1, 2026IncumbentDemocratic PartySean O'SullivanCouncil memberJanuary 1, 2026IncumbentDemocratic Party
Demographics
2010 census As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,003. The racial makeup of the town was 84.72% White, 5.35% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 4.36% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.46% from other races, and 2.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.81% of the population.
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,407. The racial makeup of the town was 74.01% White, 5.72% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 5.46% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.11% from other races, and 8.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.74% of the population.
Historic places Minnewaska State Park Elting Memorial Library Huguenot Street Historic District Mohonk Mountain House
Notable people
Abe Attell, boxing champion Terry Austin, comic book artist Benjamin F. Church, pioneer Charles Davis, NFL player and television commentator Peter Dinklage, actor. Lewis DuBois, military commander in the Continental Army Louis DuBois, Huguenot colonist Sandy Duncan, Broadway and television actor Ronald Enroth (born 1938), Professor of Sociology at Westmont College."Student of the Week; Ronald Enroth Plans to Become a Teacher; Like History, Writing, Traveling and Books", Poughkeepsie Journal, December 2, 1955. Accessed June 26, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Set on becoming a teacher, Ronald M. Enroth, 17, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Enroth, New Paltz, has been selected by the faculty as New Paltz High School's 'Student of the Week'. Born in Weehawken, N. J., Ronald was raised in Ridgefield, N. J., and attended the Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, N. J., prior to moving to New Paltz two years ago." Vladimir Feltsman, piano teacher Mary Gordon, novelist Hasbrouck family, one of the founding families of New Paltz Owen King, author Jay Le Fevre, former US Congress member Shawn Levy, Film Director. Dana Lyons, musician Floyd Patterson, heavyweight boxing champion Sydney Schanberg, former journalist at the New York Times and professor at State University of New York at New Paltz Keith Schiller, law enforcement officer and security expert Jordan Stern, musician, DJ and producer, known professionally as Vitesse X John Turturro, Hollywood actor Andrew Yang, founder of Venture for America and 2020 candidate for U.S. president
Sister city Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
See also
References
External links
Town of New Paltz, N.Y. Village of New Paltz, N.Y.