Suffern, New York

From Free net encyclopedia

Suffern is a village located in Rockland County, New York near the southern border of the county and the state in the Town of Ramapo. As of the 2000 census, Suffern had a total population of 11,006.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Famous People born in/from Suffern
5 External links

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History

The Village of Suffern was founded in 1896. John Suffern, for whom the town is named, settled near the base of the Ramapo Mountains in 1773. It was originally called New Antrim, after Suffern's hometown in Ireland. New Antrim's location was considered strategically important in the American Revolutionary War due to its location near Ramapo Pass.

During the war, George Washington and his regiment made camp in the village. The main street of Suffern is named after Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette. On August 25, 1781, French troops encamped in New Antrim. A historical marker on Washington Avenue, near Lafayette Avenue, identifies the area as "Rochambeau's Encampment 1781-1782". Comte de Rochambeau made his headquarters at John Suffern's New Antrim Tavern.

The first railroad line across Rockland County (the Erie Railroad) was built in 1841 and ran from Piermont to Ramapo. By 1851, the line was extended to Lake Erie, and was considered an engineering marvel. The tracks are now owned by the Norfolk Southern line.

In 1897, Avon Products built a small (3000 square foot) laboratory in Suffern; by 1971 the lab would grow into the 323,000 square foot Avon Suffern Research and Development facility. In late 2005, construction was finished on a state-of-the art, 225,000 square foot facility that would become Avon's global hub for research and development. The new building was constructed on the same site as their previous R&D facility, which was demolished for site parking.

In 1916, what would become New York State Route 59, which reached from Nyack to Spring Valley in 1915, was extended to Suffern and Ramapo Hamlet.

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Geography

Image:Village of Suffern, Rockland County.png Image:Manhattan.jpg

Suffern is located at 41°6'43" North, 74°8'45" West (41.111828, -74.145796)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²). 5.4 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.42% water.

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Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,634 households, and 2,836 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,033.2/km² (5,265.8/mi²). There were 4,762 housing units at an average density of 879.7/km² (2,278.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 86.83% White, 3.53% African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.83% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 4.52% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 12.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,634 households out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the village the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $59,754, and the median income for a family was $74,937. Males had a median income of $46,959 versus $36,093 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,208. 5.7% of the population and 3.5% of families were below the poverty line. 7.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Suffern which is located next to Monsey, has a very large orthodox jewish population

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