Spring Valley, New York

History

Before the opening of the railroad, there were no homes in Spring Valley.

In 1842, the New York & 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 1885, E. P. Lespenasse, of Spring Valley, walked from Haverstraw, New York to Washington, D.C. to settle an election bet. He carried a live pig and a rooster on his month-long journey. Lespenasse sold over 600 copies of picture post cards of himself and the animals he carried before the start of his walk and along the way as souvenirs and to support his journey.

In 1914, President Theodore Roosevelt, visited 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, Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the principal speaker at the Fourth of July celebration in Spring Valley.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman 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 Catskill Mountains and other areas began to attract Jews instead leaving the Spring Valley hotels empty. William Casey, 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 organization's 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, 2009, Noramie Jasmin was elected mayor of Spring Valley, making her the first Haitian-American mayor in the history of New York state.

On August 4, 2014, Mayor Demeza Delhomme was locked up in the county jail after a state Supreme Court justice found him in contempt of a court order to open the village's civic center to host its summer camp.

On January 20, 2015, three village residents filled a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division suing Mayor Demeza Delhomme, alleging misconduct and malfeasance in an attempt to remove him from office. Papers filed with the state Supreme Court's Appellate Division spell out numerous allegations against Delhomme, whose tenure as mayor since December 2013 has been filled with confusion and conflict. The claims include religious discrimination, personal use of village funds and harassment of village officials.

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.

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.

Geography

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 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km²), or 0.10%, is water.

The village is about 5 miles (8 km) north of the New Jersey border.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 31,347 people residing in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 35.5% Black, 28.2% White, 0.2% Native American, 3.7% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from some other race and 1.5% from two or more races. 30.6% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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 races, 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 highest African American and Caribbean population in Rockland County. Spring Valley has a large Haitian population, along with a growing Hispanic population.

Historical markers

Landmarks and places of interest

Notable people