Blooming Grove, NY
10914

  Schunemunk Mountain from west

The Town of Blooming Grove is in the northeast part of the county.

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As of July 2006 legislation has been passed in order to incorporate a southern portion of the town into a separate community known as South Blooming Grove. This legislative action has led to the creation of a new community in Orange County for the first time since the late 1970s. On July 14, 2006 the state of New York incorporated the hamlet of South Blooming Grove into a village. This hamlet is now known as the "Village of South Blooming Grove."

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,351 people, 5,836 households, and 4,575 families residing in the town. The population density was 192.5/km?(498.5/mi?. There were 6,559 housing units at an average density of 72.8/km?(188.4/mi?.

There were 5,836 households out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

Schunemunk Mountain

Schunemunk Mountain (also spelled Schunnemunk) is the highest mountain in Orange County. The 1,664-foot (507 m) summit is located in the town of Blooming Grove, with other portions in Cornwall and Woodbury. The community of Mountain Lodge Park is built up its western slope.

The mountain is a popular recreational resource in the area. While only the northeastern quadrant and summit are part of the recently-created Schunemunk State Park, some popular hiking trails and access routes have long crossed the privately-owned lands elsewhere on the mountain.  Conservationists hope that eventually the state will be able to acquire the whole mountain.

Schunemunk is a long ridge running approximately northeast-southwest between Smith's Clove andSalisbury Mills, New York. Along the more northerly of its length, the mountain has a double crest, with Barton Swamp lying between the two ridges. The summit lies on the more southeasterly ridge. Barton Swamp is drained by Perry Creek on the south and Baby Brook on the north. Much of the eastern side of the mountain is drained by Dark Hollow Brook. All these are part of the Moodna Creek watershed, which encompasses all but the southeastern tip of the mountain; this drains into the Ramapo River.

About midway along its length, on the southeastern side of the mountain, is a spur known as High Knob or High Point, which overlooks Woodbury, New York. To the northeast, across a clove, lies Woodcock Mountain or Woodcock Hill, which reaches 1,030 feet (314 m).

The New York State Thruway runs alongside Schunemunk's eastern side for the length of the mountain just north of its Harriman exit. In addition to Mountain Lodge Park, two other hamlets in the area are closely associated with the mountain: Mountainville to the northeast and Central Valley to the southeast.

Due to its height and length, Schunemunk can be seen from much of the rest of Orange County and some other nearby areas.

History

The name "Schunemunk" means "excellent fireplace" in Lenape, and the Lenni Lenape had a village on the northern tip of the mountain. During the American Revolution, the mountain was often the site of skirmishing between Tory and Patriot irregulars.

The mountain is under increasing development pressure, but the northern part has become Schunermunk State Park, and a small portion of the southern part forms Woodbury Park.

Trails

The Long Path ascends the mountain by way of High Knob, crosses Perry Creek, and runs along the more northwesterly ridge, descending to the clove between Schunemunk and Woodcock Mountains at the north end. The Highlands Trail makes use of several trails on the mountain, ascending the eastern side of the mountain along the Sweet Clover Trail, and following the more southeasterly ridge and crossing the summit by way of the Jessup Trail, which continues along the crest to the southwestern tip of the mountain. The Dark Hollow, Barton Swamp, Trestle, Western Ridge, and Otterkill Trails are also located on the mountain.