Why you'd want to live in Orange County

Just 60 minutes from Manhattan, Orange County is a quickly developing part of one of the most attractive areas in upstate New York. Tourists come all year around to enjoy its many delightful and unique restaurants, parks, golf courses, hiking and biking trails, museums, crafts fairs, wineries, farmers markets, shopping and historic sites. The county is also a prime region to live in, and New Yorkers flock to summer homes and enjoy permanent residences conveniently close to the City within easy commuting distance. Orange County is home to the United States Military Academy at West Point and Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets among other top destinations. Economically, Orange county is above average in national income levels. Median family income is $90,243, compared to the US rate of $70,850.The The median cost of a home in Orange County is $264,300, compared to $305,400 for New York State and $231,200 nationally. Orange County offers a pleasant climate, but with enough change in seasons to keep it from being boring. July is the hottest month, with an average high temperature of 83.4°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in New York. January is the snowiest month in Orange County with 12.7 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall. The overall feel of Orange County is rural, with urban and suburban towns and villages dotting the interior of the upstate county. A drive will take a visitor past wide-open grain and produce farms, dairy farms, cattle and horse ranches and quaint farm stands in the summer months. Orange County’s Great Valley of the Appalachians is set off by the Shawangunk Ridge. The area along the Rockland County border (within Harriman and Bear Mountain state parks) and south of Newburgh is part of the Hudson Highlands. The land in between is the valley of the Wallkill River. In the southern portion of the county the Wallkill valley expands into a wide glacial lake bed known as the Black Dirt Region for its fertility.