As of the 2010 census the center of population of the state of New York was located in Orange County, approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) west of the hamlet of Westbrookville.

They were a party of around twenty-five families from Scotland, led by David Toshach, the Laird of Monzievaird, and his brother-in-law Major Patrick McGregor, a former officer of the French Army.

Queen Anne's government arranged for passage from England of nearly 3,000 Palatines in ten ships.

In 1712, a 16-year-old indentured servant named Sarah Wells[8] from Manhattan led a small party of three Munsee men and three hired carpenters into the undeveloped interior of the county and created the first settlement in the Town of Goshen on the Otter Kill.

She was falsely promised by her master Christopher Denne 100 acres bounty for taking on the dangerous mission to make a land claim for him.

During the American Revolutionary War the county was divided into Loyalists, Patriots, and those who remained neutral.

Some residents posed as Loyalists but were part of a secret spy network set up by Gen. George Washington.

Bull was promoted twice for valor on the battlefield, once in the Battle of Monmouth where he was part of Lord Stirling's men who famously saved the day after Gen. Lee's retreat.

However, many residents remained loyal to King George III, include members of Capt.

The area along the Rockland County border (within Harriman and Bear Mountain state parks) and south of Newburgh is part of the Hudson Highlands.

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.

Despite its rural roots, Orange County has been among the fastest-growing regions within the New York City metropolitan area.

There are also several state constitutional positions that are elected, including a sheriff, county clerk and district attorney.

Prior to January 1, 2008, four coroners were also elected; however, on that date, the county switched to a medical examiner system.

The county is served by Stewart International Airport, located two miles west of Newburgh, New York.

The streak ended in 2020, however, as Orange County narrowly voted to re-elect Donald Trump, even as Democratic nominee Joe Biden of Delaware won the election overall.

Hayworth was defeated by Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton and the first openly gay person to be elected to Congress from New York.

The Democrats nominated former Ulster County Executive and incumbent Congressman from the 19th Congressional District Pat Ryan, while the Republicans chose then-Assemblyman Colin Schmitt.

After Tenney left her seat to run for Congress that year, Brian Miller, another Republican, was elected to replace her.

Delano-Hitch Stadium in Newburgh has played host to various professional and amateur baseball teams from various leagues since opening in 1926.

The Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy in West Point field NCAA Division I teams in 24 different sports.

Some notable drivers to race at the track include Stewart Friesen, Brett Hearn and Max McLaughlin.

Center, a Paul Rudolph Brutalist design in Goshen, NY; Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, America's oldest (continuously functioning) winery (as it made legal "sacramental" church wines during Prohibition); the birthplace of William H. Seward in Florida; Museum Village in Monroe, an 18th Century Colonial town; the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen; Bull Stone House, a NY Historical designated structure, built in 1722 and still used as a private residence (10 generations) by the Bull family, as well as the William Bull III House, built in the 1780s.

Thrall Library/Middletown station (Erie Railroad), built in 1896, closed in 1983, refurbished (& expanded) into a public library in 1995.

The multi-acre, Salesian Seminary, in Goshen, which trained NYC novitiates for the priesthood, was sold to the Village c. 2005 and a $4.5 million state-of-the-art library built on the grounds in 2018.

The Times Herald-Record newspaper, the first cold press offset daily in the country, in Middletown Commercial centers of interest include the Galleria at Crystal Run, in Wallkill; Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Monroe.

The Orange County Fair in Wallkill is an annual 2 or 3 week summer event, dating back to 1808, but officially opening in 1841.

The Pale Blue Eye (2022), a Netflix production starring Christian Bale, also featured locations in New Windsor.

[55][56] The Hallmark movie One December Night (2021) showcased the towns of Goshen and Newburgh, while Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman (2019) included scenes in Tuxedo and Washingtonville.

In television, HBO’s The White House Plumbers (2023) filmed at the Karpeles Manuscript Library in Newburgh.