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Palm Tree, New York

Coordinates: 41°20′24″N 74°10′2″W / 41.34000°N 74.16722°W / 41.34000; -74.16722
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Palm Tree, New York
Town
Kiryas Joel view
Kiryas Joel view
Official seal of Palm Tree, New York
Seal
Location in Orange County and the state of New York.
Location in Orange County and the state of New York.
Palm Tree is located in New York
Palm Tree
Palm Tree
Location within the state of New York
Palm Tree is located in the United States
Palm Tree
Palm Tree
Palm Tree (the United States)
Coordinates: 41°20′24″N 74°10′2″W / 41.34000°N 74.16722°W / 41.34000; -74.16722
Country United States
State New York
CountyOrange
Government
 • SupervisorAbraham Wieder (REP)[1]
 • Council MembersJoshua Blumenthal (CON)

Morris Steinberg (DEM)

Isaac Glanzer (REP)

Gerson Neuman (DEM)
Area
 • Total
1.50 sq mi (3.89 km2)
 • Land1.47 sq mi (3.81 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation
842 ft (257 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
32,954
 • Density22,000/sq mi (8,500/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code845
FIPS code36-39853
GNIS feature ID0979938

Palm Tree is a town coterminous with the village of Kiryas Joel, inhabited by the Satmar Hasidic community, and the municipality to which it belonged, Monroe.[2] The population of Palm Tree was 32,954 at the 2020 census.

History

[edit]

The town of Palm Tree, which comprises the entirety of the village of Kiryas Joel, was officially created on January 1, 2019.

Palm Tree had undergone numerous geographic and name changes prior to its incorporation as an independent town in 2019. Until 1764, the area was part of an enlarged Goshen. Goshen was then divided into two parts, with Palm Tree becoming part of Cornwall. By 1799 Cornwall was also divided, with Palm Tree joining present-day Monroe, Woodbury, and Tuxedo to become the town of Cheesekook. This name was changed to Smithfield (or Southfield) and in 1808 became Monroe supposedly in honor of James Monroe; others believe Monroe was named for a local family.

In 1974, the Satmar rebbe Joel Teitelbaum started the Kiryas Joel community, and in 1976 the community was incorporated as the village of Kiryas Joel in remembrance of the Rebbe, as a semi-rural retreat for his Williamsburg, Brooklyn-based community. Over time, the need to annex additional land in order to accommodate Kiryas Joel's burgeoning population created zoning conflicts with the town of Monroe,[3] that eventually led to a referendum which passed overwhelmingly on November 7, 2017, that resulted in an amicable split from Monroe and the creation of the town of Palm Tree, coterminous with the limits of the village of Kiryas Joel.[4]

On June 14, 2018, special legislation was passed that moved up the target date by one year. The bill was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on July 1.[5][6] The town became official on January 1, 2019, with officials elected in November 2018 being sworn in on that date. No candidates ran for town justice in either the 2018 or 2019 elections;[7] however, two non-resident lawyers were elected as town justices in the November 2019 elections as part of a write-in campaign supported by the leadership of the majority faction of the town's community;[8] while normally New York law requires town justices to be residents of the town, the town's laws were amended to permit the town justices to be non-residents.[8] In the same election, residents voted for a single consolidated town-village government, to be governed as a village rather than a town.[8]

Etymology

[edit]

Palm Tree was chosen as the new town's name as it is a calque of Teitelbaum, the surname of the rebbes of Satmar. It means "date palm" - formed from teitel (date) and baum (tree).

Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), and only a very small portion of the area (a small duck pond called "Forest Road Lake" in the center of the town) is covered with water.[9]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
202032,954—
2023 (est.)41,857[10]27.0%
United States Census Bureau:[11][12]
Largest ancestries (2000) Percent
Hungarian 18.9%
American 8.0%
Israeli 3.0%
Romanian 2.0%
Polish 1.0%
Czech 0.3%
Russian 0.3%
German 0.2%
Languages (2010) [13][14] Percent
Spoke Yiddish at home 91.5%
Spoke only English at home 6.3%
Spoke Hebrew at home 2.3%
Spoke English "not well", or "not at all" 46.0%

Palm Tree began with a 2019 founding population of 26,905 people, but since it has the same boundaries as its coterminous village of Kiryas Joel, its demographics from before its incorporation as a town is also known.[15] As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 13,138 people, 2,229 households, and 2,137 families residing in the village. The population density was 11,962.2 inhabitants per square mile (4,618.6/km2). There were 2,233 housing units, at an average density of 2,033.2 units per square mile (785.0 units/km2). The racial make-up of the village was 99.02% White, 0.21% African American, 0.02% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

Kiryas Joel has the highest percentage of people who reported Hungarian ancestry in the United States, as 18.9% of the population reported Hungarian ancestry in 2000.[17] 3% of the residents of Kiryas Joel were Israeli, 2% Romanian, 1% Polish, and 1% European.[18]

The 2000 census also reported that 6.3% of village residents spoke only English at home, one of the lowest such percentages in the United States. 91.5% of residents spoke Yiddish at home, while 2.3% spoke Hebrew.[13] Of the Yiddish-speaking population in 2000, 46% spoke English "not well" or "not at all". Overall, including those who primarily spoke Hebrew and European languages, as well as primary Yiddish speakers, 46% of Kiryas Joel residents speak English "not well" or "not at all".[14]

There were 2,229 households, out of which 79.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 93.2% were married couples living together, 1.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.1% were non-families. 2.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.74, and the average family size was 5.84. In the village, the population was very young, with 57.5% under the age of 18, 17.2% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 7.2% from 45 to 64, and 1.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 15 years. For every 100 females, there were 116.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.0 males.

The village abides by strict Jewish customs, and its welcome sign (installed in 2010)[19] asks visitors to dress conservatively and to "maintain gender separation in all public areas".[15] However, "the signs [say] nothing about consequences for violating these guidelines – because there are no consequences."[20]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Election Results: 2018 Local and State Races". recordonline.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  2. ^ "845 Confidential: Town of Palm Tree takes root in Orange County". recordonline.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Foderaro, Lisa W. (November 19, 2017) "Call It Splitsville, N.Y.: Hasidic Enclave to Get Its Own Town", The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  4. ^ McKenna, Chris. "Kiryas Joel's split from Monroe overwhelmingly approved". recordonline.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  5. ^ McKenna, Chris. "State OKs forming Town of Palm Tree one year earlier". recordonline.com. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "NY State Senate Bill S7861A". NY State Senate. April 13, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  7. ^ McKenna, Chris (September 18, 2019). "Neighboring towns forced to handle Palm Tree court cases". Times Herald-Record. Gannett. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c McKenna, Chris (November 30, 2019). "Write-ins elected first Palm Tree judges". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  10. ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021".
  11. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  12. ^ "CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING (1790–2000)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Modern Language Association Archived October 16, 2015, at the Wayback Machine base data on Kiryas Joel. Accessed online December 14, 2006.
  14. ^ a b Modern Language Association Archived February 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine English proficiency in Kiryas Joel. Accessed online December 14, 2006.
  15. ^ a b "Hasidic Jews in upstate New York: Monroe's referendum and a peculiar population boom". The Economist. November 2, 2017. Archived from the original on November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  17. ^ "Hungarian Ancestry Search - Hungarian Genealogy by City - ePodunk.com". epodunk.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  18. ^ "Kiryas Joel, NY, Ancestry & Family History". Epodunk.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  19. ^ "Welcome To Kiryas Joel: Please Dress Accordingly". CBS New York. September 1, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  20. ^ "Welcome To Kiryas Joel: Please Dress Accordingly - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com. August 31, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2024.


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