Ramapo () is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States. It was originally formed as New Hampstead, in 1791, and became Ramapo in 1828. It shares its name with the Ramapo River. As of the 2020 census, Ramapo had a total population of 148,919, making it the most populous town in New York outside of Long Island. If all towns in New York were cities, Ramapo would be the 12th-largest city in the state of New York.

The town's name, recorded variously as Ramopuck, Ramapock, or Ramapough, is of Lenape origin, meaning either "sweet water" or "slanting rocks". Early maps referred to Ramapo as Ramepog (1695), Ramepogh (1711), and Ramapog (1775).

The town is located south of Haverstraw and west of Clarkstown and Orangetown.

History

The present-day town was originally inhabited by the Munsee, a band of the Lenape nation. Their descendants now live on Stag Hill in Mahwah, New Jersey, where they form the New Jersey-recognized Ramapo Lenape Nation.

During the American Revolutionary War, Commander-in-Chief George Washington is said to have climbed the Ramapo Torne (near Sloatsburg) with a telescope to watch the July 24, 1777, sailing of the British fleet off Sandy Hook in New Jersey. General Washington and his troops set up an encampment in Suffern, in the west of Ramapo, due to its strategic location near a local mountain pass. In this encampment were two French soldiers, Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau and Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. The encampment was on the path to Yorktown, Virginia, where the final battle of the American Revolution took place.

The Town of New Hampstead was formed from part of the Town of Haverstraw in 1791, eight years after the end of the Revolution; the name was changed to Hempstead in 1797, and to Ramapo in 1828. The 1971 court case Golden v. Planning Board of Ramapo is the basis for the subsequent expansion of growth management practices, including the use of development impact fees.

In 2006 Money magazine ranked Ramapo as the 49th best place in the United States and the best place in New York State to live. Arts and leisure, business, housing, low crime rates and open spaces/parkland determined the town's ranking. In the category of park space, percentage of land set aside for gardens and parks, the town finished first. Ramapo received the highest rating and one of the best in the country for its open spaces and parkland.

Geography

thumb|View of Ramapo from mountain

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.11%, is water.

The southern town line is the border of New Jersey, and the western town line is the border of Orange County. The break in the Ramapo Mountains at Suffern formed by the Ramapo River causes the town to be the site of the New York State Thruway and I-287, New York State Route 17, and a railroad line. The Palisades Interstate Parkway runs through the northeastern corner of the town, with an exit at the Haverstraw town line on the northern border.

Torne Mountain (; shown on topographic maps as "High Torne"), in Harriman State Park, overlooks the Ramapo Pass and remnants of the once-thriving Ramapo Iron Works. During the American Revolution, the Torne served as a lookout for British ship movements on the Hudson. Legend tells that Gen. George Washington lost his watch on the mountain, and it may still be heard ticking up there in a crevice of rock.

The highest point in Ramapo is Squirrel Swamp Mountain near the northern border of the town, with an elevation of .

Communities

thumb|right|250px|Ruins of the Old Furnace on the Ramapao, where the chain was made, that spanned the [[Hudson River at West Point during the Revolution]]

  • The hamlet of Antrim, near the southern town line
  • The village of Airmont
  • The village of Chestnut Ridge
  • The village of Hillburn, in the southwestern part of the town
  • The hamlet of Hillcrest
  • The village of Kaser
  • The hamlet of Monsey
  • The village of Montebello
  • The village of New Hempstead
  • The village of New Square
  • The Village of Pomona
  • The hamlet of Ramapo, in the southwest part of the town. The hamlet of Ramapo and the town of Ramapo are often confused on many internet-based maps.
  • The hamlet of Sandyfield
  • The village of Sloatsburg
  • The village of Spring Valley
  • The hamlet of Sterlington, near Sloatsburg
  • The village of Suffern
  • The hamlet of Suffern Park, near Suffern
  • The hamlet of Tallman, in the southern part of the town
  • The hamlet of Viola, in the eastern part of the town
  • The village of Wesley Hills, in the northeastern part of the town

Demographics