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96-508: Clarkstown is a town in Rockland County , New York , United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county, located north of the town of Orangetown , east of the town of Ramapo , south of the town of Haverstraw , and west of the Hudson River . As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 86,855. The hamlet of New City , the county seat of Rockland County, is also

192-471: A theme park . Voters rejected the measure by a 2-1 margin. In 2008, opponents of the mall complained that the Superfund site located on the property was paved over rather than cleaned, and that the mall tax receipts failed to lower the average homeowner's bill as advertised. In the 2008 documentary Megamall mall opponent Bruce Broadley said, "Everything we said would happen happened. Go back and look at all

288-457: A $ 388.5 million mortgage on the property. The following year, the mall was at full occupancy. The late 2010s saw several traditional chain anchors update their brick-and-mortar fleets, due to competition by digital retailers in recent years. On March 17, 2017, JCPenney announced that their Palisade Center location would be one of 138 of its stores to close as part of its modernization of its brick-and-mortar operations. In September 2019, it

384-499: A county administrator, who acts on behalf of the legislature, the legislature must maintain ultimate control over the actions of the administrator. Many, but not all, charter counties have an elected executive who is independent of the legislature; the exact form of government is defined in the County Charter. In New York, each city is a highly autonomous incorporated area that, with the exceptions of New York City and Geneva ,

480-471: A deal that extended the maturity date of the mortgage to October 9, 2022 and a forbearance agreement extending the payment date to November 9, 2022. The mall has four floors, which at its opening housed over 220 businesses under a 1-million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter) roof, as well as 8,500 parking spaces on the property's 2-million-square-foot (190,000-square-meter), a space large enough to fit 40 White Houses . To accommodate its customers and tenants,

576-475: A domesticated pheasant. Other problems included flooding from one of the region's glacier-dug bottom spots and runoff from three landfills on the property. The mall was completed in December 1997 and opened on March 4, 1998. Initially the mall had four anchor stores. The number fluctuated over the years as new anchors opened and closed, peaking at 16 in the 2010s. A few of the stores that were present in

672-407: A female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 31.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age of older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.28. The median age was 42.8 years. As of the census of 2000, there were 82,082 people, 27,697 households, and 21,991 families residing in

768-411: A household in the town was $ 92,121, and the median income for a family was $ 104,909. Males had a median income of $ 57,773 versus $ 40,805 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 34,430. About 2.5% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2020 Census, there were 86,855 people residing in

864-631: A land-use classification for private land under its Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan (APLUDP). The APLUDP extends the boundaries for its classification of hamlets "well beyond established settlements" to allow for growth. In New York, a village is an incorporated area. About 85% of villages fall within a single town. Villages in the State of New York are classified by the Census Bureau as incorporated places . Like all municipal corporations, villages have clearly defined legal boundaries. A village

960-657: A location at the mall, which following the success of their first two locations in Philadelphia, marked the beginning of that chain's expansion across the United States. On February 10, 2023, Wilmington Trust , the trustee on the $ 418.5 million mortgage issued in April 2016, filed a commercial mortgage foreclosure complaint in New York State Supreme Court. The complaint came after mall's owners missed payments on both

1056-417: A mayor and (usually) four trustees. The board is responsible for approving mayoral appointments, managing village finances and property, and approving a budget. The mayor, who is generally the chief executive of the village, may vote in all business before the board and must vote to break a tie. The mayor generally does not possess veto power, unless this is provided for by local law. Administrative duties of

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1152-538: A more upscale appearance to the mall, which had begun to show signs of wear and tear. The renovation brought a warmer color scheme to soften the institutional beige of the mall, colored glass mosaics, ceiling facets, and designer lighting. The four-story court at the center of the mall received glass handrails and architectural lighting elements, and the "ThEATery" area on Level 4 got new tile floors and chandelier fixtures. Other areas received soft seating, custom planters, and plush carpets. In 2016 Pyramid Companies received

1248-597: A town; 35.9% were living in a town but outside a village. Whereas cities and villages can cross county boundaries, each town in New York is completely contained within a single county. New York towns are classified by statute as being a town of the first class or a town of the second class . Additionally, a town of the first class can further be classified as a suburban town upon meeting certain criteria. Originally, towns of different classes possessed different powers. Since 1964, all towns, regardless of classification, have had

1344-473: A uniform statewide Village Law (twelve villages still operate under charters issued by the state legislature prior to a revision of the State Constitution in 1874 that forbade chartering villages). Also, villages are part of a town (or towns; some villages cross town borders), with residents who pay taxes to and receive services from the town. Cities are neither part of nor subordinate to towns except for

1440-504: A village becomes a city, the Legislature requires clear evidence, usually in the form of a locally drafted charter, that the community in question seeks to incorporate as a city. The forms of government cities can have are council–manager, strong mayor–council, weak mayor–council or commission. Forty-six cities, the majority, use the mayor–council form. The City of New York is a special case. The state legislature reorganized government in

1536-482: A village or town but will perform some of the functions of the other form. Villages remain part of the towns in which they are located; village residents pay both town and village taxes, and vote in both town and village elections. Towns can contain several hamlets and communities. If the United States Postal Service (USPS) has a post office in a hamlet it often will use the name of that hamlet, as will

1632-423: Is Sherrill, New York , with just 3,071 inhabitants in 2010. The smallest city by area is Mechanicville, New York , which covers 0.91 sq mi (2.4 km ) (of which 0.08 sq mi (0.2 km ) is water). Some places containing the word "city" in their name are not cities. Examples include Johnson City , Garden City , and New City . Several cities, such as Albany, are divided into wards for

1728-675: Is George Hoehmann. Clarkstown is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Congressman Michael Lawler . It is represented in New York State government by Senator Bill Weber and Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski Jr. Clarkstown is divided into four wards as follows: Clarkstown Mini-Trans is the provider of local mass transportation in Clarkstown. It has five bus routes: Additionally, Transport of Rockland provides local mass transportation. Routes 59, 304, 303 serve

1824-408: Is a municipality that provides services to the residents, services that may or may not include garbage collection, management of cemeteries, street and highway maintenance, street lighting, and building codes. Some villages provide their own police and other municipal services. Villages have less autonomy than cities. While cities are not subject to a town's jurisdiction, villages legally remain part of

1920-446: Is also the entry to Palisades Climb Adventure, a five-level, 85 ft (26 m) climbing obstacle course created by WonderWorks that allows guests to climb on obstacles while strapped into a harness. The mall was featured in multiple episodes of the TruTV series Impractical Jokers . The mall is used for exterior shots in the 2018 film Eighth Grade . The mall can be seen as

2016-402: Is commonplace to change boundaries and define new CDPs for each census. The Census Bureau formerly referred to CDPs as "unincorporated places" from 1950 through the 1970 decennial censuses. The term CDP was first used for the 1980 census , and minimum population criteria for CDPs were dropped with the 2000 census . Though the term "hamlet" is not defined under New York law, many people in

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2112-456: Is contained within one county. Cities in New York are classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as incorporated places. They provide almost all services to their residents and have the highest degree of home rule and taxing jurisdiction over their residents. The main difference between a city and a village is that cities are organized and governed according to their charters , which can differ widely among cities, while most villages are subject to

2208-486: Is home to 5 Wits Interactive Family Entertainment Center. At the east end of the fourth floor is an ice rink, which is home to teams and programs that include the Palisades Predators Youth Hockey team and BUDS for Hockey. The rink also houses a free skate and Learn to Skate program, an arcade (which at one point had Sonic Championship ), and a party room for birthday parties. The fourth floor

2304-548: Is in three towns and two counties. Five towns are coterminous with their single village and have a coterminous town-village form of government. Despite their names, Greenwich Village , the East Village , and Queens Village are not villages, but neighborhoods of the City of New York . A borough is one of the five major administrative divisions of the consolidated City of New York . Boroughs do not currently exist elsewhere in

2400-425: Is then voted upon by the qualified voters living in the proposed village only. Some villages have fewer than 500 residents, having incorporated before the present population requirement or fallen below the old 500-resident threshold after incorporation. A village may also be dissolved, returning all government control to the town level. The process of dissolution can be initiated by the village board itself, or upon

2496-406: Is water. The town of Webb ( Herkimer County ) has the greatest land area, at 451 sq mi (1,170 km ). The smallest town, Green Island ( Albany County ), covers 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km ). The town of Hempstead ( Nassau County ) has about 760,000 people (2010 census), making it more populous than any city in the state except New York City . Red House ( Cattaraugus County ),

2592-698: The American Civil War , the Spanish–American War , World Wars l and ll and the Korean War . The grounds have been maintained since 1940 by the Mount Moor Cemetery Association, Inc. The construction of the mall faced a number of environmental obstacles before it began. What was initially thought to be a mastodon buried there turned out to be a circus elephant . Nesting grounds for a nearly extinct red-legged partridge turned out to be

2688-537: The Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New York . Articles VIII (titled "Local Finances") and IX (titled "Local Government", but commonly referred to as the "Home Rule" article) of the state constitution establish the rights and responsibilities of the municipal governments. The New York State Constitution provides for democratically elected legislative bodies for counties, cities, towns and villages. These legislative bodies are granted

2784-460: The Korean War . The cemetery is visible from a number of points in the mall, and was undisturbed by construction. The Historical Society of Rockland County placed a historical sign which reads: This burying ground for Colored people, was deeded on July 7, 1849 by James Benson. and Jane Benson. his wife to William H. Moore, Stephen Samuels and Isaac Williams. trustees. The cemetery has provided burial space for colored people, including veterans of

2880-795: The Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City from Park-and-Ride and other pickup locations in New City , Bardonia , West Nyack , and Nanuet via Route 49 and 49J, and local service to New York from New City, Valley Cottage , and Upper Nyack on Routes 9A, 9T, and 20. The town of Clarkstown is served by several school districts. The majority of the town is served by the Clarkstown Central School District , which educates students in New City , Bardonia , Congers , and West Nyack . The village of Upper Nyack as well as

2976-837: The Rockland County Business Journal reported that the mall, which was in a state of transition exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic , would likely not replace the former Lord & Taylor and JC Penney with other department stores or retail. Stephen J. Congel, CEO of Pyramid Management Group, which manages the Palisades Center, pointed to the company's portfolio-wide diversification strategy, in which it incorporated new uses, such as residential developments, to its existing assets, though Congel did not comment when asked if residential projects were planned for Palisades Center. In early January 2022, Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse opened

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3072-508: The United States Census Bureau as "a statistical entity defined for each decennial census according to Census Bureau guidelines, comprising a densely settled concentration of population" that is not part of a city or a village "but is locally identified by a name." CDPs may cross town and county borders. CDPs are defined collaboratively by state and local officials and the Census Bureau. They are defined for each census, and it

3168-437: The "Gotham skyline," and lauding the bowling alley, ice rink , and food court Ferris wheel for giving people an opportunity to play "adult hooky." In 2009, the mall replaced its historic 19th-century carousel from Venice, Italy , with a modern doubler-decker model. On May 3, 2013, Pyramid officials announced that Palisades Center would undergo a multimillion-dollar remodeling from May to December that year in order to give

3264-449: The 2010 Census, there were 84,187 people, 29,234 households, and 22,186 families residing in the Town of Clarkstown. The population density was 1,800 per square mile. There were 30,314 housing units at an average density of 646.35 per square mile. There were 29,234 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples living together, 10.4% had

3360-525: The Town of Clarkstown. Clarkstown is the most densely populated town in Rockland County and is home to New City , which is the county seat. Clarkstown has more business districts in it than any other town in Rockland County, including the Palisades Center , which is among the largest malls in the world. The Town of Clarkstown has as its chief executive a Town Supervisor. The current Town Supervisor

3456-542: The U.S. Census Bureau as minor civil divisions . Like New Jersey and southern New England , all of New York is incorporated; all residents who do not live in a city or on an Indian reservation live in a town. Towns provide or arrange for the primary functions of local government. While some provide most municipal services for all town residents and selected services for residents of villages, some provide little more than road maintenance. There were 933 towns in New York. As of 2000 , 45.8% of state residents were living in

3552-451: The area in the 1890s in an effort to consolidate. Other cities, villages, and towns were annexed to become the " City of Greater New York ", (an unofficial term, the new city retained the name of New York), a process basically completed in 1898. At the time of consolidation, Queens County was split. Its western towns joined the city, leaving three towns that were never part of the consolidation plan as part of Queens County but not part of

3648-495: The area of the proposed village must have at least 1,500 inhabitants and not be part of an existing city or village. Additionally, the proposed village can be no more than 5 square miles (13 km ) in area unless its boundaries are to be coterminous with a school, fire, improvement or other district, or the entire town. The process of incorporation begins with a petition by either 20% of residents or owners of 50% of assessed real property. If deemed legally sufficient, incorporation

3744-528: The area's downtowns, and that the site was not properly tested for toxins. In October 1993, ground was broken on the mall, whose construction would cost between $ 250 million and $ 280 million. The Palisades Center was built around the Mount Moor Cemetery , a cemetery established in 1849 for people of color, including Native American and African American veterans of American wars from the Civil War to

3840-411: The average family size was 3.27. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for

3936-427: The cities of New York and Albany city charters, which were recognized by the first State Constitution in 1777. All other cities have been established by act of the state legislature and have been granted a charter. Cities have been granted the power to revise their charters or adopt new ones. There are no minimum population or area requirements in order to become a city. While there is no defined process for how and when

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4032-529: The city of Sherrill , which for some purposes is treated as if it were a village of the town of Vernon . Some cities are completely surrounded by a town, typically of the same name. There are sixty-two cities in the state. As of 2000 , 54.1% of state residents were living in a city; 42.2% were living in New York City; 11.9% were living in one of the other 61 cities. In 1686, the English colonial governor granted

4128-601: The consolidated city. Each borough individually elects a borough president and used to elect two at-large city council members, in addition to those elected based on each borough's population. The borough presidents once wielded considerable power as members of the New York City Board of Estimate , but the position is now largely ceremonial and advisory. Boroughs function as counties for certain purposes, but have no county government. The five New York City district attorneys , however, are still elected by county (for example,

4224-614: The county also publish maps that conflict both in the number of hamlets and their boundaries. Nevertheless, all land not within a village is administered by the town. Most of the rest of New York's hamlets, however, have less well-defined boundaries, and most towns have areas that are not considered to be a part of any hamlet. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) puts hamlet names on rectangular green signs with white lettering at roadside locations of its choosing. The NYSDOT and local governments also provide community identification signs on some scenic byways to be placed at

4320-587: The county boundaries—each have a Borough Board made up of the Borough President, the borough's district council members, and the chairpersons of the borough's community boards. A mayor serves as the city's chief executive officer. The most populous and largest city in the state is New York City , with a population of over 8.5 million inhabitants and comprising just over 300 sq mi (777.00 km ) of land (468.87 sq mi (1,214.368 km ) total area, which includes water). The least populous city

4416-641: The district attorney for Brooklyn is called the Kings County District Attorney). Palisades Center Built in the industrial style , the mall was developed by Pyramid Management Group , and opened in March 1998. It was named after the nearby Palisades , which border the Hudson River and the eastern part of Rockland County . It is bounded on three sides by major state routes: the New York State Thruway (Interstates 87 and 287 ) to

4512-690: The executive branch. All town justices were originally part of a town's board. Today, justices belong to a separate judicial branch known as Town Court or Justice Court, part of New York's Justice Court system. A town may contain one or more villages. Many towns have no villages. Five towns are coterminous with their single village and share the same name: Green Island in Albany County ; East Rochester in Monroe County ; and Scarsdale , Harrison , and Mount Kisco in Westchester County . A sixth,

4608-730: The form of government selected by the residents and approved by the New York State Legislature. Each type of local government is granted specific home rule powers by the New York State Constitution. There are still occasional changes as a village becomes a city, or a village dissolves (stops existing), each of which requires legislative action. New York also has various corporate entities that provide local services and have their own administrative structures (governments), such as school and fire districts. These are not found in all counties. Almost every piece of land in

4704-535: The general provisions of the County Law. Although all counties have a certain latitude to govern themselves, "charter counties" are afforded greater home rule powers. The charter counties are Albany , Broome , Chautauqua , Chemung , Dutchess , Erie , Herkimer , Monroe , Nassau , Oneida , Onondaga , Orange , Putnam , Rensselaer , Rockland , Schenectady , Suffolk , Tompkins , Ulster , and Westchester . Sixteen counties are governed through an assembly with

4800-1257: The hamlets of Valley Cottage and Central Nyack are served by the Nyack Public Schools , while the Hamlet of Nanuet is served by the Nanuet Union Free School District . A small portion on the western town border is served by the East Ramapo Central School District . High schools located in the town include Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack, Clarkstown North High School in New City, Nyack Senior High School in Upper Nyack, and Nanuet Senior High School in Nanuet. Clarkstown has taken steps towards " going green " by conducting energy audits , purchasing Energy Star office equipment and using green cleaning products in town facilities. Other steps included: Climate Action and Sustainability Planning - Training and Outreach In 1994, Clarkstown

4896-458: The least populous, has 38 permanent residents (2010 census). The use of "town" in a community's name is irrespective of municipal status. Elizabethtown , Germantown and Stephentown are towns. Cooperstown , home of the Baseball Hall of Fame , is a village, Jamestown and Middletown are cities, and Levittown is an unincorporated hamlet. A census-designated place (CDP) is defined by

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4992-572: The limits. Based on the ZIP Code, the United States Postal Service (USPS) identifies the correct location for mail delivery. The New York State Gazetteer , published by the New York State Department of Health in 1995, includes a list of hamlets in the state. The criteria used for inclusion in the Gazetteer are not stated. The Adirondack Park Agency also uses the term "hamlet", though as

5088-513: The local fire department or elementary school. Businesses may also use the name of a hamlet as part of their name. The United States Census Bureau will, with consideration from the town, designate a census-designated place (CDP) that may use the name of one or more hamlets, though boundaries may differ from what is used by the ZIP code, local fire department, etc. Towns in New York may be further subdivided into wards, although as of 2017 , only fifteen of

5184-425: The mall believed would be more appealing to a wide array of possible tenants than adapting former anchor store space. That expansion was approved November 4, 2020. That December, the data firm Trepp appraised Palisades Center at $ 425 million, which was less than half of the $ 881 million at which the mall was valued in 2016, when Pyramid Companies received a $ 388.5 million mortgage on the property. In March 2021,

5280-517: The mall houses 40 escalators, eight passenger elevators, and 11 freight elevators. The third floor of the mall contains a 2,000-seat food court with over a dozen quick-service restaurants, and a 60 ft (18 m) Ferris wheel . That level formerly housed Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel Number 15 , a carousel built in 1907, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. In May 2009, mall management announced that

5376-697: The mall in its first year were the WNET Store of Knowledge, the Nickelodeon Store, and Record Town. From its inception, rumors circulated that the mall's underground parking lot was sinking because it was built on unstable swampland, and that it would collapse under its own weight. Rumors that the mall would close abounded after the 1999-2000 holiday season. On the January 6, 2000, episode of The Rosie O'Donnell Show , host Rosie O'Donnell , who lives in Nyack , mentioned

5472-497: The mall on the Thruway prevented the predicted traffic congestion. Columnist Greg Clary argued that aesthetics are subjective, that average homeowners' bills did not go down due to continued spending by elected officials, and that while the downtowns were hurt by the mall, this is not unique to the area, and can be averted by town planners who represent some of the mall's 20 million patrons. New York Times writer Joe Queenan criticized

5568-461: The mall's Brutalist exterior as lacking design and theme and characterized its rectangular layout as "a series of interlocking coffins." He also criticized the "trash gondolas" visible near the Interstate 287 entrance. Queenan had kinder things to say about the mall's vast interior, likening its sprawling floors to a retail version of Centre Georges Pompidou , analogizing its amalgamated structure to

5664-473: The mayor include enforcing laws and supervising employees. A village may also have a full-time village manager who performs these administrative duties instead of the mayor. In 2007, sixty-seven villages had such a manager. Some villages have their own village justice, while others utilize the justice of the town or towns in which they are located. While most villages are subject to a uniform statewide Village Law, twelve villages operate under charters issued by

5760-611: The mid-19th century; the New York City Council is currently elected from special districts, which are allowed to cross borough lines. New York City has a unique system of divisions, some of which possess governmental power, see Divisions unique to New York City . In New York, a town is a municipal corporation, and is the major division of each county (excluding the five boroughs that comprise New York City ), very similar to townships in other states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Towns in New York are classified by

5856-401: The new Borough of Queens. (A small portion of the Town of Hempstead was itself annexed, also.) The next year (1899), the three eastern towns of Queens County separated to become Nassau County . The city today consists of the entire area of five counties (named New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, and Richmond). While these counties have no county government, boroughs—with boundaries coterminous with

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5952-606: The north (Exit 12), NY Route 303 to the east, and NY Route 59 to the south. It is also located near the Thruway's intersection of the Palisades Interstate Parkway , and is only a few miles west of the Tappan Zee Bridge , which provides access from points east of the Hudson River. According to the mall's sponsoring partner, Thomas Valenti, it took 16 years to get the mall approved and built. The 130-acre site

6048-416: The only body that can create governmental units is the state. All of them have their own governments, sometimes with no paid employees, that provide local services. Centers of population that are not incorporated and have no government or local services are designated hamlets . Whether a municipality is defined as a borough, city, town, or village is determined not by population or land area, but rather on

6144-481: The original 1.8 million square feet (170,000 square meters) they were allowed, but Pyramid insisted that they did not wish to expand beyond the limits of the mall, but rather to lease space already in the building, which would be occupied by Kids City, an educational and recreational center for children ages 3 to 12. Nicole Doliner, president of the Rockland Civic Association, characterized Kids City as

6240-407: The population. There were 27,697 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and

6336-432: The power and fiscal capacity to provide an array of local government services. Such services generally include law enforcement and public safety, social and health services (such as Medicaid ), and education (special needs and community colleges). Every county outside of New York City has a county seat , which is the location of county government. Nineteen counties operate under county charters, while 38 operate under

6432-480: The power of a board of supervisors , composed of the supervisors of its constituent towns and cities. In most of these counties, each supervisor's vote is weighted in accordance with the town's population in order to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court mandate of " one person, one vote ". Other counties have legislative districts of equal population, which may cross municipal borders; these counties may also have an elected County Executive. Most counties in New York do not use

6528-493: The power to enact local laws as needed in order to provide services to their citizens and fulfill their various obligations. The county is the primary administrative division of New York. There are sixty-two counties in the state. Five of the counties are boroughs of the City of New York and do not have functioning county governments. While originally created as subdivisions of the state meant to carry out state functions, counties are now considered municipal corporations with

6624-450: The prior April, and had risked defaulting on its $ 388.5 million CMBS loan, but reached an agreement with its lenders to avoid foreclosure. In October 2020, Clarkstown held a referendum in which citizens were asked to vote on whether to lift the agreement made between the town and the mall's developer in 1998 preventing the mall from renting out 200,000 square feet (19,000 m ) of unused space in its fourth-floor attic, whose high-ceilings

6720-450: The proposals and drawings. It's a vastly different mall that was built. It was sold as upscale. What they built is arguably one of the ugliest malls in America." However, Clarkstown Town Board member Shirley Lasker, who opposed the mall, said in 2008 that the board's concerns over traffic did not materialize. Valenti said that the $ 23-million effort to fix area roads and create a special exit for

6816-522: The purposes of municipal representation. Each ward elects one member to the city's legislative body, and the wards are redistricted roughly every ten years. These divisions can go by other names by city; in Buffalo they are known as districts . These divisions can either be numbered or named. New York City was divided into wards at various times in its history between 1683 and 1938, although they were gradually replaced by Assembly and Senate districts starting in

6912-728: The roadside boundaries of hamlets, as decided by the sign provider. Many towns have special zoning or planning districts and planning strategies for their hamlets, and many places welcome signs at the gateways to the hamlets. Some hamlets are former villages that have dissolved their incorporation ( Old Forge in Herkimer County ; Rosendale , in Ulster County ; and Andes in Delaware County , for example). Notwithstanding hamlets are not cities or towns, many of them are called out in formal addresses for those residents residing within

7008-406: The rumor of the building's sinking to her audience. Local police, town engineering officials and the mall's developers assured the public that these stories were false and that the mall was safe and in no danger of closing. A managing partner of the mall, Thomas J. Valenti, appeared on a later episode of O'Donnell's show, performing a song-and-dance number to the tune of " Cheek to Cheek " to debunk

7104-545: The rumors of the mall sinking. On November 5, 2002, voters in Clarkstown voted on a referendum in which the mall requested approval for it to lease 100,000 square feet (9,300 square meters) of theretofore unoccupied space, in keeping with a 1997 covenant in which Pyramid Companies agreed any additional leasing would be decided by a town referendum as part of a deal that let the mall take over three town streets. Opponents argued that Pyramid Companies had previously stated that this space had no practical use when they had built beyond

7200-450: The same legal powers as were once available only to suburban towns. Even so, towns of different classifications continue to have organizational differences and certain conditions that must be met before a town's classification changes. The town board serves as the legislative branch. The board is composed of one elected town supervisor (or chief executive officer in suburban towns) and a specific number of elected council persons; towns of

7296-527: The seat of town government and of the Clarkstown Police Department, the county sheriff's office, and the county correctional facility. New City makes up about 41.47% of the town's population. The town of Clarkstown was created in 1791 from the town of Haverstraw in Orange County , before Rockland County was formed. The Hudson River defines the eastern border of the town, which is opposite

7392-575: The second class generally have two but may have four council persons, whereas towns of the first class generally have four but can have two or six. The supervisor presides over the board, voting on all matters but not possessing veto or tie-breaking power. Certain towns operate under a town manager form of government, creating an executive branch in the town government, as permitted by legislation enacted in 1976. As such, some supervisors have additional authority or executive powers, whereas some towns have town managers or chief executive officers who serve as

7488-456: The state has more than 3,400 active local governments and more than 4,200 taxing jurisdictions. Counties and incorporated municipal governments (also known as "general purpose units of local government"; i.e., cities, towns and villages) in the State of New York have been granted broad home rule powers enabling them to provide services to their residents and to regulate the quality of life within their jurisdictions. They do so while adhering to

7584-404: The state is part of a city or town, which is part of one county. The exceptions are the city of Geneva ; New York City ; and ten Indian reservations . As of 2009 , New York has 62 counties (including New York City's five boroughs ), which are subdivided into 933 towns and 61 cities (including Geneva in both Ontario and Seneca counties, but excluding New York City and Sherrill ). In total,

7680-635: The state legislature prior to 1874. Before a revision to the State Constitution in that year, villages were formed by the state legislature through granting of charters. Many villages reincorporated, dumping their charters in favor of the Village Law. The villages that retain their charters are Alexander , Carthage , Catskill , Cooperstown , Deposit , Fredonia , Ilion , Mohawk , Ossining , Owego , Port Chester , and Waterford . These villages must still comply with those aspects of Village Law that are not inconsistent with their charters. To be incorporated,

7776-580: The state use the term hamlet to refer to a community within a town that is not incorporated as a village but is identified by a name, i.e. an unincorporated community . A hamlet often has a name corresponding to the name of a local school district , post office , or fire district. Because a hamlet has no government of its own, it depends upon the town or towns that contain it for municipal services and government. Because they do not have governments, hamlets have no clear boundaries . Suffolk County publishes maps that give hamlet boundaries, but towns within

7872-423: The state's 932 towns used this system. In towns operating under the ward system, citizens vote for councilmen who represent a specific area (ward) of the town, as opposed to the at-large councilmen elected in the majority of the state's towns. Towns vary in size and population. The largest town by area is Brookhaven ( Suffolk County ), which covers 531.5 sq mi (1,377 km ), but more than half of that

7968-478: The state. Each of the five boroughs of the city is coextensive with a county of the state of New York. Under New York State's General Municipal Law , a borough results when the towns, villages and cities in a county merge with the county itself. This occurred in 1898 when New York City merged with surrounding counties, cities and towns to form its present configuration. The five boroughs are: The boroughs were originally intended to retain some local governance in

8064-508: The submission of a proper petition to the board. The village board must produce a "dissolution plan" that settles specific matters, such as the village's debts, its employees and property, and the financial impact dissolution would have on village and non-village town residents. This plan is voted upon by village voters only. About 15% of villages cross other municipal boundaries. More than 70 villages are located in two or more towns. Seven villages are in two counties. The village of Saranac Lake

8160-405: The term "Board of Supervisors." 34 counties have a County Legislature, six counties have a Board of Legislators, and one county has a Board of Representatives. The five counties, or boroughs, of New York City are governed by a 51-member City Council. In non-charter counties, the legislative body exercises executive power as well. Although the legislature can delegate certain functions and duties to

8256-462: The then-101-year-old carousel would be disassembled and removed the following month. It was replaced by a modern, double-decker Venetian carousel. In October 2021, The Journal News reported that ClimbZone would replace the Venetian Carousel. On the fourth floor is a stadium-seating 21-screen AMC Theatres , that previously held a separate IMAX theater . Since 2016, the former IMAX site

8352-400: The town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 46.9 square miles (121 km), of which 38.5 square miles (100 km) is land and 8.4 square miles (22 km) (17.87%) is water. The New York State Thruway ( Interstate 87 / Interstate 287 ) intersects the Palisades Interstate Parkway in the town. As of

8448-441: The town of Palm Tree in Orange County was incorporated in 2019 and is coterminous with the village of Kiryas Joel , having acquired land from the town of Monroe . When such an entity is formed, officials from either unit of government may serve in both village and town governments simultaneously. A referendum is held to decide whether residents prefer a village-style or town-style government, which will then function primarily as

8544-419: The town or towns in which they are located. Village residents pay both town and village taxes, and vote in town and village elections. Those services not provided by the village are provided by the town or towns containing the village. As of the 2000 census, 9.9% of the state's population was living in one of the 556 villages in New York. The legislature of a village is the board of trustees, composed of

8640-757: The town. Commuter transportation is provided by New Jersey Transit 's Pascack Valley Line at Nanuet , with service to Hoboken and connecting service to New York Penn Station . Tappan ZEExpress , operated by Transport of Rockland provides bus service from the Palisades Center in West Nyack and the Hudson Link bus in Central Nyack to the Tarrytown train station and the White Plains TransCenter . In addition, Rockland Coaches provides express service to

8736-429: The town. The population density was 2,129.7 inhabitants per square mile (822.3/km). There were 28,220 housing units at an average density of 732.2 per square mile (282.7/km). The racial makeup of the town was 79.97% White , 7.87% African American , 0.13% Native American , 7.90% Asian , 0.10% Pacific Islander , 1.99% from other races , and 2.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.92% of

8832-609: The various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York . The state is divided into boroughs , counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the five boroughs of New York City, have the same boundaries as their respective counties.) They are municipal corporations , chartered (created) by the New York State Legislature , as under the New York State Constitution

8928-602: Was involved in litigation that challenged a town ordinance, that required all waste picked up in the town to be sorted for recyclables at a specific privately operated facility. The case made it to the United States Supreme Court in C&;A Carbone, Inc. v. Town of Clarkstown , in which the ordinance was held unconstitutional. Administrative divisions of New York#Town See also: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The administrative divisions of New York are

9024-410: Was purchased by The Pyramid Companies for about $ 3 million and a promise to clean up the two landfills, which held incinerator ash and garbage. The 875,000-square-foot (81,300 m ) mall was proposed in 1985 with a goal of luring upscale retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor , and also a promise to keep sales tax dollars from slipping across state lines into New Jersey. The site

9120-489: Was reported that the Lord & Taylor store at Palisades Center would be closing, with Clarkstown Councilman Donald Franchino explaining that the mall needed to diversify in its pursuit of moving toward a greater a mixture of retail and entertainment. The mall temporarily closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic , and suffered financially as a result of that crisis. By July 2020, Pyramid Companies missed mortgage payments since

9216-649: Was selected for its proximity to the New York State Thruway and Westchester County . Its location four miles from New Jersey , where blue laws in Paramus keep the malls closed on Sundays, was also a factor. Local residents, recalling how the Nanuet Mall nearly drew the life out of Rockland County's traditional shopping villages about 20 years earlier, opposed the mall, predicting that it would bring crime, increased traffic, air pollution, and an economic downturn to

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