Fallsburg, New York

Fallsburg, New York
—  Town  —
Fallsburg, New York Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 41°43′57″N 74°36′32″W
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Sullivan
Area
• Total	79.0 sq mi (204.6 km2)
• Land	77.6 sq mi (201.0 km2)
• Water	1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
Elevation	1,168 ft (356 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	12,870
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	12733
Area code(s)	845
FIPS code	36-25241
GNIS feature ID	0978951
Website	http://www.townoffallsburg.com

Fallsburg is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The town is in the eastern part of the county. The population was 12,870 at the 2010 census. The town takes its name from a waterfall on the Neversink River. This town is the very heart of a once popular predominately Jewish summer resort area known as the Catskills Borscht Belt.

Geography

The east town line is the border of Ulster County, New York. It is also bordered by the Town of Thompson, the Town of Neversink, and the Town of Liberty.

The town is known for many small lakes, ponds, wooded areas, and former dairy farms.

Major bodies of water in the Town of Fallsburg include: Loch Sheldrake, also known as Sheldrake Pond, Echo Lake, Evans Lake, Morningside Lake, Pleasure Lake, and the Neversink River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 79.0 square miles (205 km²), of which, 77.6 square miles (201 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it (1.73%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,234 people, 3,761 households, and 2,478 families residing in the town. The population density was 157.6 people per square mile (60.9/km²). There were 6,661 housing units at an average density of 85.8 per square mile (33.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 75.19% White, 15.56% African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.04% from other races, and 2.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.53% of the population.

There were 3,761 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 133.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 142.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,036, and the median income for a family was $39,216. Males had a median income of $31,949 versus $24,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,744. About 15.9% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Divine Corners – A location north of Loch Sheldrake. Home to many bungalow colonies.
• Fallsburg – The hamlet of Fallsburg, formerly known as "Neversink Falls" or "Old Falls," or just plain "Fallsburgh", is on Route 42.
• Glen Wild – A hamlet by the south town line.
• Hasbrouck – A hamlet in the north part of the town.
• Hurleyville – A hamlet formerly called "Luzon Station."
• Loch Sheldrake – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town on Route 52.
• Mountain Dale – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, formerly called "Sandburg."
• South Fallsburg – A hamlet by the west town line.
• Woodridge – The Village of Woodridge. Formerly known as "Centreville."
• Woodbourne – A hamlet on Route 52 north of Fallsburg hamlet.
• Woodbourne Correctional Facility – A New York prison south of Woodbourne.
• Shree Muktananda Ashram is located on Brickman Road. It is the Western headquarters of the Siddha Yoga organisation.

Characteristic pine forest at Fallsburg

Lake Nityananda, on the property of the Shree Muktananda Ashram, Fallsburg

Education

Fallsburg Central School District is the "Home of the Comets".

• Benjamen Cosor Elementary School
• Fallsburg Central High School
• Sullivan County Community College
• Yeshiva Gedolah Zichron Moshe

Facilities

• Terry Brae Golf Course
• Lochmor Golf Course
• Pines Golf Course
• Morningside Park
• William Krieger Park
• Shree Muktananda Ashram
• Woodbourne Correctional Facility
• Luzon Environmental, Inc.
• Sullivan County Historical Society
• Stagedoor Manor

Notable residents

• Francis S. Currey – former United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Grew up in Hurleyville in a dairy farming family.
• Andrew Neiderman – former English teacher at Fallsburg Central High School. Prolific author of horror novels, including Devil's Advocate, made into a movie starring Al Pacino.
• Raúl Juliá – actor
• Greg Kulz – San Francisco tattoo artist
• Gurumayi Chidvilasananda is the head of the Siddha Yoga organisation and spends most of her time at the Shree Muktananda Ashram on Brickman Road.
• Gavin DeGraw- Singer. composer

Notable former hotels and bungalow colonies

• Ambassador Hotel (site later became a summer amusement park, now abandoned)
• Brickman Hotel (now part of SYDA Foundation's Shree Muktananda Ashram)
• Cutler's Cottages and Day Camp (now a religious bungalow colony)
• Dishner's Bungalow Colony (now Skolya Bungalow Colony)
• Eldorado Hotel (formerly Zeiger's; later Palms Country Club; now a religious bungalow colony)
• Fallsburg Mansion (Main Street Houses public apartment complex built on front parcel of site)
• Flagler Hotel (later The Fountains of Rome; now a religious camp)
• Gibber's Hotel (now a religious camp)
• Gilbert's Hotel (now part of SYDA Foundation's Shree Muktananda Ashram)
• Heiden Hotel (burned to the ground in May 2008)
• Irvington Hotel (now a religious bungalow colony)
• Lansman's Bungalow Colony and Day Camp (now Lansman's Co-Op and Day Camp)
• Lebowitz Pine View Hotel (now a medium security prison next to Woodbourne Maximum)
• Levitt Hotel (Formerly The Senate Hotel. Property later acquired and used a day camp building by the adjacent Flagler Hotel)
• Majestic Hotel (South Fallsburg, New York)
• Morningside Hotel (on Morningside Lake, now part of the town park)
• Nemerson Hotel (later The Deville; the Bel Fior; Zucker's La Vista, now a religious camp)
• Pines Hotel and Ski (Purchased by religious group in 1998 but still abandoned. Golf course closed 2008)
• Pollack's Fallsburg Country club (now a religious camp)
• Plaza Hotel (property now privately owned)
• Pleasant Valley Bungalow Colony and Day Camp
• Raleigh Hotel (Formerly Ratner's, reopened in 2007 as religious retreat)
• Regal Hotel (now a religious camp)
• Silverman's River View Hotel
• Saxony Hotel (later the Polonia)
• Schenk's Hotel (now a religious camp)
• Hotel Senator (later the Levitt)
• Shady Nook Hotel and Country Club
• Stieglitz Bungalow Colony (now River Valley Summer Estates)
• Summit Hotel
• Windsor Hotel (later TM; then part of SYDA Foundation's Shree Muktananda Ashram; now a religious camp)

External links

• Official Town Website
• Sullivan County.net
• Fallsburg history
• Mountaindale/S.Fallsburg's 1970 Hippie Invasion
• Official Lansman's Co-Op Website