At the census[6] of 2000, there were 9,269 people, 3,347 households, and 2,379 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,168.7 inhabitants per square mile (837.3/km2). There were 3,410 housing units at an average density of 797.9 per square mile (308.1/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.16%
white, 3.59%
African American, .09%
Native American, 9.81%
Asian, .13%
Pacific Islander, 1.89% from
other races, and 2.34% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 6.71% of the population.
There were 3,347 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. Of all households, 23.8% were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.2.
In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 20.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $75,828, and the median income for a family was $87,123. Males had a median income of $51,718 versus $41,653 for females. The
per capita income for the CDP was $33,181. About 1.4% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.
The first known resident of Valley Cottage was John Ryder, who owned a large farm which comprised all or most of the area's school district.
The post office was first opened at the Valley Cottage Station in 1892.
According to George H. Burke's book Rockland County during the American Revolution, 1776–1781, Valley Cottage was once known as "Storm's Corner". In 1876, just before the opening of the
West Shore Railroad station, the residents assembled at the school room agreed on the name "Valley Cottage", referring to the house nearest the station "that cottage in the valley". Another version has it that the name of the hamlet came about because of a famous trotting horse named "Cottage Maid", owned by Ed Green who owned the land where the station, the Marcus store and other buildings stood.
Liberty Elementary School is a
Blue Ribbon Award winner (2000–2001) and semi-finalists (2004), New York State winner of International Reading Award and ING Unsung Heroes Award (2004) for Karne Andreasen's "Turn on to Reading" program.
Nyack Middle School
Nyack High School
Community
Valley Cottage has a very close community with many schools, libraries, restaurants, and recreational opportunities. Valley Cottage has a calm and quaint atmosphere that is very welcoming. Valley Cottage also full of nature and is very accessible with many sidewalks.
Libraries
There are many libraries in and surrounding Valley Cottage. A few of them are: Valley Cottage Library, Nyack Library, and West Nyack Library.
Parks and Recreation
Twin Ponds Park- Massachusetts Avenue, 54 Sedge Rd
Rockland Lake State Park- 299 Rockland Lake Rd
Valley Cottage Hamlet Green- New Lake Rd
Kings Park- 54, 34 Kings Hwy
Wholeness Center- 7 New Lake Rd
Valley Cottage is located along
CSX Transportation's
River Line, with between 20 and 55 freight trains passing through the hamlet daily.[7] Passenger service on the line ended in 1959. The nearest railroad stations to Valley Cottage with current passenger service are
Nanuet 5.2 miles away[8] and
Tarrytown 10 miles away.[9]
The
Knickerbocker Ice Company was established in 1831. Rockland Lake was known to have had the cleanest and purest ice in the area. Knickerbocker's Ice House No. 3, located at Rockland Lake, could store more than 40,000 tons of ice harvested from the lake. The wooden storehouse's walls were insulated with
sawdust to keep the ice blocks frozen until they were shipped in the summer. By 1834, the company owned a dozen steamboats and 75 ice barges, and employed about 3,000 to ship ice countrywide. The stored ice was placed on inclined railroad cars, transported down the mountainside, placed on barges on the
Hudson River and shipped to New York City. So much ice was shipped that Rockland Lake became known as the "Icehouse of New York City". Knickerbocker burned down in 1926. Knickerbocker's Ice House No. 3 is currently a
Clarkstown town historic site.
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage recently pledged to help preserve the remaining walls. Only those walls and some scattered foundations from other icehouses remain. The Hanchar family who has deep roots in the hamlet, recently donated money for new markers at this site.
Harvey Swados, novelist and writer, wrote his first published novel, Out Went the Candle.[38]
Alexandra Tolstaya, daughter of the Russian author
Leo Tolstoy, was a resident of the town in later life, organized the
Tolstoy Foundation Center, of which President
Herbert Hoover was the First Honorary Chairman during the years 1939–1964.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent many of his first few summer months after emigrating to United States here.
Kristi Zea (born 1948), production designer, costume designer, producer.[39]
^Styron, W.; West, J.L.W.; Styron, R. (2009).
Letters to My Father. Louisiana State University Press. p. 85.
ISBN9780807136768. Retrieved December 6, 2014.