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==History== [[Image:East Main Street, Middletown, NY.jpg|thumb|left|East Main Street in 1909]] [[File:Middletown NY Station LOC 121197pu.jpg|thumb|left|[[Middletown (Erie Railroad station)|The Erie Railroad's Middletown Station]] in 1971, now Thrall Library]] ===Early history=== John Green purchased land from the DeLancey patent and probably settled the area around 1744. Due to its location between other settlements, residents adopted the name of Middletown, changing it later to South Middletown to avoid confusion with a nearby location. Eventually they dropped the word "south", using the current name when the community became a village in 1848. The village was incorporated as a city in 1888. The [[First Congregational Church of Middletown]], established in 1785, has the highest spire downtown. Construction of its first building was a sign of Middletown becoming established as a village.<ref>[https://www.thrall.org/photos/106.htm Photo and description of the First Congregational Church]</ref> Its current church building was constructed in 1872. ===Growth=== Middletown grew through the 19th century, stimulated by construction of the [[Erie Railroad]] and the [[New York, Ontario and Western Railway]]<ref>{{cite web | last = Yashinac | first = Rob | title = Ontario & Western Railway Station | publisher = Hudson Valley Ruins | date = September 2006 | url = https://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/yasinsac/orange/OandW.html | access-date = 2013-05-10}}</ref> (among others). The city was industrialized, developing factories for various industries, such as shoes, lawnmower blades, and furniture. These did well through the World War II era. The [[Webb Horton House|Webb Horton mansion]] and adjoining 18 acres were donated to establish [[Orange County Community College]] in 1950.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kuhn|first=Robert|title=National Register of Historic Places nomination, Webb Horton House|url=http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=146|publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]]|date=March 13, 1990|accessdate=November 22, 2009}}</ref> Due to industrial restructuring, most of the old manufacturing businesses had closed by the 1960s. In 1968, Middletown annexed the adjacent Village of Amchir.<ref>"Amchir Residents Blast City Hall Neglect", ''Times Herald-Record'', August 11, 1976, p. 23</ref> In the 1970s, the economy of Middletown and surrounding communities suffered additional blows due to the closing of a large [[Ford Motor Company]] plant in [[Mahwah, New Jersey]], and the downsizing of [[IBM]] operations in the area. Responding to higher housing costs in New York City, from the 1970s, New York City police officers, firefighters and other workers began to move to the area, as local housing offered better value. These commuters, who drove two hours each way, helped to bolster the economy of the area. After 1986, however, New York City required its municipal employees to reside in the city,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/resources/100_8.shtml |title=New York City residency requirements |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515142359/https://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/resources/100_8.shtml |archivedate=2011-05-15 |publisher=New York City |accessdate=April 28, 2011}}</ref> and Middletown lost this source of residential development. The only railroad left in town is the [[Middletown and New Jersey Railway]], a freight line. The population has continued to grow into the 21st century, while the economy has shifted largely to service and retail, with a regional medical center a major employer in the area. ===Modern Middletown=== The downtown business district of Middletown suffered from suburbanization that drew off retail businesses. The "Miracle Mile" shopping strip and Lloyd's Supermarket were developed in the late 1960s and two later shopping malls, all located in nearby Town of Wallkill along [[New York State Route 211|Route 211]], near the intersection of [[New York State Route 17|Route 17]] and [[Interstate 84 in New York|Interstate 84]]. The Orange Plaza mall in the Town of Wallkill drew several of the downtown shops into it by the mid-1970s, weakening the City of Middletown's downtown. Also in the Town of Wallkill, the [[Galleria at Crystal Run]] opened in the early 1990s, and in 2001 the Shoppes at Orange Plaza replaced the Orange Plaza mall. Some of the buildings downtown are abandoned or underused, but there has long been an active downtown with small business, professional offices, bars and restaurants. The downtown area has several historic churches. The Middletown City Hall and City Court are located on James Street.<ref>[https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/9jd/orange/Middletown.shtml "Middletown City Court"], New York State Unified Court System. Retrieved April 5, 2012</ref> Prosperous neighborhoods include Presidential Heights. Highland Avenue is lined with large Victorian houses, some of the largest of which are now used as nursing homes. Other neighborhoods show the effects of loss of jobs and decline in the economy. The surrounding countryside was devoted partly to small dairy farms, but family farming has waned since the 1980s. Middletown is the main business address for the newspaper ''[[Times Herald-Record]]'' and its owner, [[Local Media Group]].<ref>[https://www.localmediagroupinc.com/ Local Media Group], accessed November 15, 2015</ref> [[Mediacom Communications Corp]], a cable and other pay TV company, is headquartered outside the city in the [[Wallkill, Orange County, New York|Town of Wallkill]]. It is also a manufacturing location for [[Bell Flavors & Fragrances]].<ref>[https://www.bellff.com/company/worldwide-locations/ "Worldwide Locations"], Bellff, accessed August 18, 2015</ref>
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