Editing Middletown, New York (section)

===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.