Editing Walden, New York

{{Short description|Village in New York, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | name                     = Walden
 | official_name            = 
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 | settlement_type          = [[Administrative divisions of New York#Village|Village]]
 | image_skyline            = Downtown Walden, NY.jpg
 | imagesize                = 
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 | image_caption            = Central Walden, with memorials and [[St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Walden, New York)|St. Andrew's Episcopal Church]], in 2007
 | image_flag               = 
 | image_seal               = Village of Walden seal transparent.png
 | seal_size                = 
 | etymology                = From [[Jacob T. Walden Stone House|Jacob T. Walden]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Eager|first=Samuel Watkins|title=An Outline History of Orange County: Together with Local Tradition and Short Biographical Sketches of Early Settlers, Etc|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivopAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA273|year=1846|publisher=T. E. Henderson|page=273}}</ref>
 | nickname                 = 
 | motto                    = 
 | anthem                   = 
 | image_map                = Orange County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Walden highlighted.svg
 | mapsize                  = 260px
 | map_alt                  = 
 | map_caption              = Location in [[Orange County, New York|Orange County]] and the state of [[New York (state)|New York]].
 | image_map1               = New York in United States (US48).svg
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 | map_caption1             = Location of New York in the United States
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 | coordinates              = {{Coord|41|33|36|N|74|11|23|W|type:city_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
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 | subdivision_type         = Country
 | subdivision_name         = [[United States]]
 | subdivision_type1        = State
 | subdivision_name1        = [[New York (state)|New York]]
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Orange County, New York|Orange]]
 | subdivision_type3        = [[Town (New York)|Town]]
 | subdivision_name3        = [[Montgomery, New York|Montgomery]]
 | founder                  = 
 | named_for                = 
 | seat_type                = 
 | seat                     = 
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 | government_footnotes     = 
 | government_type          = 
 | governing_body           = Village board
 | leader_party             = 
 | leader_title             = [[Council-manager government|Village manager]]
 | leader_name              = John Revella
 | leader_title1            = Mayor
 | leader_name1             = John Ramos
 | total_type               = 
 | unit_pref                = Imperial
 | area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{Cite web |title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory |url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
 | area_total_km2           = 5.40
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 2.08
 | area_land_km2            = 5.20
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 2.01
 | area_water_km2           = 0.19
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 0.07
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 | elevation_ft             = 260
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 | population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
 | population_footnotes     = 
 | population_total         = 6818
 | pop_est_as_of            = 
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 | population_density_km2   = 1310.43
 | population_density_sq_mi = 3393.73
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 | timezone1                = [[Eastern Time Zone (North America)|Eastern]]
 | utc_offset1              = −5
 | timezone1_DST            = Eastern Daylight Time
 | utc_offset1_DST          = −4
 | timezone2                = 
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| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]
 | postal_code              = 12586
 | postal2_code_type        = 
 | postal2_code             = 
 | area_code_type           = 
 | area_code                = [[Area code 845|845]]
 | geocode                  = 
 | iso_code                 = 
 | blank_name               = Exchanges
 | blank_info               = 778, 787
 | blank1_name              = 
 | blank1_info              = 
 | blank2_name              = 
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| blank_name_sec2 = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info_sec2 = 36-77849
| blank1_name_sec2 = 
| blank1_info_sec2 = 
| blank2_name_sec2 = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2 = 
 | website                  = [http://www.villageofwalden.org/ www.villageofwalden.org]
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Walden''' is the largest of three [[Administrative divisions of New York#Village|villages]] of the town of [[Montgomery, New York|Montgomery]] in [[Orange County, New York]], United States. The population was 6,818 at the 2020 census.<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Walden,%20New%20York&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1 |access-date=January 11, 2022 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> It has the [[ZIP Code]] 12586 and the 778 [[telephone exchange]] within the [[Area code 845|845 area code]]. Walden is part of the [[Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area]] as well as the larger [[New York metropolitan area]].

The precursor to the village began in the early 18th century as a [[watermill|mill]] town along the [[Wallkill River]]. One miller, Jacob Walden, was so successful the village that incorporated in the mid-19th century took its name from him. Later, it would be the village's three knife manufacturers that brought it growth and prosperity. They are gone today, but other industrial concerns remain.

==History==
[[Image:Jacob Walden House.jpg|thumb|left|[[Jacob T. Walden Stone House|18th-century stone house]] Jacob Walden later lived in.]]

The first Europeans began to arrive in the region around the 1650s, and began establishing permanent settlements in the area by the early 18th century.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Walden History {{!}} The Village of Walden |url=https://villageofwalden.org/residents/walden-history |access-date=March 30, 2024 |website=villageofwalden.org}}</ref>

The area around present-day Walden was purchased in 1736 by Alexander Kidd, and [[settler]]s of [[Scotch-Irish American|Scots-Irish]], [[English people|English]] and [[German people|German]] descent started arriving not long afterwards.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} It was the first settlement west of the Wallkill River, known at the time as Kidd's Town.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}
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[[File:Walden, Orange County, N.Y. 1887. LOC 75694861.jpg|thumb|[[Perspective map]] of Walden with list of landmarks from 1887 by [[L.R. Burleigh]]]]
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In 1813, an entrepreneur from [[New York City]] named Jacob Treadwell Walden began purchasing land on both sides of the Wallkill River, with plans to develop a manufacturing settlement along the River.<ref name=":3" /> He convinced some of his business partners to finance the construction of [[wool]] mills on the river, attracted by the Great Falls as a source of power and the [[railroad]] connections at nearby [[Maybrook, New York|Maybrook]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} He dammed the Wallkill above the falls, creating a power station that remains in use today, and his mill was a success.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} By the 1820s, his mill became a notable regional producer of [[cotton]] and woolen [[Textile|cloth]].<ref name=":3" /> Wool-makers followed as the [[Industrial Revolution]] picked up steam and the growing population center became known instead as Walden's Mills.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} The area became a significant local producer of woolen products by the 1840s.<ref name=":3" />

In 1855, Walden was formally incorporated as a [[Administrative divisions of New York#Village|village]].<ref name=":3" />

Most of Walden's wool industry failed a few decades after it began, and people in the village sought to replace the mills with a different source of employment.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} The village began encouraging [[knife]] manufacturers to relocate from nearby [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]] to vacant mills.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} In 1856, the New York Knife Company moved to an idle cotton factory in Walden.<ref name=":3" /> The company would go on to make much of the cutlery employed by the [[Union Army]] during the [[U.S. Civil War]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

After the war, other knifemakers came to Walden. In the 1870s, the Walden Knife Company set up a factory in the village, and [[Imperial Schrade|Schrade Cutlery]] built a factory in Walden in 1904.<ref name=":3" /> The village soon became colloquially known as "Little Sheffield"<ref name=":3" /> and "Knifetown".{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} During this time, [[Rail transport|rail]] service arrived to Walden, facilitating passenger service and increased mobility for local manufactured goods.<ref name=":3" /> Other industrial concerns, making products as diverse as [[engines]] and [[lingerie|women's underwear]], also set up shop.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

In the early 1890s, President [[Grover Cleveland]] lowered [[tariff]]s on many imported goods, including knives.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} Competitively priced German cutlery began to flood the American market, and together with the [[Panic of 1893]] and the economic slowdown that followed for several years, the knife companies and their owners went heavily into [[debt]] and it looked for a while as if they might not survive.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}
[[Image:Walden McKinley statue.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Statue of President McKinley in downtown Walden]]
But in 1897 [[President of the United States|President]] [[William McKinley]], a personal friend of Thomas Wilson Bradley of the U.S. Knife Company, pushed through the [[Dingley Tariff]] that restored the ''[[status quo ante bellum|status quo ante]]''.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} The knifemakers returned to profitability and were able to pay off their debts; and in gratitude Bradley had a statue of McKinley erected that remains in Walden today.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Throughout the early 1900s, the village experienced a period of substantial growth. Dense [[Mixed-use development|mixed-used development]] flourished in the village's [[downtown]], often taking form of residences above shops.<ref name=":3" /> [[Single-family detached home|Single-family homes]] also proliferated throughout the village, typically on relatively small [[Land lot|lot]] sizes.<ref name=":3" /> During this time, numerous government buildings were constructed.<ref name=":3" />

In the 1910s the facilities at the dam began to be primarily used for power and less for industry.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Walden's Main Street was the site of an active retail trade which included Millspaugh's Furniture as well as Roosa's Jewelers, both still in business.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} Lustig's Department Store, established by Carl Lustig in 1883, was the mainstay of Main Street until its closing in 1986.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

The [[Great Depression|Depression]] was hard on many of the village's economic concerns, but the knifemakers persisted.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} However, after [[World War II]] they gradually became less prominent and moved as the rail connections they had depended on were replaced by [[truck driver|trucking]] on the growing [[Interstate Highway]]s.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} In 1957,{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} Schrade Cutlery (renamed to Imperial Schrade) closed down its factory, and moved to nearby [[Ellenville, New York|Ellenville]].<ref name=":3" /> Schrade was the last company making knives in the village, and closed down its factory after a fire.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} It continued production in Ellenville until 2004.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} The ruins of the factory still stand behind the Thruway Markets [[hypermarket]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Apart from knifemaking, Walden became a regional center for the [[Clothing|garment]] industry from the 1930s through the 1950s.<ref name=":3" />

As [[car dependency]] increased in the region during the late 20th century, aided by the construction of the [[New York State Thruway]] system and [[Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)|Interstate 84]], downtown businesses struggle to compete with car-oriented retail centers throughout the region.<ref name=":3" />

Throughout the 1990s, the village was the subject of an ongoing joke by a [[disc jockey]] at the nearby [[WPDH|WPDH-FM]] [[radio station]], who would constantly joke about Walden being a poor, [[redneck]], and [[Inbreeding|inbred]] town.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=August 9, 1997 |title=Small-Town Shock Jock Picks on Neighboring Village |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/09/nyregion/small-town-shock-jock-picks-on-neighboring-village.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228212010/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/09/nyregion/small-town-shock-jock-picks-on-neighboring-village.html |archive-date=December 28, 2017 |access-date=March 30, 2024 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Some villagers interviewed by [[The New York Times]] on the matter claimed the long-running joke hurt their civic esteem, and even [[real estate]] values in the village.<ref name=":4" />

From 1995 until 2016, Walden was the [[headquarters]] of the [[Big Apple Circus]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=September 19, 1998 |title=A Little Town and the Big Top; After Months of Traveling, Circus Settles in New Home |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/19/nyregion/little-town-big-top-after-months-traveling-circus-settles-new-home.html |access-date=April 10, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Circus {{!}} First of May {{!}} Episode 1 {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/video/circus-first-of-may/ |access-date=April 10, 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Writer |first=MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment |title=Big Apple Circus to leave bankruptcy under new ownership |url=https://www.recordonline.com/story/news/2017/02/15/big-apple-circus-to-leave/22459420007/ |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=Times Herald-Record |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Brickley |first=Peg |date=November 21, 2016 |title=Big Apple Circus Files for Bankruptcy, Seeks Buyer |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-apple-circus-files-for-bankruptcy-seeks-buyer-1479733628 |access-date=April 10, 2023 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[Image:Walden, NY, skyline 2.jpg|thumb|right|A view of Walden toward the northeast. Wallkill River is visible at right, with downtown in the center.]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|2.0|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|2.0|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}} (3.9%) is water.

The village's most notable geographical feature is the [[Wallkill River]], which flows from the south to the north across the village and divides one-third of it from the rest. Within the eastern portion, [[Tin Brook]], the Wallkill's major right [[tributary]] in New York, meanders across as well, forming part of the northern village boundary. There are two [[waterfall]]s and [[dam]]s on the river within the village limits, known as the Great and Little Falls; and two auto bridges, the "high" (formally, the [[Walden Veterans' Memorial Bridge]], which carries [[New York State Route 52|NY 52]] through the village as West Main Street) and "[[Walden Low Bridge|low]]" (Oak Street) bridges).

The Wallkill passes through a small [[canyon|gorge]] between the two dams and loses approximately {{convert|60|ft|m}} of elevation in the process. The surrounding topography in the village is, correspondingly, gentle rolling hills of this section of the [[Great Appalachian Valley]] between the higher rises of the [[Shawangunk Ridge]], visible to the west from some sections of the village, and the [[Hudson Highlands]] to the southwest. The highest elevation is roughly {{convert|520|ft|m}} above sea level along Overlook Road at the village's western boundary; the lowest is {{convert|260|ft|m}} along the Wallkill at the northern village line.

[[Image:Wallkill in October 2005 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Great Falls and dam with power station, viewed from High Bridge after heavy rainfall in October 2005]]
Walden's growth began near the mills and later the knife-making plants, particularly the New York Knife Company, located on the steep east bank of the river just south of the Veterans' Memorial Bridge; the building's footings are still visible on the slope. The central business district of the village is today a few blocks to the east, along Main Street. Just to its south is the [[village hall]] and the main square. East Main Street, the section of 52 from the 208 junction to the village line, has seen many newer businesses locate there, including a small strip mall. There is also some scattered commercial presence along Orange Avenue (208 south of the junction), primarily professional office space. This parallels the village's remaining industrial presence along the railroad line to the east, which at its northern terminus abuts downtown to the southeast. Walden's other major commercial area is the Thruway Markets complex located along the river north of Oak Street, just south of the remains of the Walden Knife Company.

On the southern side of the village is the Fox Hill [[Bruderhof Communities|Bruderhof]] Community<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/life-among-the-bruderhof/|title=Life Among The Bruderhof|last=Dreher|first=Rod|website=The American Conservative|date=March 20, 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Schiffman |first=Richard |date=March 17, 2024 |title=Few Smartphones, Some Beer: A Christian Village Grapples With Modernity |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/17/nyregion/hudson-valley-bruderhof-community.html |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> where about 250 community members live and work in their factories and the [[Plough Publishing House]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.plough.com/en/about-us|title=About Us|website=Plough|language=en|access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref>
[[Image:Walden, NY, skyline.jpg|thumb|right|A view of Walden looking southeast toward the [[Hudson Highlands]]]]
There are two schools, public [[Walden Elementary School]] on Orchard Street and [[Most Precious Blood]] [[Catholic school]] near the northern village line along Ulster Avenue.
The village includes public parks and a walking trail.
*Bradley Park - along Albany Ave, on the high ground between Thruway Market and Ulster Ave (Rte 208), contains 4 baseball & 1 softball field (Home to the Walden Little League), 2 tennis courts, a playground, and a skateboard park.
*Wooster Grove - along East Main St (Rte 52), surrounded by the Tin Brook, offers a large playground, indoor & outdoor basketball courts, a bandstand, an ice rink; the village's teen center is also here.
*James Olley Park - at the end of Sherman Ave, includes a manufactured beach with public swimming and fishing, a small playground, a picnic grove, unimproved walking trails, and a summer recreation camp.
*Alfred Place Park - the only park on the west side includes a small playground and basketball court.
*[[Walden–Wallkill Rail Trail]] - beginning at Woosters Grove, a {{convert|3.22|mi|km|adj=on}}-long paved walking and biking trail linking the village to the hamlet of Wallkill in Ulster County.

Much of the remainder of the village is residential, with houses tending from modest and small near downtown, the river and railroad, to more expansive homes (such as the Victorians along the west side of Ulster Avenue) being found on the hills, newer development near the southwestern and eastern borders with the town, and 6 small apartment and townhouse complexes.

A large tract along the river south of the power station had remained undeveloped until very recently. A small area between McKinley Avenue, South Mountgomery Street and the river remains open, used for NYSEG's purposes. On the other end of the village, the [[sewage treatment plant]] is also in the middle of an undeveloped area.

===Climate===
Walden has a [[humid continental climate]], and tends to be significantly cooler than [[Manhattan]], especially at night.

{{Weather box
|location = Walden, New York (1981–2010 normals)
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 34.0
|Feb high F = 37.6
|Mar high F = 46.4
|Apr high F = 59.0
|May high F = 69.6
|Jun high F = 78.1
|Jul high F = 82.5
|Aug high F = 81.1
|Sep high F = 73.7
|Oct high F = 62.3
|Nov high F = 50.9
|Dec high F = 38.8
|Jan low F = 14.4
|Feb low F = 16.9
|Mar low F = 25.5
|Apr low F = 36.3
|May low F = 46.0
|Jun low F = 55.5
|Jul low F = 60.0
|Aug low F = 58.5
|Sep low F = 49.9
|Oct low F = 37.8 
|Nov low F = 30.5
|Dec low F = 20.9
|Jan precipitation inch = 2.97
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.61
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.65
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.84
|May precipitation inch = 4.15
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.42
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.05
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.93
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.09
|Oct precipitation inch = 4.12
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.56
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.43
|year precipitation inch= 44.82
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan snow inch = 13.3
|Feb snow inch = 10.6
|Mar snow inch = 8.1
|Apr snow inch = 1.3
|May snow inch = 0
|Jun snow inch = 0
|Jul snow inch = 0
|Aug snow inch = 0
|Sep snow inch = 0
|Oct snow inch = 0
|Nov snow inch = 1.3
|Dec snow inch = 8.9
|year snow inch= 43.6
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan precipitation days = 9.6
|Feb precipitation days = 7.9
|Mar precipitation days = 9.7
|Apr precipitation days = 10.8
|May precipitation days = 11.7
|Jun precipitation days = 10.9
|Jul precipitation days = 10.0
|Aug precipitation days = 9.9
|Sep precipitation days = 8.5
|Oct precipitation days = 8.8
|Nov precipitation days = 9.1
|Dec precipitation days = 9.3
|Jan snow days = 4.9
|Feb snow days = 3.6
|Mar snow days = 2.8
|Apr snow days = 0.5
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0
|Nov snow days = 0.6
|Dec snow days = 2.8
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA >
{{cite web
  |url = http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=okx
  |title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data
  |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
  |access-date = March 2, 2012
}}</ref>
|date=March 2012
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 1254
|1880= 1804
|1890= 2132
|1900= 3147
|1910= 4004
|1920= 5493
|1930= 4283
|1940= 4262
|1950= 4559
|1960= 4851
|1970= 5277
|1980= 5659
|1990= 5836
|2000= 6164
|2010= 6978
|2020= 6818
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref> 2020<ref name="GR2"/>
}}
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 Census]], there were 6,818 people living in 2,466 [[household]]s in the village,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS - Census Bureau Table |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?q=Walden,%20New%20York&y=2020&d=DEC%20Demographic%20and%20Housing%20Characteristics |url-status= |access-date=March 30, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> giving it an average household size of 2.76. The population density was {{convert|3,325.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} There were There were 2,671 housing units,<ref name=":0" /> at an average density of {{convert|1,302.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} The racial makeup of the village was 77.3% [[White (U.S. Census)|white]], 13.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 2.9% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.1% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.2% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 15.8% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 12.1% from two or more races.<ref name=":0" /> [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 23.4% of the population.<ref name=":0" /> Per the 2022 [[American Community Survey]] five-year estimate, the majority of Walden's Hispanic or Latino is of [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] origin, whom account for 11.7% of Walden's total population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=B03001: Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin - Census Bureau Table |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2022.B03001?q=Walden,%20New%20York&t=Race%20and%20Ethnicity |access-date=March 30, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

Of the village's 2,466 households, 1,121 (45.5%) comprised [[Marriage|married]] couples living together, 10.3% were [[Cohabitation|cohabiting]] couples, 15.8% were [[male]] householders with no spouse, and 28.4% were [[female]] householders with no spouse.<ref name=":0" /> 23.1% of Walden's population was under 18 years old, and 12.9% was 65 year old and over.<ref name=":0" /> The median age was 36.2 years old.<ref name=":0" /> Walden has a [[sex ratio]] of 108.5 females per 100 males.<ref name=":0" />

Per the 2022 American Community Survey five-year estimate, Walden has a [[median]] household income of $76,724, and a [[mean]] household income of $85,463.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars) - Census Bureau Table |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2022.S1901?q=Walden,%20New%20York&t=Income%20and%20Poverty |access-date=March 30, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The median income for families in the village is $103,672, and the mean income for families is $106,984.<ref name=":1" /> 17.6% of Walden's population and 13.2% of Walden's families are below the [[Poverty threshold|poverty line]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=S1701: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months - Census Bureau Table |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2022.S1701?q=Walden,%20New%20York&t=Income%20and%20Poverty |access-date=March 30, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=S1702: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months of Families - Census Bureau Table |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2022.S1702?q=Walden,%20New%20York&t=Income%20and%20Poverty |access-date=March 30, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 22.9% of people under 18 years old, and 19.9% of people 65 years old and over live below the poverty line.<ref name=":2" />{{Clear}}

==Economy==
[[Image:Thruway Markets, Walden NY.JPG|thumb|right|Thruway Markets]]
For 95 years, Walden was the home of Spence Engineering, a steam regulator manufacturer founded by Paulson Spence in 1926. He located his manufacturing facilities in Walden to serve the district steam heating loops in the northeast, especially [[ConEd]] in New York City. In 2019, Emerson Electric purchased Spence Engineering, ultimately moving it to Mexico in 2021 to improve their profitability.

The knife making plants are also gone, but other [[light industry|light-industrial]] concerns remain along the rail spur. The growing [[service economy|service sector]] is most strongly represented by two regional banks, Walden Federal and Walden Savings Bank, are based in the village (though the latter has moved to new headquarters at Scotts Corners, the 17K/208 intersection).

[[Retailing]] has long been a strong point for the village. The opening of Thruway Markets in 1955 filled the need not only for a [[supermarket]] but the entire [[Big-box store|big box]] sector, long before it existed in the country at large. While it eventually drove smaller stores from Main Street, it remains a substantial part of the village's tax base and a major draw for consumers from outside not only Walden but the Town of Montgomery (particularly the nearby hamlet of Wallkill, which has no large retailers of its own), despite the openings of chain supermarkets in several nearby communities. The Thruway complex also boasts an outdoor-recreation store, tire-repair shop and the oldest of the village's three [[American Chinese cuisine|Chinese]] restaurants. In 2013, Thruway's owners closed the supermarket and hardware store after selling that space to the Maine-based [[Hannaford Bros. Co.|Hannaford]] supermarket chain. Building of the new Hannaford supermarket is complete. The Ace hardware store has also since reopened.

While vacant space remains on Main Street, specialty stores and restaurants have managed to thrive there. Millspaugh Furniture, founded in Walden (but with another outlet in [[Poughkeepsie (city), New York|Poughkeepsie]]), is another popular draw for out-of-town shoppers due to its long history in the area and reputation for quality merchandise. National and regional chain stores once had little presence in Walden beyond two [[filling station]]s along the 52/208 section of Main Street, but in the last decade the amount of [[convenience store]]s has doubled.

Outside of jobs at the enterprises in the village, most residents work in the area. The nearby interstate and its associated "Golden Triangle" (with the [[New York State Thruway]]/[[Interstate 87 (New York)|I-87]] and [[New York State Route 17|NY 17]] (the future [[Interstate 86 (east)|I-86]]) provide many jobs in transportation and [[Distribution (business)|distribution]], particularly at Maybrook's [[Yellow Freight]] facility and the large [[Staples Inc.|Staples]] [[warehouse]] just north of I-84. Local government agencies, and some state ones such as the [[New York State Department of Correctional Services|Department of Correctional Services]], also employ residents. More recently, residents of the newer housing have been [[commuting|commuters]] traveling to jobs in [[New York City]] or other areas close to it.

==Government==
[[File:Walden Village Hall.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Walden's Village Hall, built in 1915. It houses the police department, village court and library in addition to government offices.]]
As a [[Political subdivisions of New York State#Village|village]] of the Town of Montgomery, Walden residents are taxpayers and electors in both.

The village has seven elected officials, a village board consisting of the [[mayor]] and six nonpartisan trustees, per the New York State Village Law. Most of the executive functions are handled by the [[council-manager government|village manager]], who serves at the board's pleasure.

Walden has had this system of government since 1964. A 1972 [[referendum]] to return to a [[mayor-council government|strong-mayor]] system was defeated.

The village has its own [[police]] force, which provides 24-hour protection for residents; a public works department which maintains roads, water and [[sanitary sewer|sewer]] lines; a skate park in Bradley Park which was built in fall 2006 due to the ongoing complaints from older residents about all the skateboarders, a recreation department which maintains several parks within the village, including one with a pond in which [[human swimming|swimming]] is permitted; and a village [[court]] presided over by an elected justice. Fire protection is provided for the village and surrounding [[Political subdivisions of New York State#Fire district|fire district]] by the Walden Fire Department.

The Village Hall, pictured left, housed both the Walden Fire Department and Police Station until 1994 when the Fire District moved to a newly constructed firehouse at 230 Old Orange Avenue, near the edge of the village. Since then, the police station on the ground floor has grown from a tiny office and a few cells to nearly encompassing the entire ground floor. Fire department meeting rooms on the second story have been converted since then to a children's section of the local Josephine-Louise Library.

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
Two state highways and two county roads serve Walden. Route 52 crosses the town from east to west, providing connections to [[Newburgh (city), New York|Newburgh]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} in the former direction and [[Pine Bush, New York|Pine Bush]], the [[Shawangunk Ridge|Shawangunks]] and the [[Catskill Mountains|Catskills]] in the latter. [[New York State Route 208|NY 208]] crosses from north to south, with the nearest settlements in each direction being [[Wallkill, Ulster County, New York|Wallkill]] and [[Maybrook, New York|Maybrook]], respectively. The two [[concurrency (road)|share]] a brief block in the center of town. Most traffic from outside the area comes in via Route 208 from the south due to its exit on [[Interstate 84 in New York|Interstate 84]] about {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} south of the village, as well as its intersection with paralleling [[New York State Route 17K|NY 17K]] at Scotts Corners {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} to the south. 
County routes [[County Route 23 (Orange County, New York)|23]] (River Road) and [[County Route 75 (Orange County, New York)|75]] (Coldenham Road) connect to 17K at [[Montgomery (village), New York|Montgomery]] to the southwest and the hamlet of Coldenham to the southeast, respectively.

The remaining spur of the old [[Wallkill Valley Railroad]], now operated by [[Norfolk Southern]], serves several businesses in the village and ends just short of East Main Street. There have been suggestions that [[commuter rail]] service via the [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] [[Port Jervis Line (Metro-North)|Port Jervis Line]], where the spur connects at [[Campbell Hall (Metro-North station)|Campbell Hall]], currently the nearest passenger rail station, be initiated. Metro-North rail service directly into New York City is available just across the [[Hudson River]] from Newburgh at [[Beacon (Metro-North station)|Beacon]] and other stations on the [[Hudson Line (Metro-North)|Hudson Line]]. [[Amtrak]] stops at [[Poughkeepsie (Metro-North station)|Poughkeepsie]], the Hudson Line's northern terminus. The nearest airport to Walden, [[Orange County Airport (New York)|Orange County Airport]], is a [[general aviation]] facility just south of Montgomery. Commercial airlines, both freight and passenger, fly out of [[Stewart International Airport]].

[[Short Line (bus company)|Short Line]] serves Walden on its route from [[Newburgh, New York|Newburgh]] to [[Middletown, Orange County, New York|Middletown]].<ref>{{Cite web| title = Getting Here {{!}} The Village of Walden| access-date = January 28, 2020| url = https://villageofwalden.org/visitors/getting-here}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| pages = 2| last1 = Rt| first1 = Liberty| last2 = Sheldrake| first2 = Loch| last3 = Sheldrake| first3 = Loch| last4 = Sheld| first4 = Loch| last5 = Sheldrake| first5 = Loch| last6 = Sheld| first6 = Loch| title = 1B Liberty ® Sheldrake ® Fallsburg ® Monticello ®®® DAILY}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Short Line Bus {{!}} Schedule Details| access-date = January 28, 2020| url = https://web.coachusa.com/shortline/ss.details.asp?action=Lookup&c1=Walden&s1=NY&c2=Coldenham&s2=NY&resultId=195051&order=&dayFilter=&scheduleChoice=&sitePageName=&nt=1%2Findex%2Easp&cbid=66128436058}}</ref>

==Education==
It is in the [[Valley Central School District (Montgomery)]]<!--UNI 19680-->.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36071_orange/DC20SD_C36071.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Orange County, NY|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-12-07}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36071_orange/DC20SD_C36071_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.waldenpd.com Walden Police Department]
*[http://www.villageofwalden.org Village website]
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal bar|Hudson Valley|New York (state)}}
{{Orange County, New York}}
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[[Category:Villages in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1736]]
[[Category:Villages in Orange County, New York]]
[[Category:Wallkill River]]
[[Category:Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area]]