The Hudson Valley Has A Brand New Town

As of January 1st, New York has added its first new town in more than 35 years. The town of Palm Tree is located in Orange County and was created after voters decided to split Kiryas Joel from Monroe. The vote passed with the support of 80% of the community.

According to a 2017 Times Herald Record article, the decision was meant to resolve conflicts pertaining to rapid expansion of Kiryas Joel. The new deal gives them the room they need to expand while the separation will prevent voting blocs from Kiryas Joel controlling Monroe elections.

Palm Tree was originally supposed to come into effect in 2020 but in July Governor Cuomo announced he had expedited the process. The new town consists of 220 acres and is expected to pass a budget for 2019 before the end of the month.

The two most recent towns to be added to New York other than Palm Tree were East Rochester in 1981 and Mount Kisco in 1978.