Warwick is a town in the southwest part of Orange County, New York, in the United States. Its population was 32,065 at the 2010 census. The town contains three villages (Village of Florida NY, Village of Greenwood Lake, and Village of Warwick a village also named Warwick) and eight hamlets (Amity, Bellvale, Edenville, Greenwood Forest Farms, Little York, New Milford, Pine Island, and Sterling Forest). Warwick is the home of the annual Applefest, the Summer Arts Festival, The Black Dirt Feast, the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival, and other events and festivals.HistoryThe region has been referred to as Warwick since the early eighteenth century; the town of Warwick was officially created in 1788. During the American War for Independence, Warwick was the site of a Continental Army encampment. The Hudson River Chain was forged at Stirling Iron Works in Warwick, preventing the British Navy from sailing up the Hudson River. In 1783, George Washington traveled through Warwick, stopping at Baird's Tavern and spending the night in the home of John Hathorn.Warwick is situated along a freight rail line, which, along with many other towns in Orange County (Goshen, Middletown, Newburgh), contributed to the growth of the area. The nineteenth-century writer and naturalist Henry William Herbert, writing as Frank Forrester, popularized the area with his 1845 book, "The Warwick Woodlands." Today the town of Warwick is a rural community with many agricultural pursuits that stimulate its economy.
