Mount Hope, New York

Mount Hope is a town in the northwestern part of Orange County, New York, United States, west of Middletown. The northern town line is the border of Sullivan County. The population was 6,537 at the 2020 census.

History
The first known settler of European descent arrived circa 1733.

The town of Mount Hope was created from the towns of Deerpark and Wallkill in 1825.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.5 sqmi, of which 25.2 sqmi is land and 0.3 sqmi  (1.22%) is water.

The Shawangunk Mountains lie on the western town line, and Shawangunk Creek flows through Mount Hope.

Transportation
New York State Route 211 is an east–west highway in the town.

Metro-North Railroad's Port Jervis Line has a station at nearby Otisville.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,639 people, 1,582 households, and 1,218 families residing in the town. The population density was 263.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,714 housing units at an average density of 68.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 78.63% white, 16.51% African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.84% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.61% of the population.

There were 1,582 households, out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 42.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 186.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 216.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $56,948, and the median income for a family was $65,183. Males had a median income of $36,765 versus $30,208 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,562. About 3.5% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Mount Hope

 * FCI Otisville – a federal prison near Otisville village.
 * Finchville – a hamlet in the southwestern part of Mount Hope on County Road 35, named after the earliest known settler in the town.
 * Guymard – a hamlet in the southwestern part of the town on the town line.
 * Mount Hope – the hamlet of Mount Hope on County Road 11, south of Otisville.
 * Otisville – a village located near the western town line on NY-211.
 * Otisville Correctional Facility – a New York medium-security prison near Otisville village.
 * Shawangunk Lake – a lake at the eastern town line.