New Paltz

New Paltz
Town
Paltz Point view from east, a view that dominates the town
Seal
Name origin: Palatine dialect pronunciation of Pfalz
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Hudson Valley
County	Ulster
Landmark	Huguenot Street
River	Wallkill
Elevation	239 ft (73 m)
Coordinates	41°44′53″N 74°05′06″W / 41.74806°N 74.08500°W / 41.74806; -74.08500Coordinates: 41°44′53″N 74°05′06″W / 41.74806°N 74.08500°W / 41.74806; -74.08500
Highest point	Paltz Point, NW corner town line.
- elevation	1,340 ft (408 m)
- coordinates	41°45′47″N 74°9′13″W / 41.76306°N 74.15361°W / 41.76306; -74.15361
Lowest point	Wallkill River at N town corner
- elevation	160 ft (49 m)
- coordinates	41°48′30″N 74°4′3″W / 41.80833°N 74.06750°W / 41.80833; -74.06750
Area	34.3 sq mi (89 km2)
- land	33.9 sq mi (88 km2)
- water	0.4 sq mi (1 km2)
Population	14,003 (2010)
Density	374.1/sq mi (144/km2)
Founded	1678
Government	Town Hall
- elevation	200 ft (61 m)
- coordinates	41°45′23″N 74°4′55″W / 41.75639°N 74.08194°W / 41.75639; -74.08194
Supervisor	Neil Bettez
Timezone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP Code	12561
Area code	845
Exchanges	255, 256
Location in Ulster County and the state of New York.
Website: Town of New Paltz, NY

New Paltz (/ˈnuː ˌpɔːlts/; locally: [ˈnupʰɔəɫz]) is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston. New Paltz contains a village also with the name New Paltz. The name of the town is derived from Palz (pronounced: [palts]), the German dialect name of the Rhenish Palatinate, now a region of Germany called "Pfalz" (pronounced: [Pfalts]).

Due to the presence of what is now the State University of New York at New Paltz, it has been a college town for over 150 years.

The Town of New Paltz was founded in 1678 by French Huguenots by both patent from the governor and purchase from the local Esopus tribe of the Lenape people. The Huguenots were religious refugees who had immigrated via Mannheim in the German Palatinate, where they had settled after fleeing France during religious persecution. They settled in the area of the present-day village of New Paltz (on what is now known as Huguenot Street Historic District) and established their own local government.