The US Census Bureau Tuesday reported the estimated resident population change for New York counties from April 1, 2000 through June 1, 2009 and Orange County had the largest percent population growth in the state with a 12.4 percent increase.

County Executive Edward Diana said the statistics prove his point. “I have always said that people will not do things and will not go places they do not like, and obviously people moving to Orange County, over 42,000 people doing that in those nine years, is a testament to the quality of life in Orange County,” he said. “We will continue to do that as long as I am the county executive. You have to control the growth and you have to plan for properly, but I think we have done that in Orange County.”

Orange’s growth in recent years has been driven by a massive influx of commuters who work in New York City and its immediate suburbs, and the rapid growth of the Satmar Chasidic Village of Kiryas Joel, where residents tend to have large families.

Dutchess County ranked 10th in the state followed by Rockland at 11th. Putnam County came in 15th, followed by Sullivan County at 19th place, Ulster at 22nd, Greene County at 25th and Columbia County in 44th place.

(Source: MidHudsonNews.com / YWN-112)