Rockland County 593 



products are consumed within the county. New York City and 

 Paterson, Ww Jersey, absorb the surplus at high prices. Within 

 the past few years many city people have bought farms in the 

 county because of its desirable location. On account of its 

 proximity to New York, farm land is high and is constantly 

 rising in value. Prices of all farm products are generally con- 

 siderably higher in Rockland County than in counties farther 

 to the north. 



Quarrying is of considerable importance; and, when the first 

 Capitol building at Albany was constructed, Rockland County 

 furnished building stone for the purpose. One of the largest 

 quarries is that of the Tompkins Cove Stone Company in the 

 town of Stony Point. There are trap rock quarries at Mount 

 Ivy in the town of Haverstraw, and at Congers and Rockland 

 Lake in the town of Clarkstown. 



CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 

 Climatological data for Rockland County not having been com- 

 piled, reference may be made to the records for Westchester 

 County (page 789). 



TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS 

 The Ramapo Mountains, which extend along the northwest 

 border, are the connecting link between the Blue Ridge Mountains 

 in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey and the Matteawan 

 Mountains of Putnam County. They are separated into numer- 

 ous distinct spurs, ridges, and peaks, and occupy more than 

 one-third of the entire surface of the county. They are generally 

 steep, rocky, and barren, and the valleys between them are narrow, 

 rocky ravines. A broken ridge known as the Nyack Hills extends 

 along the Hudson. The surface of the central and southwestern 

 portions of the county lying between these ranges is rolling or 

 moderately hilly. The highest summits in the northwestern part 

 are 1,000 to 1,200 feet above tide. The principal streams are 

 Hackensack and Ramapo rivers. The hills along the Hudson are 

 composed of red sandstone and the central and western portions 

 of the county are underlaid by limestone. 



