New Windsor and Newburgh are the closest cities to West Point, population 6,770. New Windsor has about 26,000 people, and Newburgh has about 30,000 people. Both cities are in Orange County, New York, which has a population of about 375,000 in many towns, villages, and hamlets. Other nearby small communities include Highland Falls (4,000), Cornwall (13,000), Washingtonville (6,000) and across the Hudson River, Cold Spring (2,000), Beacon (16,000), and Peekskill (24,000), along with a number of even smaller hamlets.

It is about 10-12 miles from downtown New Windsor-Newburgh to the US Military Academy; this takes about 18-23 minutes to commute, but the there are a great many local communities in this area to live in, and travel times can vary significantly. The average commute in Orange County is about 33 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Orange County area ranges from $650 to $1000 per month, with a median of about $800 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Orange County in the last few years was about $230,000 to $300,000, compared to $350,000 for New York State.

Short Description of the Area: West Point is in the mid-Hudson Valley, about an hour north of New York City, an hour and forty-five minutes south of Albany, and generally in the middle of a number of small cities in southern upstate New York State. This is an old and important area in American history, one of the earliest settled colonies in North America (starting as a Dutch colony in the early 1600s), and territory of General Washington's Saratoga Campaign during the Revolutionary War. The terrain is generally fairly rugged, with the Hudson Highlands mountain range creating a number of local river valley towns.

In many ways, this area is the cradle of the US Army; not only was it the site of the strategically vital Saratoga Campaign, and a primary headquarters of General Washington and the Continental Army, and of course the US Military Academy, it is also the hometown of Generals John E. Wool (career 1812-1863), George D. Ruggles, Albert J. Myer, and David Petraeus, all important generals in their time.

Climate and Weather: The area has a humid, highly seasonal climate, with winter temperatures in the mid 30s to low 20s, with occasional lows below zero, and summer temperatures in the range of the mid-80s to mid 60s with occasional highs above 100. The area has 3"-5" of rain per month. Summers are warm and humid, with occasional thunderstorms. Winters are snowy and wet. Fall sees brilliant leaf-change.

Transportation: the cities of Beacon and Peekskill are served by MTA Stations, giving rail access to New York City and various stops in cities along the way, down the Hudson Valley.