Newburgh, NY: What It Is Today

Where Newburgh Is, and How Far It Really Is

Newburgh sits on the Hudson’s west bank, across the river from Beacon, in Orange County about 60 miles north of the George Washington Bridge as a general reference point. Two figures answer “how far” with more precision. By the fastest driving route, taking I-87 to the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, the distance is 68 miles, with an off-peak drive time of about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes in heavier traffic. As a straight line, it is about 55 miles.

How far is Newburgh from NYC?About 68 miles by the fastest driving route (I-87), or 55 miles as the crow flies. Typical drive time is 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes depending on traffic.

Why Washington’s 16 Months Here Still Matter

George Washington headquartered the Continental Army at the Hasbrouck family farmhouse in Newburgh from April 1782 to August 1783, a 16-and-a-half-month stay, his longest at any headquarters of the war. During that period he issued the address that defused the Newburgh Conspiracy, an 1783 plan among officers to confront Congress over unpaid pensions, and rejected a suggestion that he take the title of king. He also created the Badge of Military Merit at the site, the direct forerunner of the Purple Heart.

One limitation worth knowing before planning a visit: the Hasbrouck House itself is currently closed for restoration, though the grounds, museum building, and the 1887 Tower of Victory monument remain open to the public.

Why was Newburgh important during the Revolutionary War?It served as Washington’s longest wartime headquarters, the site of his address that ended the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the place he rejected the idea of becoming king.

From Fiscal Crisis to the State’s Top Score

Newburgh entered state fiscal oversight under the Newburgh Fiscal Recovery Act around 2010, following a municipal fiscal crisis. By its 2023 budget message, the city manager reported a fiscal stress score of zero for the third consecutive year. In 2025, the state comptroller issued Newburgh its top fiscal-health score for the sixth consecutive year, the only city in New York holding that streak, citing a 36% year-over-year rise in home values and a 72% drop in the unemployment rate. Moody’s separately upgraded the city’s credit rating to A1. That same year, the city announced the conclusion of the Newburgh Fiscal Recovery Act, ending 15 years of state oversight.

Wikivoyage’s honest account of Newburgh’s mid-century decline predates this shift, so the reputation and the current data no longer point the same direction. A relocation researcher should treat the fiscal streak as a genuine signal and weigh it against the crime data below as a separate variable. A day-tripper focused on Revolutionary War history can treat the fiscal story as background. Anyone comparing municipal financial management across small New York cities should treat this streak as the actual headline.

The years between the third and sixth confirmed data points aren’t independently sourced here and are left out rather than filled in.

Newburgh by the Numbers

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, compiled by Data USA. Income and property values both rose by double digits in a single year, income up 11.7%, property value up 12.1%, yet the poverty rate stays nearly twice the national figure: those two facts sit side by side in the same dataset. The foreign-born share moved two full points in one year, a faster shift than the fiscal or crime numbers show anywhere else here.

Safety: What the Data Actually Shows

FBI 2024 data puts Newburgh’s violent-crime rate at roughly 984 per 100,000 residents, well above the national figure, with larceny-theft the single most common offense category. Locally reported numbers point a different direction in trend: the police chief told the city council that Part One crime fell 25% in 2024 versus 2023, with a 10% drop in violent crime and a 31% drop in property crime, and homicides fell from 4 to 3.

Is Newburgh, NY safe?FBI 2024 data shows a violent-crime rate well above the national average, but the city reported a 25% drop in serious crime from 2023 to 2024, with violent crime down 10% and property crime down 31%.

Getting To and Around Newburgh Today

The Newburgh–Beacon Ferry, a $1.75-a-ride commuter service running since its 2005 restoration, made its last crossing in January 2025 after ice damaged the Beacon dock; the MTA determined repairs weren’t worth the cost and discontinued it permanently. In January 2026 it was replaced by an expanded Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Shuttle bus, running 65 trips a day and connecting to 54 weekday Metro-North trains at Beacon, with free rides through the rest of 2026. There is still no direct passenger rail into Newburgh itself, so a train trip here means building in that river crossing as a separate leg, not an afterthought.

Can you get to Newburgh by train?Not directly. The nearest Metro-North station is across the river at Beacon; reaching Newburgh from there means the shuttle bus that replaced the ferry in January 2026.

What There Is to See, Briefly

Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site preserves the grounds, the museum, and the Tower of Victory monument, though the Hasbrouck farmhouse is currently closed for restoration. The New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, a few miles southwest, marks where most of the Continental Army camped during Washington’s stay. The Hudson waterfront carries restaurants and river views, but specific business recommendations age out quickly and are worth checking closer to any actual visit.