1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Nyack

NYACK, a village of Rockland county, New York, U.S.A., in the town of Orangetown, on the western bank of the Hudson river, about 25 m. north of New York City. Pop. (1890) 4111; (1900) 4275, of whom 583 were foreign-born; (1905) 4441; (1910) 4619. Nyack is served by the Northern Railroad of New Jersey (a branch of the Erie), and is connected by ferry with Tarrytown, nearly opposite, on the eastern bank of the Hudson. The New York, Ontario & Western and the West Shore railways pass through West Nyack, a small village about 2 m. west. For about 2 m. above and 3 m. below Nyack the river expands into Tappan Zee or Bay, which is about 3 m. wide immediately opposite the village. The first grant of land within the present limits of Nyack was made by Governor Philip Carteret, of New Jersey, to one Claus Jansen, in 1671, but the permanent settlement apparently dates from about 1700. The adjacent villages of Upper Nyack, pop. (1905) 648, (1910) 591, and South Nyack, pop. (1910) 2068, form with Nyack practically one community. Nyack was named from a tribe of Algonquian Indians.

See David Cole, History of Rockland county, (New York, 1884).