This historic village began in the early 18th century as a mill town along the Wallkill River. One miller, Jacob Walden, was so successful the village that incorporated in the mid-19th century took its name from him. Later on, it would be the three separate knife manufacturers based in the village that brought it growth and prosperity. When I was a boy, my brother and I would often play in the ruins beneath the upper bridge, finding buried pocket knives in the decaying foundation. Walden has been best known in the Hudson Valley as the home of the Thruway Markets , which closed in 2013, replaced by a Hannaford's.

     Walden is the largest of three villages of the Town of Montgomery in Orange County, New York, United States all on the banks of the Wallkill River.There's plenty of fishing, boating and camping along the river. The population was 6,978 at the 2010 census. It has the ZIP Code 12586 and the 778 telephone exchange within the 845 area code.