Dutchess County, New York
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Dutchess County is a county located in the state of New York. It sits in the state's beautiful Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of 2000, the population is 280,150. The county seat is Poughkeepsie. The county was named in honor of Mary of Modena, Duchess of York, second wife of the future King James II. (Somehow, a "t" got added to the county name: probably a misunderstanding due to the large number of Dutch immigrants in upstate New York at this time.)
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History
In 1683, the Province of New York established its first twelve counties. Dutchess County was one of them. Its boundaries at that time included the present Putnam County, and a small portion of the present Columbia County (the towns of Clermont and Germantown).
Until 1713, Dutchess was administered by Ulster County.
In 1812, Putnam County was detached from Dutchess.
The patents
In the twelve years 1685-1697 lawful patents had been granted securing for their purchasers every foot of Hudson River shoreline in the original county. Three additional patents, to 1706, laid claim to the remaining interior lands.
- 1685 Rombout, or Fishkill
- 1686 Minisink
- 1686 Kip
- 1688 Schuyler (Poughkeepsie)
- 1688 Schuyler (Red Hook)
- 1688 Ærtsen-Roosa-Elton
- 1696 Pawling-Staats
- 1697 Rhinebeck
- 1697 (Great) Nine Partners
- 1697 Philipse
- 1697 Cuyler
- 1703 Fanconnier
- 1703 Beekman (Back Lots)
- 1706 (Little) Nine Partners
1719: The wards
1731: The oblong
1737: The precincts
Geography
Dutchess County is located in eastern New York State, between the Hudson River on its west and the New York-Connecticut border on its east, about halfway between the cities of Albany and New York. It contains two cities: Beacon and Poughkeepsie.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,138 km² (825 mi²). 2,076 km² (802 mi²) of it is land and 62 km² (24 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.88% water.
The terrain of the county is mostly hilly, especially in the Hudson Highlands in the southwestern corner and the Taconic Mountains to the northeast. Some areas nearer the river are flatter.
The highest point in the county is the summit of Brace Mountain, in the Taconics, at 704 m (2,311 feet) above sea level. The lowest point is sea level, along the Hudson.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 280,150 people, 99,536 households, and 69,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 135/km² (350/mi²). There were 106,103 housing units at an average density of 51/km² (132/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.66% White, 9.32% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 2.52% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.37% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. 6.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 99,536 households out of which 34.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $53,086, and the median income for a family was $63,254. Males had a median income of $45,576 versus $30,706 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,940. 7.50% of the population and 5.00% of families were below the poverty line. 8.50% of those under the age of 18 and 6.50% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns
- Amenia (town)
- Arlington
- Beacon (city)
- Beekman (town)
- Brinckerhoff
- Clinton (town)
- Crown Heights
- Dover Plains
- Dover (town)
- East Fishkill (town)
- Fairview
- Fishkill (village)
- Fishkill (town)
- Haviland
- Hillside Lake
- Hopewell Junction
- Hyde Park (town)
- La Grange (town)
- Milan (town)
- Millbrook (village)
- Millerton (village)
- Myers Corner
- North East (town)
- Pawling (village)
- Pawling (town)
- Pine Plains (town)
- Pleasant Valley (town)
- Poughkeepsie (city)
- Poughkeepsie (town)
- Red Hook (town)
- Red Hook (village)
- Red Oaks Mill
- Rhinebeck (village)
- Rhinebeck (town)
- Spackenkill
- Staatsburg
- Stanford (town)
- Tivoli (village)
- Union Vale (town)
- Wappinger (town)
- Wappingers Falls (village)
- Washington (town)
- => Labels in parentheses are official political designation.
| North: Columbia County | ||
| West: Hudson River Orange and Ulster Counties |
Dutchess County | East: Fairfield and Litchfield Counties in Connecticut* |
| South: Putnam County |
*: There is also an eastern border with Berkshire County, Massachusetts, however this is in a forested area and there is no direct access to Dutchess County.
Colleges, universities, etc.
- Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson)
- Culinary Institute of America (Poughkeepsie)
- Dutchess Community College (Poughkeepsie)
- Marist College (Poughkeepsie)
- Ridley-Lowell Business & Technical Institute (Poughkeepsie)
- Vassar College (Poughkeepsie)
External links
- Dutchess County official webpage
- Dutchess County tourism
- Dutchess County Page at Hudson Valley Directory
- DutchessJobs.Com - Jobs in Dutchess County, New York
- Early history summary of Dutchess County
Further reading
MacCracken, Henry Noble. Old Dutchess Forever!. New York: Hastings House, ©1956. LC 56-12863
Smith, James H. History of Dutchess County, New York. Syracuse, New York: 1882. Reprinted: Interlaken, New York: Heart of the Lakes Publishing. ISBN 0-932334-35-0
de:Dutchess County pt:Condado de Dutchess