Dutchess County, New York

Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organized in 1713. It is located in the Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley, north of New York City.
Dutchess County is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area, which belongs to the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.
History
Before Anglo-Dutch settlement, what is today Dutchess County was a leading center for the indigenous Wappinger peoples. They had their council-fire at what is now Fishkill Hook, and had settlements throughout the area.
On November 1, 1683, the Province of New York established its first twelve counties, including Dutchess. 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). The county was named for Mary of Modena, Duchess of York; is an archaic spelling of the word duchess.
The Province of New York and the Connecticut Colony negotiated an agreement on November 28, 1683, establishing their border as east of the Hudson River, north to Massachusetts. The east of the Byram River making up the Connecticut Panhandle were granted to Connecticut, in recognition of the wishes of the residents. In exchange, Rye was granted to New York, along with a wide strip of land running north from Ridgefield to Massachusetts alongside the New York counties of Westchester, Putnam then Dutchess, known as "The Oblong". The eastern half of the stub of land in northeast Dutchess County containing Rudd Pond and Taconic State Park is the northernmost extension of The Oblong.
Until 1713, Dutchess was administered by Ulster County. On October 23, 1713, Queen Anne gave permission for Dutchess County to elect its own officers from among their own population, including a supervisor, tax collector, tax assessor and treasurer. In 2013, Dutchess County celebrated its 300th anniversary of democracy based upon a legislative resolution sponsored by County Legislator Michael Kelsey from Salt Point. In 1812, Putnam County was detached from Dutchess.
The Patents
Fourteen royal land patents were granted between 1685 and 1706 covering the entirety of the original footprint of Dutchess County (which until 1812 included today's Putnam County).
The first ten, granted between 1685 and 1697, covered almost all of Hudson River shoreline in the original county, with three - Rombouts, the Great Nine Partners, and Philipse Patents - extending significantly inland. The eleventh, and smallest, Cuyler, 1697, was the first to contain solely inland territory, just in from the Hudson. The twelfth, and next smallest, Fauconnier, in 1705, completed the Hudson River shoreline. The last two, Beekman, 1705, and the Little Nine Partners, 1706, laid claim to the remaining interior lands.
1685 Rombout (Beacon/Fishkill Area)
1686 Minnisinck (Sanders & Harmense)
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
1705 Fauconnier
1705 Beekman (Back Lots)
1706 (Little) Nine Partners
Early settlement
From 1683 to 1715, most of the settlers in Dutchess County were Dutch. Many of these moved in from Albany and Ulster counties. They settled along the Fishkill Creek and in the areas that are now Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck.
From 1715 to 1730, most of the new settlers in Dutchess county were Germans. From 1730 until 1775, New Englanders were the primary new settlers in Dutchess County.
20th century
Franklin D. Roosevelt lived in his family home in Hyde Park, overlooking the Hudson River. His family's home is now the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, managed by the National Park Service.
Prior to the 1960s, Dutchess County was primarily agricultural. Since then the southwestern part (from Poughkeepsie southward and from the Taconic State Parkway westward) of the county has developed into a largely residential area, suburban in character, with many of its residents commuting to jobs in New York City and Westchester County. The northern and eastern regions of the county remain rural with large farmlands but at the same time developed residences used during the summer and or on weekends by people living in the New York City urban area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.6%) is water.
Dutchess County is located in southeastern 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 City. It contains two cities: Beacon and Poughkeepsie. Depending on precise location within the county, road travel distance to New York City ranges between .
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 above sea level. The lowest point is sea level, along the Hudson River. The highest point of neighboring Fairfield County, Connecticut, is a point along the state line in Pawling.
Wappinger Creek, at from its source at Thompson Pond in Pine Plains to where it drains into the Hudson at New Hamburg, is the longest stream in the county. Its watershed is likewise the largest in the county. To its south is the watershed of Dutchess County's second-longest stream, Fishkill Creek, part of which spills over into Putnam County. Within that watershed are the county's third-longest stream, Sprout Creek, and its largest, deepest and highest lakes: Whaley, in the town of Pawling; Sylvan in the town of Beekman and Beacon Reservoir, in the town of Fishkill, at respectively.
Other, smaller tributaries of the Hudson such as the Saw Kill drain the northwestern portion of the county. The southeastern fringe of Dutchess is part of the upper Croton River watershed and thus part of the New York City water supply system. On the east, in the Oblong, streams drain into the Housatonic River in adjacent Connecticut.
A border nearly one-half mile (800 m) long exists with Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in the extreme northern end of the county.
Adjacent counties
Columbia County – north
Berkshire County, Massachusetts – northeast
Litchfield County, Connecticut – east
Fairfield County, Connecticut – southeast
Putnam County – south
Orange County – southwest
Ulster County – west
National protected areas
Appalachian Trail, crosses county from Putnam County line in East Fishkill to Connecticut state line near Wingdale; corridor is partly on federally protected land.
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge, one of six discontiguous parcels in Dover
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
State, county, and town parks
Bowdoin County Park
Fahnestock State Park (shared with Putnam County)
Hudson Highlands State Park (shared with Putnam and Westchester counties)
Stratt Town Park
Wilcox County Park
Tymor Forest
Taconic State Park
Beekman Rec
East Fishkill Rec
James Baird State Park
Poughkeepsie Bridge (Walkway over the Hudson)
Dover Stone Church
Carnwath Farms Historic Site & Park
Roosevelt Farm Lane
Stony Kill Farm
Mills–Norrie State Park
Staatsburgh State Historic Site
Tivoli Bays Unique Area
Privately protected open space
Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum
Ferncliff Forest
Innisfree Garden
Pawling Nature Preserve
Poets' Walk Park
Thompson Pond and neighboring Stissing Mountain
Demographics
2020 census
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 280,150 people, 99,536 households, and 69,177 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 106,103 housing units at an average density of . 22.0% of the population was of Italian, 16.9% Irish, 11.3% German and 6.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 88.3% spoke English and 4.8% spoke Spanish.
Based on the Census Ancestry tallies, including people who listed more than one ancestry, Italians were the largest group in Dutchess County with 60,645. Irish came in a very close second at 59,991. In third place were the 44,915 Germans who barely exceeded the 44,078 people not in the 105 specifically delineated ancestry groups.
There were 99,536 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% 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.
As of Q4 2021, the median home value in Dutchess County was $365,199, an increase of 13.8% from the prior year.
In the county, the age distribution of the population shows 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 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. About 5.0% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
The decrease in population between 1810 and 1820 was due to the separation of Putnam County from Dutchess in 1812.
Racial demographics
As of 2017, the residents of Dutchess County were reported as the following: American Indian and Alaska Native (0.04%), Asian (4%), Black or African American (8.5%), Hispanic or Latino (12.5%), Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (0.016%), Some Other Race (0.35%), Two or More Races (3%), White (71%).
Government
Dutchess County has a Charter Government with a County Executive and directly elected legislature of 25 members, each elected from a single member district. The Charter form of Government went in to effect in 1968 given the favorable outcome of a 1967 special election dedicated to the question. From 1713 until 1967, the County Government had been managed by a Board of Supervisors, made up of the locally elected leaders.
Elections
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The composition of the County Legislature is 16 Republicans, 8 Democrats and 1 Conservative for the 2021–2023 term. County elections occur in odd-numbered years.
Historically, Dutchess County, like most of the lower Hudson, was classic "Yankee Republican" territory. Between 1884 and 2004, the Republican presidential candidate carried Dutchess County in 28 out of 30 elections (1964 and 1996 being exceptions).
The Republican edge narrowed significantly in the 1990s, with George H. W. Bush going from 61 percent of the county's vote in 1988 to only 40.5 percent in 1992, although that likely was affected by the presence of Ross Perot on the ballot as a third-party candidate. In 2008, Barack Obama became only the third Democrat to carry the county since 1884, and the first to win a majority since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. It has gone for the Democratic candidate in four consecutive elections (2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020).
Dutchess County is split between two congressional districts. The most southern portion is in the 17th district, represented by Republican Mike Lawler. The rest of the county is in the 18th district, represented by Democrat Pat Ryan. These are considered "swing" districts nationally, with Cook Partisan Voting Index ratings of D+3 and D+1, respectively, as of 2022.
Law enforcement
The Cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie; Towns of Fishkill, Hyde Park, Pine Plains, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, Red Hook, and East Fishkill; and Villages of Millerton, Wappingers Falls, Millbrook, have their own Police departments. The remainder of the county is patrolled by the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police. The New York State Police Troop K headquarters is located in Millbrook.
Communities
N.B.: Cities, Towns and Villages are official political designations.
Cities
Beacon
Poughkeepsie (county seat)
Towns
Amenia
Beekman
Clinton
Dover
East Fishkill
Fishkill
Hyde Park
La Grange
Milan
North East
Pawling
Pine Plains
Pleasant Valley
Poughkeepsie
Red Hook
Rhinebeck
Stanford
Union Vale
Wappinger
Washington
Villages
Fishkill
Millbrook
Millerton
Pawling
Red Hook
Rhinebeck
Tivoli
Wappingers Falls
Census-designated places
Amenia
Arlington
Bard College
Barrytown
Brinckerhoff
Chelsea Cove
Crown Heights
Dover Plains
Fairview
Freedom Plains
Haviland
Hillside Lake
Hopewell Junction
Hyde Park
MacDonnell Heights
Marist College
Merritt Park
Myers Corner
New Hackensack
New Hamburg
Pine Plains
Pleasant Valley
Red Oaks Mill
Rhinecliff
Salt Point
Shorehaven
Spackenkill
Staatsburg
Titusville
Upper Red Hook
Vassar College
Wassaic
Wingdale
Hamlets
Annandale-on-Hudson
Arthursburg
Attlebury
Bangall
Barnegat
Castle Point
De Witt Mills
Fishkill Plains
Glenham
Gretna
Holmes
Hopewell Junction
Hortontown
Hughsonville
Johnsontown
Knapps Corner
Lithgow
Lomala
Mabbettsville
McIntyre
Millbrook
Norrie Heights
Pecksville
Pleasant Plains
Poughquag
Quaker Hill
Rudco
Shenandoah
Shekomeko
Staatsburg
Stanfordville
Stissing
Stormville
Swartwoutville
Van Keurens
Verbank
Wiccopee
Willow Brook
Education
Public school districts
Arlington Central School District
Beacon City School District
Dover Union Free School District
Hyde Park Central School District
Millbrook Central School District
Pawling Central School District
Pine Plains Central School District
Poughkeepsie City School District
Red Hook Central School District
Rhinebeck Central School District
Spackenkill Union Free School District
Wappingers Central School District
Webutuck Central School District
Dutchess County BOCES
Private schools
Dutchess Day School
Hawk Meadow Montessori School
Holy Trinity School
Millbrook School
Oakwood Friends School
Our Lady of Lourdes High School
Poughkeepsie Day School
Randolph School
St. Denis-St. Columba School
St. Martin de Porres School
St. Mary School - Fishkill
Trinity-Pawling School
Tabernacle Christian Academy
Upton Lake Christian School
Higher education
Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson)
Culinary Institute of America main campus (Hyde Park)
Dutchess Community College (Poughkeepsie)
Marist College (Poughkeepsie)
Vassar College (Poughkeepsie)
Transportation
Roads
Interstate 84 traverses the county in an east–west route cutting through the southwestern quadrant of the county before entering Putnam County. It is the only interstate highway in the county.
US 9, the Taconic State Parkway (the only other limited-access road in the county besides I-84, although it still has some at-grade intersections), and NY 22 are the main north–south roads in the county. For much of its length the Taconic is paralleled by NY 82. NY 9G leaves US 9 in Poughkeepsie and parallels it north to the Columbia County line.
US 44, NY 52, NY 55, and NY 199 are the other primary east–west roads in the county. NY 52 enters the county concurrent with I-84, leaves it at Fishkill but then follows it into Putnam County.
Crossings
Three spans cross the Hudson River, linking Dutchess with Orange, Ulster, and Greene Counties:
The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge carries Interstate 84 and NY 52 between Fishkill/Beacon and Newburgh (Orange County). The westbound span opened in 1963 and the eastbound span opened in 1980.
The Mid-Hudson Bridge carries US 44 and NY 55 between Poughkeepsie and Highland (Town of Lloyd, Ulster County)
The Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge carries NY 199 between Rhinebeck and Kingston (Ulster County)
Railroads
The Metro-North railroad provides a critical link to New York City for Dutchess County's commuting population. The Hudson Line and Amtrak run concurrently along the Hudson River, on the western edge of the county. The Hudson Line has stops at Breakneck Ridge, Beacon, and New Hamburg (a hamlet of the town of Poughkeepsie) before the Hudson Line terminates at Poughkeepsie. The tracks continue north of that point as Amtrak, with Poughkeepsie and Rhinecliff (a small hamlet in the Town of Rhinebeck) being stops along Amtrak's Empire Service.
The Harlem Line, on the eastern side of the county, has station stops in Pawling, along the Appalachian Trail, Wingdale, Dover Plains, and two stops in Wassaic (one along the Tenmile River and the other the namesake terminus of that line).
Buses and ferries
Public transportation in Dutchess County is handled by Dutchess County Public Transit, commonly called "the LOOP." Outside of the urbanized area of the county, most service is limited. Privately run lines connect Poughkeepsie to New Paltz and Beacon to Newburgh. Leprechaun Lines and Short Line Bus also operate some service through Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, and the southern part of the county.
NY Waterway operates the Newburgh–Beacon Ferry, which is located at the Beacon train station.
Air
General aviation facilities are located at Hudson Valley Regional Airport (formerly Dutchess County Airport), located in Wappinger and Sky Park Airport in Red Hook, New York. General commercial passenger service is provided by New York Stewart International Airport, which is located across the Hudson River in Newburgh.
Culture
Dutchess County holds an annual county fair. The County Chamber of Commerce holds an annual hot air balloon launch typically in the first week of July. The main launch sites are along the Hudson River. As many as 20 balloons participate in the event.
The Dutchess County Historical Society was formed in 1914 and is active in the preservation of a large collection at the 18th century Clinton House. The Society has published a yearbook since 1914 and presents up to four awards of merit in the field of Dutchess County history each year.
Media
Dutchess County has no locally based television stations. Its only news radio format station is WKIP (AM) of Poughkeepsie. WRHV is an NPR affiliated broadcasting out of Poughkeepsie. The country music format station, WRWB-FM, broadcasting across the Hudson River, can be reached in much of the county.
Poughkeepsie Journal is published in that city. Vassar Miscellany News, associated with Vassar College, is published weekly. Also published in the county is the Beacon Free Press/Southern Dutchess News.
Health
The county is home to Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck. MidHudson Regional Hospital (formerly St. Francis) and Vassar Brothers Medical Center are both in Poughkeepsie. The Castle Point Veterans Health Administration is in Wappinger.
On March 11, 2020, the county's first case of COVID-19 was confirmed. As of June 2021, there had been 29,483 cases and 445 deaths. There are under 100 active cases and 56.8% of residents received at least one vaccine dose.
Sports
The Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team affiliated with the New York Yankees. The team is a member of the High-A East, and play at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill.
The Hudson Valley Bears were one of four founding members of the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL). They played their home games at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie.
The Hudson Valley Hawks was a team in the former National Professional Basketball League. The team's home court was at Beacon High School, in Beacon.
See also
List of counties in New York
National Register of Historic Places listings in Dutchess County, New York
Hudson Valley
Notes
References
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.
External links
Dutchess County official webpage
Early history summary of Dutchess County
Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area
Counties in the New York metropolitan area
1713 establishments in the Province of New York
Populated places established in 1713
Mary of Modena