Dutchess County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
New York, in the state's
Mid-Hudson Region of the
Hudson Valley. The
2000 census lists the population as 280,150, but the
United States Census Bureau gives an estimate of 292,706 residents for the 12-month period ending July 1, 2007. The
county seat is
Poughkeepsie.
Dutchess County is part of the Poughkeepsie–
Newburgh–
Middletown, NY
Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger
New York–
Newark–
Bridgeport, NY-
NJ-
CT-
PA Combined Statistical Area. It is the northmost county in the New York Metropolitan area.
History
The current
county courthouse, built in 1903, stands on the same site as the original 1720 building.
Prior to Anglo-Dutch settlement, what is today Dutchess County was a leading center for the
Wappinger. They had their council-fire at Fishkill Hook and also held gatherings along the Danskammer.
In 1683, the
Province of New York established its first twelve counties, with Dutchess County being 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). The county was named for
Mary of Modena, Duchess of York, second wife of James, Duke of York (later James II, King of England).
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 (Beacon/ Fishkill Area)
Early settlement
From 1683-1725 most of the settlers in Dutchess County were Dutch. Many of these moved in from Albany and Ulster Counties. They settled along the Fishkill River and in the areas that are now
Poughkeepsie and
Rhinebeck.
From 1715-1730 most of the new settlers in Dutchess county were Germans. From 1730 until 1775 New Englanders were the main new settlers in Dutchess County.
20th century
Franklin D. Roosevelt lived in his family home in
Hyde Park, overlooking the Hudson River.
In the 1960s
G. Gordon Liddy (now a radio talk show host and who went to prison for crimes committed during the
Nixon administration's
Watergate scandal), was an assistant Dutchess County district attorney when he repeatedly tried to have
Timothy Leary arrested on drug charges. By the 1980s, the two ex-cons went on a speaking tour together.
Prior to the 1960s Dutchess county was primarily agricultural. Since then the southern part (from Poughkeepsie south) 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. The northern region of the county at the same time developed many residences used during the summer and or on weekends by people living in the New York City urban area.
Geography
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. It contains two cities:
Beacon and Poughkeepsie.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 825 square miles (2,138 km²), of which, 802 square miles (2,076 km²) of it is land and 24 square miles (62 km²) of it (2.88%) is 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 2,311 feet (704 m) above sea level. The lowest point is sea level, along the Hudson River.
Adjacent counties
State, County, And Town Parks
Demographics
In 1990 Dutchess County had a population of 259,462.
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 350 people per square mile (135/km²). There were 106,103 housing units at an average density of 132 per square mile (51/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.66%
White (80.3% non-Hispanic whites)
, 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% were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 22.0% were of
Italian, 16.9%
Irish, 11.3%
German and 6.7%
English ancestry according to
Census 2000. 88.3% spoke
English, 4.8%
Spanish and 1.3%
Italian as their first language.
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.
6.45% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. Puerto Ricans made up the largest portion of Latinos, with 2.9% of the total county population. 2.1% of the county population was in the category "other Hispanic or Latino".
The other Hispanics and Latinos were a varied group. About 700 were born in the
Dominican Republic, while people born in Colombia or Ecuador slightly exceeded 800. Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama all had more than 100 natives in Dutchess County. There were 1,685 people in the county born in Mexico but they were exceeded by the total 1,894 born in South America.
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. About 5.00% of families and 7.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 8.50% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.
The per capita income and average home values have increased noticeably in recent years mainly due to affluent residents relocating from nearby and expensive Westchester County, NY. In recent years, there has been a large influx of people that have relocated from New York City, mainly from the Borough of The Bronx.
The decrease in population between 1810 and 1820 was due the separation of
Putnam County from Dutchess in 1812.
2006 Census estimates
By 2006 the population of Dutchess County was estimated at 295,146. 80.3% of the population was White (non-Hispanic whites being about 77% of the population), 8.0% Black (if Hispanic Blacks are excluded the namber falls at most to 7.8% of the population), 8.4% Hispanic or Latino and 3.4% of the population was Asian. Chinese and Asian Indians were by far the largest Asian groups, both numbering over 3000 people while the next largest group, Koreans, numbered just over 1000 people.
Government and Politics
The county is governed via a county executive and a county legislature. The county legislature consists of 25 members each elected from single member districts. The county executive is elected in a countywide vote.
Transportation
Highways
- Interstate 84 traverses the county in an east-west route cutting through the southern quadrant of the county. It is the only interstate highway in the county.
Railroads
Amtrak has stations in
Rhinecliff, a small hamlet in the Town of Rhinebeck, and
Poughkeepsie, with both stations being served by
Empire Service trains as well as other trains that run along the line . The latter station is the terminus of the
Hudson Line of the
Metro-North Railroad. The Hudson Line also has station stops in
New Hamburg (a hamlet of the town of Poughkeepsie) and
Beacon.
The
Harlem Line, on the eastern side of the county, has station stops in
Pawling,
Wingdale,
Dover Plains, and two stops in Wassaic (one along the
Tenmile River and the other the
namesake terminus of that line).
Buses
Public transportation in Dutchess County is handled by the Dutchess County Department of Mass Transit, branded publicly as the
LOOP system. Outside of the urbanized area of the county, most service is limited. The
City of Poughkeepsie operates its own limited system as well. Privately run lines connect Poughkeepsie to
New Paltz and Beacon to Newburgh.
For intercity bus service,
Adirondack Trailways and
Short Line Bus also operate some service through Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, and the southern part of the county. The last time service ran outside that area was in the late-1990s when
Peter Pan/Bonanza ran service to New York City in the eastern part of the county.
Air
The
Dutchess County Airport, located in the town of
Wappinger, is a general aviation facility which once had commercial service. The closest commercial airport,
Stewart International Airport, is located across the Hudson River in
Newburgh.
Sports
The
Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team affiliated with the
Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the
New York - Penn League, and play at
Dutchess Stadium in
Fishkill.
The
Hudson Valley Bears are one of four founding members of the
Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL). They play their home games at the
Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie.
The
Hudson Valley Hawks is a team in the newly formed
National Professional Basketball League. The team's home court is at Beacon High School, in
Beacon.
Communities
Cities
Defined by the State of New York Towns
Defined by the State of New York Villages
Defined by the State of New York Hamlets
Defined by the State of New York Cities, Towns and Villages are official political designations.
*: There is also a northern border of about 0.5 miles (0.8km) in length with
Berkshire County, Massachusetts, however this is in a forested area in
Taconic State Park and there is no direct road access from Dutchess County to Berkshire County.
Colleges, universities, etc.
Public school districts
Private schools
See also
