Sullivan County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
New York. According to the 2007 estimate by the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county's population was 76,303. The
county seat is
Monticello. The name is in honor of
Major General John Sullivan, who was a hero in the
American Revolutionary War. The county was the site of hundreds of
Borscht Belt hotels and resorts, which had their heyday from the 1920s through the 1970s.
History
When the colony that is now New York State established its first twelve counties in 1683, the present Sullivan County was part of
Ulster County. In 1809, Sullivan County was split from Ulster County.
Government and Politics
Sullivan County is generally considered a swing county as it has been won by both Democrats and Republicans. In 2004 Republican George Bush defeated Democrat John Kerry by a margin of 49.47% to 48.55% or a difference of 285 votes. In 2008 however it was won by Democrat
Barack Obama over Republican
John McCain by a margin of 54% to 45%.
There are thirty six town and village courts in Sullivan County.
Geography
Sullivan County is in the southern part of New York State, southeast of
Binghamton and southwest of
Albany. It is separated by the
Delaware River from
Pennsylvania.
The county, which starts about 75 miles northwest of New York City, is in the
Catskill Mountains. Its northeastern corner is within the
Catskill Park.
The highest point in the county is a 3,118-foot (950 m) peak unofficially known as Beech Mountain, near Hodge Pond, a subsidiary summit to Mongaup Mountain across the Ulster County line. The lowest point is along the
Delaware River.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 997
square miles (2,582
km²), of which, 970 square miles (2,512 km²) of it is land and 27 square miles (70 km²) of it (2.72%) is water.
Adjacent counties
National protected area
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 73,966 people, 27,661 households, and 18,311 families residing in the county. The
population density was 76 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 44,730 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile (18/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.31%
White, 8.51%
Black or
African American, 0.27%
Native American, 1.12%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 2.89% from
other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. 9.25% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 16.6% were of
German, 13.9%
Irish, 12.5%
Italian, 7.3%
American and 6.2%
English ancestry according to
Census 2000. 86.6% spoke
English, 7.4%
Spanish and 1.0%
German as their first language. There is also a small population of
Russians living in the villages.
There were 27,661 households out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.10% were
married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.80% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 103.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,998, and the median income for a family was $43,458. Males had a median income of $36,110 versus $25,754 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $18,892. About 11.60% of families and 16.30% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over.
Towns, villages and hamlets
Hamlet of Callicoon
Lake Nityananda, Fallsburg
Hamlet of Grahamsville
Village of Wurtsboro
Labels in parentheses are official political level.
Education
Public school districts
Higher education
Travel and tourism
Sullivan County has been a popular vacation spot since the 19th Century, with mountain climbing, boating, and other outdoor activities, and the
Monticello Raceway being among the attractions. It was the site of the hundreds of resort complexes of the
Borscht Belt (with their golf courses, social events, and entertainers), between the 1920s and 1970s. It was the site of the 1969
Woodstock Festival.
Many famous comedians tested their material and performed regularly at Borscht Belt hotels, including
Milton Berle,
Mel Brooks and
Henny Youngman.
Eddie Fisher performed often at
Grossinger's, where in 1955 he married
Debbie Reynolds.
From August 15-17, 1969, some 400,000 people gathered in Sullivan County's Town of Bethel at
Max Yasgur's farm to attend the
Woodstock Festival. The entertainers included
The Who, the
Grateful Dead,
Jefferson Airplane,
The Band,
Canned Heat,
Joan Baez,
Arlo Guthrie,
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young,
Janis Joplin,
Santana,
Sly and the Family Stone,
Blood, Sweat and Tears, and
Richie Havens.
Today the site of the original Woodstock concert is the
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which includes a museum of the sixties and holds many concerts and other events.
See also
