Dutchess County, New York

Dutchess County is a located in the  of, in the state's  of the. As of the, the population was 280,150. However, recent population estimates completed by the for the 12-month period ending July 1 (2006) are at 295,146 residents. It is part of the. The is. The county was named in honor of , Duchess of York, second wife of the future King.

History
In, the established its first twelve counties. Dutchess County was one of them. Its boundaries at that time included the present, and a small portion of the present (the towns of Clermont and Germantown).

Until, Dutchess was administered by

In, 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.


 * 1) 1685 Rombout (Beacon/ Fishkill Area)
 * 2) 1686 Minisink
 * 3) 1686 Kip
 * 4) 1688 Schuyler (Poughkeepsie)
 * 5) 1688 Schuyler (Red Hook)
 * 6) 1688 Ærtsen-Roosa-Elton
 * 7) 1696 Pawling-Staats
 * 8) 1697 Rhinebeck
 * 9) 1697
 * 10) 1697 Philipse
 * 11) 1697 Cuyler
 * 12) 1703 Fanconnier
 * 13) 1703 Beekman (Back Lots)
 * 14) 1706

20th century
Franklin D. Roosevelt lived in his family home in Hyde Park, overlooking the Hudson River.

In the 1960s (now a radio talk show host and who went to prison for crimes committed during the  administration's ), was an assistant Dutchess County district attorney when he repeatedly tried to have  arrested on drug charges. By the 1980s, the two ex-cons went on a speaking tour together.

Geography
Dutchess County is located in eastern New York State, between the on its west and the - border on its east, about halfway between the cities of  and. It contains two cities: and.

According to the, the county has a total area of 2,138 (825 ). 2,076 km² (802 sq mi) of it is land and 62 km² (24 sq mi) 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 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.

Adjacent counties

 * , north
 * , northeast
 * , east
 * , southeast
 * , south
 * , southwest
 * , west

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 280,150 people, 99,536 households, and 69,177 families residing in the county. The was 135/km² (350/sq mi). There were 106,103 housing units at an average density of 51/km² (132/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 83.66%, 9.32% or , 0.22% , 2.52% , 0.03% , 2.37% from , and 1.89% from two or more races. 6.45% of the population were or  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 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 for the county was $23,940. About 5.00% of families and 7.50% of the population were below the, 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.

Highways

 * 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.
 * , the, and are the main north-south roads in the county.
 * ,, and are the other main east-west roads in the county

Railroads
has stations in, a small hamlet in the Town of Rhinebeck, and , with both stations being served by trains as well as other trains that run along the line. The latter station is the terminus of the of the. The Hudson Line also has station stops in (a hamlet of the town of Poughkeepsie) and.

The, on the eastern side of the county, has station stops in , , , and two stops in Wassaic (one along the and the other the ).

Buses
Public transportation in Dutchess County is handled by the Dutchess County Department of Mass Transit, branded publicly as the system. Outside of the urbanized area of the county, most service is limited. The operates its own limited system as well. Privately run lines connect Poughkeepsie to and Beacon to Newburgh.

For intercity bus service, into Poughkeepsie is the only such service in the county that links to the  network. also operates some service through Poughkeepsie and the southern part of the county. The last time service ran outside that area was in the late-1990s when ran service to New York City in the eastern part of the county.

Air
The, located in the town of , is a general aviation facility which once had commercial service. The closest commercial airport,, is located across the Hudson River in. However, the poor selection of service at that airport leads many people to instead fly out of, , , or either of New York City's airports, or. However, the has plans to make Stewart the New York Metropolitan Area's fourth major airport.

Hamlets



 * Cities, Towns and Villages are official political designations.

*: There is also a northern border of about 1 km in length with, however this is in a forested area in and there is no direct road access from Dutchess County to Berkshire County.