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- Poughkeepsie redirects here. See also Town of Poughkeepsie, New York and Poughkeepsie, Arkansas.
Poughkeepsie (pronounced ) is a city in New York, USA and serves as the county seat of Dutchess County, located in the Hudson River Valley roughly midway between New York City and Albany. As of the 2000 census, the city of Poughkeepsie had a population of 29,871. The name derives from a Native American word (roughly U-puku-ipi-sing), meaning "campsite by small water," referring to a stream feeding into the Hudson River.
Poughkeepsie is located in the western part of Dutchess County, bordered on the west by the Hudson River and in all other directions by the Town of Poughkeepsie. Poughkeepsie calls itself the "Queen City of the Hudson."
IBM has a large campus in Poughkeepsie (a facility still referred to by many as IBM's "Main Plant"). A factory on site once built the IBM Stretch Computer as well as later machines such as the IBM System/360 model 195. However, the main IBM campus is actually in the Town of Poughkeepsie, a separate municipality from the City, though both are general viewed as one place.
History
Poughkeepsie was founded in 1687. The community was set off from the Town of Poughkeepsie when it became an incorporated village in 1799. The City of Poughkeepsie was chartered in 1854. Until 1972 Poughkeepsie was home to the Smith Brothers cough drop factory.
The city was the site of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution by New York in 1788.
In 1900, the population of the City of Poughkeepsie was 24,029.
Geography
The City of Poughkeepsie is bordered by the Hudson River on the west and by the Town of Poughkeepsie on the north, east and south. Outside of municipal designations, the City and Town of Poughkeepsie are generally viewed as a single place.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.8 km² (5.7 mi²). 13.3 km² (5.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (9.65%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,871 people, 12,014 households, and 6,559 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,243.8/km² (5,806.2/mi²). There were 13,153 housing units at an average density of 988.0/km² (2,556.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 52.84% White, 35.71% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.29% from other races, and 4.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.64% of the population.
There were 12,014 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.8% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,389, and the median income for a family was $35,779. Males had a median income of $31,956 versus $25,711 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,759. About 18.4% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.3% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Educational institutions
The area is home to several colleges: Vassar (one of the Seven Sisters), Marist, and Dutchess Community, all of which are in the Town of Poughkeepsie. In nearby Hyde Park, to the north, is the Culinary Institute of America.
A branch of Adelphi University is also located here.
The Poughkeepsie City School District is the public K-12 school system serving approximately 5,000 students.
Transportation
Poughkeepsie sits at the junction of the north-south US 9 and east-west US 44 and NY 55 highways.
Commuter service to New York City is available by train, served by the MTA Metro-North Railroad, the city being the northern terminus of Metro-North's Hudson Line. Amtrak also stops at the Poughkeepsie station, continuing north along the Hudson River to Albany-Rensselaer station; Amtrak trains serving Poughkeepsie are the Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express and Maple Leaf.
The Mid-Hudson Bridge, opened in 1930, carries US 44 and NY 55 across the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie to Highland. The Poughkeepsie Bridge opened in 1888 to carry railroad traffic across the Hudson, but has remained unused since a 1974 fire damaged its decking. *
In nearby Wappingers Falls, the Dutchess County Airport services local commuter flights. The nearest major airport to Poughkeepsie is Stewart International Airport about 18 miles south, in Newburgh
Within Poughkeepsie, there are two transit bus services:
- City of Poughkeepsie Transit, operated by the City, operates five mostly unidirectional loop routes throughout the city, town, and into Hyde Park.
- Dutchess County LOOP, operated by Dutchess County, travels throughout Dutchess County and also serves as the main link to the Route 9 corridor including Poughkeepsie Galleria and South Hills Mall.
Entertainment
The Bardavon 1869 Opera House located near Main and Market is a theatre which has an array of music, drama, dance and film events. It is also the home of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.
The Mid-Hudson Civic Center located down the street from the Bardavon 1869 Opera House hosts concerts, wrestling, trade shows, and has an ice rink next door for hockey events.
The Chance, located on 6 Crannell Street in downtown Poughkeepsie, hosts live rock concerts with local as well as major artists.
Popular FM radio stations in the area are WPDH (album-oriented rock), WRWD (country), WSPK (top 40), WHUD (adult contemporary) and WPKF (rhythmic top 40).
Poughkeepsie was the home of the noted judge and district attorney, Raymond C. Baratta, who was associated with the ouster of drug advocate Timothy Leary from a Millbrook estate. G. Gordon Liddy, later a key figure in the Watergate Scandal, was the arresting prosecutor who was employed by Judge Baratta.
The city is twice referred to by the character of "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) in William Friedkin's feature film The French Connection (1971 20th Century Fox). It is called out as a stop along the route of a train about to depart the station in The Movie. Various references to someone's "maiden aunt from Poughkeepsie" exist in literature, film and TV.
The city has been referred to on countless occasions in MAD magazine, to the point where a citizen wrote a letter questioning them about their ongoing ridicule of the city.
External links
1687 establishments | Cities in New York | Dutchess County, New York
"Poughkeepsie (city), New York"