Greene County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,931. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Catskill. The county's name is in honor of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

general Nathanael Greene.

History

On March 25, 1800, Greene County was created by the partitioning of Albany (360 Square Miles) and

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

(270 Square Miles) counties, producing a county of .New York. ''Laws of New York.'', 1800, 23rd Session, Chapter 51; Page 493 On April 3, 1801, of land was transferred from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

and Ulster counties, raising the total area to . This transferred Prattsville, Vly Mountain, Halcott Center, Bushnellsville, Highmount, Shandaken, Lanesville, and Pine Hill within Greene County.New York. ''Laws of New York.'', 1801, 24th Session, Chapter 123, Page 290. On May 26, 1812, Greene County lost to Ulster County, lowering the total area to , reassigning Pine Hill, Highmount, and Shandaken to Ulster County.New York. ''Laws of New York.''1812, 35th Session, Chapter 46, Page 382. On April 15, 1814, the county borders were re-surveyed, and the line adjusted with no change in area.New York. ''Laws of New York.''1814, 37th Session, Chapter 211, Page 275. On April 17, 1822, the border was again surveyed, with no change in area, but Palenville was found to be inside Greene County.New York. ''Laws of New York.''1822, 45th Session, Chapter 243, Page 257. On April 23, 1823, the border was again resurveyed, and the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

border with Columbia County realigned accordingly.New York. ''Laws of New York.''1823, 46th Session, Chapter 251, Page 377. On March 3, 1836, of area was lost to Schoharie County, reducing the total area to , and reassigning Manorkill, producing the Greene County that exists today.New York. ''Laws of New York.''1836, 59th Session, Chapter 31, Page 33.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water. Greene County is located in southeast central New York State, just west of the

and south of Albany. The northern and eastern regions are mostly low-lying flatlands. Along the

the lowest elevation is at sea level. The southern and western areas rise sharply into the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas cl ...

. Catskill Park takes up much of the south central region. The park contains some of the tallest peaks south of the Adirondacks. For example, the highest elevation is Hunter Mountain, at approximately 4,040 feet (1,232 m) above sea level; In addition, there are many picturesque waterfalls in the park such as the famed, Kaaterskill Falls. The entirety of Greene County is in the 19th Congressional District, and is represented by Antonio Delgado.

Adjacent counties

* Albany County - north * Rensselaer County - northeast * Columbia County - east * Ulster County - south * Delaware County - west *

Schoharie County Schoharie County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county ...

- northwest

National protected area

* Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Demographics

2020 Census

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 48,195 people, 18,256 households, and 12,067 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 74 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 26,544 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.76%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 5.53%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.52% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 4.31% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 18.8% were of Irish, 17.8% Italian, 17.5%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 8.6%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and 6.9%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.3% spoke

, 2.8% Spanish, 1.5%

and 1.3% Italian as their first language. There were 18,256 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.00% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,493, and the median income for a family was $43,854. Males had a median income of $35,598 versus $25,346 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $18,931. About 8.6% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 census, the racial makeup of the county was 90.3% White, 5.7% African American, 0.3% Native American and 0.8% Asian. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.9% of the population.American Fact Finder, U.S. Census, 2010, Greene County, New York, https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF

Politics

Greene County is considered a Republican stronghold. It was one of only eleven counties in New York that did not vote for

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

in 1996, a strong year for Democrats. It supported

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...

by a margin just under ten points in 2008 over

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

, another Democratic year. In 2012, 54.1 percent of the county's voters chose Republican challenger

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts ...

, and 43.7 percent chose Democratic incumbent Obama, despite it being again a Democratic year. In 2016, 59 percent of the county's voters chose

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

while 34 percent chose

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

. It has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964, and before that it previously did so in 1912. In some elections, certain towns in Greene County have had a plurality that have voted Democratic, though the county remains very Republican.

Communities

Towns

* Ashland *

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

* Catskill * Coxsackie * Durham * Greenville * Halcott *

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

* Jewett *

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

* New Baltimore * Prattsville * Windham

Villages

* Catskill (county seat) * Coxsackie *

* Tannersville

Census-designated places

* Cementon * East Durham * Greenville * Haines Falls * Jefferson Heights *

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

* New Baltimore * Palenville * Prattsville * Round Top * Sleepy Hollow Lake * South Cairo * West Kill * Windham

Hamlets

* Acra * Cornwallville *

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community t ...

* Earlton * Freehold * Hannacroix * Hensonville * Lanesville * Oak Hill * Surprise * Maplecrest

Notable people

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

, (1778–1854), born in Oak Hill, United States Congressman * Levi Hill, claimed early inventor of color photography * Jeff "The Drunk" Curro Howard Stern Wack Packer * Blossom Dearie, (1924-2009), jazz singer * John B. Terry, (1796-1874), pioneer, merchant, soldier, and Wisconsin territorial legislature, born in Coxsackie *

Thurlow Weed Edward Thurlow Weed (November 15, 1797 – November 22, 1882) was a printer, New York newspaper publisher, and Whig and Republican politician. He was the principal political advisor to prominent New York politician William H. Seward and was i ...

, (1797-1882), born in Acra, NY. Newspaper publisher, politician, and party boss *

Edwin L. Drake Edwin Laurentine Drake (March 29, 1819 – November 9, 1880), also known as Colonel Drake, was an American businessman and the first American to successfully drill for oil. Early life Edwin Drake was born in Greenville, New York on March 2 ...

, (1819-1880), invented method to drill oil from the ground, born in Greenville * Scott Adams, born and raised in Windham, NY; an American cartoonist, creator of the '' Dilbert'' comic strip and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, business, and general speculation.

References

External links

*
Greene County Government website

Greene County Tourism website

Greene County Historical Society

Greene County History & Genealogy Website
*

''Hudson Valley Directory''
listings pertaining to Greene County, New York {{authority control 1800 establishments in New York (state) Greene County, New York Populated places established in 1800