Poughkeepsie has been called "The Queen City of the Hudson".[8] Originally part ofNew Netherland, it was settled in the 17th century by the Dutch and became New York State's second capital shortly after theAmerican Revolution. It was chartered as a city in 1854. Major bridges in the city include theWalkway over the Hudson, a former railroad bridge which reopened as a public walkway in 2009; and theMid-Hudson Bridge, a major thoroughfare built in 1930 that carriesU.S. Route 44. The city of Poughkeepsie lies inNew York's 18th congressional district.[9]
The City of Poughkeepsie and neighboring Town of Poughkeepsie are generally viewed as a single place and are commonly referred to collectively as "Poughkeepsie", with a combined population of 77,048 in 2020.[6][10] includingIBM. Educational institutions includeMarist University,Vassar College,Dutchess Community College andThe Culinary Institute of America. In 2024 and 2025, Poughkeepsie was ranked as one of the top cities in the U.S.[11]
The namePoughkeepsie is derived from a word in theWappinger tribe'sMunsee language, roughlyU-puku-ipi-sing,[12] meaning 'the reed-covered lodge by the little-water place', referring to a spring or stream feeding into theHudson River south of the downtown area.[13]
English colonist Robert Sanders and Dutch colonist Myndert Harmense Van Den Bogaerdt acquired the land from a localNative American tribe in 1686, and the first settlers were the families of Barent Baltus Van Kleeck and Hendrick Jans van Oosterom. The settlement grew quickly, and the Reformed Church of Poughkeepsie was established by 1720.
The community was set off from the town of Poughkeepsie when it became an incorporated village on March 27, 1799.[14] The city of Poughkeepsie was chartered on March 28, 1854.[14]
Poughkeepsie was a major center for whale rendering,[15] and its industry flourished during the 19th century through shipping, millineries, paper mills, and several breweries along the Hudson River, including some owned byMatthew Vassar, founder ofVassar College. Wealthy families such as theAstors, Rogers, andVanderbilts, built palatial weekend homes nearby due to the area's natural beauty. TheVanderbilt Mansion is located several miles up the Hudson from Poughkeepsie in the town ofHyde Park and is registered as a national historic site; it is considered to be a sterling example of the mansions built by American industrialists during theGilded Age of the late 19th century. Locust Grove, the former home ofSamuel F.B. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, is nearby.[16] The city is home to theBardavon 1869 Opera House, the oldest continuously operating entertainment venue in the state.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km2), of which 5.1 square miles (13.3 km2) is land, and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km2) (comprising 10.05%) is water.[18] Poughkeepsie lies approximately 75 miles (121 km) north of the center of theNew York megacity.[19] It is 73.5 miles (118.3 km) south of the New York state capital ofAlbany. The highest elevation of Poughkeepsie is 380 feet (120 m) above sea level on College Hill. Its lowest is on the Hudson River.
Poughkeepsie has ahumid continental climate (KöppenDfa) with relatively hot summers and cold winters. It receives approximately 44.12 inches (1,121 mm) of precipitation per year, much of which is delivered in the late spring and early summer. Due to its inland location, Poughkeepsie can be very cold during the winter, with temperatures dropping below 0 °F (−18 °C) a few times per year. Poughkeepsie can also be hit by powerfulnor'easters, but it usually receives significantly less snow or rain from these storms compared to locations towards the south and east. Extremes range from −30 °F (−34 °C) on January 21, 1961, to 106 °F (41 °C) on July 15, 1995.
In 2018, there were 12,627 households, out of which 19.8% had children under the age of 6 living in them.[23] 56.1% of households has children from 6 to 17 living with them. 14.0% of householders aged 65 and older lived alone. The average household size was 2.33. A total of 6,606 families lived within the city of Poughkeepsie and the average family size was 3.21.
The median household income from 2014 to 2018 was $42,296 and the mean income was $60,763.[24]
At the 2010 census there were 32,736 people.[25] The population density was 5,806.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,241.8/km2). There were 13,153 housing units at an average density of 2,556.6 per square mile (987.1/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 52.8% White, 35.7% Black or African American, 10.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 1.6% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 5.3% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races.
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.
Themedian household income 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.
Smith BrothersSmith Brothers menthol, introduced in 1922
As of 2020, the dominant industries in Poughkeepsie arehealthcare,retail,education,science andtechnology,finance, andmanufacturing.[27] The arts community is part of the current wave or revitalization in Poughkeepsie with creative people moving from New York City and elsewhere, affectionately called "Poughkipsters."[28][29]
IBM has a large campus in the adjacenttown of Poughkeepsie. It was once referred to as IBM's "Main Plant", although much of the workforce has been moved elsewhere in the company (2008). The site once built theIBM 700/7000 series of computers as well as theIBM 7030 Stretch computer and later, together withthe Endicott site,IBM mainframes. The RS/6000 SP2 family of computers, which came to fame after one of them won a chess match against world chess masterGarry Kasparov, were also manufactured by IBM Poughkeepsie. In October 2008, IBM's Poughkeepsie facility was named "Assembly Plant of the Year 2008" by the editors ofAssembly Magazine.[30] Poughkeepsie remains IBM's primary design and manufacturing center for its newest mainframes and high-endPower Systems servers, and it is also one of IBM's major software development centers forz/OS and for other products. According to IBM, as of 2024, its Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie operates "the highest number of available utility-scalequantum computers at a single location in the world."[31]
TheOakwood Friends School is a co-ed boarding and day school serving approximately 170 students, grades 5–12, located outside city limits in the town ofPoughkeepsie. It is the oldestcollege preparatory school in New York State, founded in 1796. Oakwood was founded on theQuaker principles of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship.Poughkeepsie Day School, also outside the city, is a progressive co-ed pre-K-through-12 day school serving approximately 140 students, founded in 1934 by local families and members of the Vassar College faculty. Other private schools in the area include Tabernacle Christian Academy and Our Lady of Lourdes High School.
Colleges formerly located in Poughkeepsie were the Ridley-Lowell Business and Technical Institute, which closed in 2018, and theEastman Business College (1859-1931).[36]
The city is protected by the career firefighters in the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department. By keeping buildings up tocode, controlling illegal occupancies, monitoring the safety of living areas and issuing licenses and permits, the department works to limit the potential for dangerous situations and the occurrences of fire hazards. The Poughkeepsie Fire Department operates out of threefire stations, located throughout the city, and operates and maintains a fire apparatus fleet of fourengines, including one reserve engine; two ladder trucks; one rescue vehicle, cross-staffed as needed; and onefireboat. TheArlington Fire District, Fairview Fire District, andNew Hamburg Fire Department cover the surrounding town of Poughkeepsie. The Fire Department is capable of handling fires, rescues, extractions and natural disasters. It is a certified Emergency Medical Services first responderfire department and first responder to calls with Mobile Life Support Services.
Police protection to the city is provided by the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department. The police department has over 125 employees, including 96 sworn police officers and 34 civilians, of which 13 are emergency dispatchers.[37] The Police Department also operate a Citizen Observer Alert Network to keep citizens informed about local crime, emergency situations, and other important information. The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office is based in Poughkeepsie and is adjacent to the Dutchess County Jail, which houses around 250 inmates maximum capacity at any time, with the same number of inmates housed at out-of-county facilities.[38]
The third City of Poughkeepsie police officer to be killed in the line of duty was John M. Falcone on February 18, 2011. Police responded to a train station where 27-year-old Lee Welch had shot and killed his estranged wife and Falcone spotted Welch leaving the scene with their 3-year-old child. Officers managed to take the child away from Welch, but in the ensuing struggle, Welch fatally shot Falcone in the head with his own service weapon before he died by suicide.[39] Multiple efforts were made to memorialize Falcone after his death, such as renaming the road where he was killed to Detective John Falcone Memorial Avenue, designating a section ofU.S. Route 9 in Poughkeepsie the John M. Falcone Memorial Highway, and by hosting an annual motorcycle ride in his honor.[40][41][42]
Poughkeepsie is home toVassar Brothers Medical Center, a 365-bed hospital situated next toU.S. Route 9 on Reade Place. The hospital has an advanced birthing center and a Level IIINeonatal Intensive Care Unit.[43] Vassar Brother Medical Center is owned and operated byNuvance Health (formerly HealthQuest), a local nonprofit collection of hospitals and healthcare providers.[44]
Emergency medical services are provided by Empress Ambulance Company, which are contracted to provide full-time ambulance coverage to the city. They provideparamedic level service, includingadvanced life support, and have ambulances stationed in the city on Pershing Avenue. Mobile Life also has a staff of specially trained paramedics that provide tactical Emergency Medical Services support to the city police during ESU/SWAT operations, as well as emergency responses for the Fire Department via their Special Operations Response Team. They also provide advanced life support ambulance service to other agencies and municipalities in Dutchess, Ulster, and Orange counties, and their headquarters building is located inNew Windsor in Orange County.
The Hudson Valley Highlanders of the North American Football League played their home games atDietz Stadium in nearbyKingston.
Poughkeepsie hosted a founding member of theNorth Eastern Hockey League with the formation of thePoughkeepsie Panthers in 2003. However, due to financial problems, the team only played for one season and became the Connecticut Cougars the following year. The league folded due to financial problems in January 2008. Subsequently, the city was home to theHudson Valley Bears, one of four founding members of theEastern Professional Hockey League, for one season. Both teams played their home games at the McCann Ice Arena in theMid-Hudson Civic Center.
One of Poughkeepsie's most notable sports events was the annualPoughkeepsie Regatta of theIntercollegiate Rowing Association, which was held on theHudson River from 1895 to 1949. The top college teams would attend along with tens of thousands of spectators. Poughkeepsie was known as the rowing capital of the world.[citation needed] Spectators watched from the hills and bluffs overlooking the river and from chartered boats and trains that followed the races along the entire length of the course; which were longer than present-day races, with varsity eights rowing a 4-mile (6.4 km) race. When the rowing association moved the regatta to other venues, the Mid-Hudson Rowing Association was formed to preserve rowing in the area. It successfully lobbied to preserve the regatta's facilities for use by area high schools and club rowing programs. As part of the400th anniversary celebration ofHenry Hudson's trip up the Hudson River[45] a recreation of the regatta was held withMarist College Crew as its host.[46] The events included a fireworks display, a large dinner, and the unveiling of the restored historic Cornell Boathouse, now property of Marist Crew. Historically accurate, the four mile long course started off Rogers Point inHyde Park and ended about a mile south of thePoughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge. Competitors includedMarist,Vassar,Army,Penn,Navy,Syracuse,Columbia andCornell. Notably this was the first time women's crew teams were allowed to participate in the historic Poughkeepsie Regatta.
Poughkeepsie has a number of notable institutions for arts and entertainment. TheBardavon 1869 Opera House, located on Market Street just below Main Street, is a theater that has an array of music, drama, dance, and film events and is the home of theHudson Valley Philharmonic.
The Chance, located at 6 Crannell Street in downtown Poughkeepsie, hosts live rock concerts with local as well as major artists.
The collections of theFrances Lehman Loeb Art Center atVassar College chart the history of art from antiquity to the present and comprise over 21,000 works, including paintings, sculptures, prints, and photographs.
The Barrett Art Center at 55 Noxon Street offers exhibits, classes, and lectures on the visual arts.
For shopping and movie theater entertainment, thePoughkeepsie Galleria is located in thetown of Poughkeepsie, southeast of the hamlet ofCrown Heights and north ofWappingers Falls. The mall, which opened in 1987, consists of two floors with 250 shops, restaurants, and a multi-plex theater with 16 screens.
ThePoughkeepsie Public Library District serves the City and Town of Poughkeepsie through a special legislative Library district established in 1988. The Library District's main libraryAdriance Memorial Library, is located on Market Street in the City of Poughkeepsie. Another City branch, the Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Branch Library, is located in the Family Partnership Center on North Hamilton Street. The Library District has another branch library in the Town of Poughkeepsie, the Boardman Road Branch Library, along with a mobile library service called Rover.[50]
Poughkeepsie Bridge strengthening project, 1906Highways and railroad tracks in Poughkeepsie
TheMid-Hudson Bridge, opened in 1930, carries US 44 and NY 55 across the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie toHighland. ThePoughkeepsie Bridge opened in 1889 to carry railroad traffic across the Hudson, the usage of the bridge came to an end when a 1974 fire damaged its decking.[51] A local group (Walkway over the Hudson) raised the funds to convert the bridge into a unique linear park connecting rail-trails on both sides of the Hudson River. The Walkway Over The Hudson opened on October 3, 2009, coinciding with the 400th anniversary ofHenry Hudson's first exploration of the river named for him.[52] The bridge is now open for pedestrian and bicycle use and is a state historic park.
Bus transit service is provided byDutchess County Public Transit, operated by Dutchess County, which travels throughout Dutchess County and also serves as the main link to the Route 9 corridor, includingPoughkeepsie Galleria andSouth Hills Mall. A section of the Route 9 corridor within the city was renamed to the "DetectiveJohn M. Falcone Memorial Highway" in 2014 by governorAndrew Cuomo to memorialize the city's first police officer slain in the line of duty.[41]
Both services have a quasi-hub at the intersection of Main and Market streets, adjacent to the Mid-Hudson Civic Center and at the west end of the former pedestrian-onlyMain Mall (the mall was removed in 2001, with those blocks being restored back to traffic and to the name Main Street). Other buses serving this area includeAdirondack Trailways,Short Line, commuter runs toWhite Plains, and a shuttle toNew Paltz.
^McQuill, Thursty (1884).The Hudson River by Daylight. Bryant Literary Union. p. 40.Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. RetrievedNovember 14, 2019.
^"Station: Poughkeepsie Dutchess CO AP, NY".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. RetrievedMay 24, 2021.
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Flad, Harvey K. and Griffen, Clyde.Main Street to Mainframes: Landscape and Social Change in Poughkeepsie.SUNY Press, 2009.ISBN978-1-4384-2613-6
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Mano, Jo Margert and Linda Greenow. 2006. "Mexico comes to Main Street: Mexican immigration and urban revitalization in Poughkeepsie, NY".Middle States Geographer 39: 76–83.
