When theProvince of New York established its first twelve counties in 1683, the present Sullivan County was part ofUlster County. In 1809, Sullivan County was split from Ulster County.[5]
In the late 19th century, theIndustrial Revolution and the advent of factories driven by water power along the streams and rivers led to an increase in population attracted to the jobs.[6] Hamlets enlarged into towns. As industry restructured, many of those jobs left before the middle of the twentieth century. The economy changed again after that, shifting to a more tourist-based variety and benefiting from resorts established by European Jewish immigrants and their descendants in what became called theBorscht Belt of the 20th century. Resort hotels featured a wide variety of entertainers, some nationally known. At the beginning of this period, visitors traveled to the area by train, and later by automobile.[7] The area's natural resources also provided a setting for numerous summer camps frequented by the children of immigrants and their descendants.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 997 square miles (2,580 km2), of which 968 square miles (2,510 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75 km2) (2.9%) is water.[8]
Sullivan County is in the southern part of New York State, southeast ofBinghamton and southwest ofAlbany. It is separated fromPennsylvania along its southwest boundary by theDelaware River.
The county, which starts about 70 miles northwest of New York City, is in theCatskill Mountains. Its northeastern corner is within theCatskill Park.
The highest point in the county is a 3,118-foot (950 m) peak unofficially known asBeech Mountain, near Hodge Pond, a subsidiary summit toMongaup Mountain[9] across the Ulster County line. The lowest point is along theDelaware River.[10]
Sullivan County, New York – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2000 census,[24] there were 73,966 people, 27,661 households, and 18,311 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 76 people per square mile (29 people/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 orAfrican American, 0.27%Native American, 1.12%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 2.89% fromother races, and 1.87% from two or more races. 9.25% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 16.6% were ofGerman, 13.9%Irish, 12.5%Italian, 7.3%American and 6.2%English ancestry according to 2000 census. 86.6% spokeEnglish, 7.4%Spanish and 1.0%German as their first language. A small population ofRussians, late twentieth-century immigrants, live in the villages. There are a few persons in Sullivan and nearby counties who are of mixedDutch andMohawk orLenni-Lenape ancestry in this region of upstate New York, the legacy of indigenous peoples in the region and theNew Netherlands colonial era in the 17th century.[citation needed]
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. Theper capita income for the county was $18,892. About 11.60% of families and 17.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over.
Sullivan County is a swing county, backing the national winner in all but three presidential elections from 1952 to the present. In2004,RepublicanGeorge W. Bush defeatedDemocratJohn Kerry by a margin of 49.47% to 48.55%, or a difference of 285 votes.[25] In2008, however, it was won by DemocratBarack Obama over RepublicanJohn McCain by a margin of 54% to 45%.[26] The margin remained virtually the same in2012, as Obama won the county again over RepublicanMitt Romney by 54-45%.[27] But then, in2016, the county swung to RepublicanDonald Trump over DemocratHillary Clinton by a margin of 53% to 42%.[28] In2020, the county didn't back the winner nationally for the first time since 2000. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump won the county with 54% of the votes that year compared to the national winner DemocratJoe Biden's 45%.[29]
There are thirty-six town and village courts in Sullivan County.[30]
Legislative authority is vested in the county legislature which consists of nine members, each elected from single member districts. Currently, there are five Democrats and four Republicans.
Sullivan County has services provided byShort Line toNew York City. It also has some local service provided by the county itself, as well as community organizations.[32][33][34]
Sullivan County has been a popular vacation spot since the 19th century, with mountain climbing, boating, and other outdoor activities, as well as theMonticello Raceway being among the attractions. The majority of the tourism occurs in the summer months. It was the site of the hundreds of resort complexes of theBorscht Belt (with their golf courses, social events, and entertainers), between the 1920s and 1970s.
Borscht Belt hotels, bungalow colonies, summer camps, andkuchaleyns (aYiddish name for self-catered boarding houses) proliferated. The bungalows usually included "a kitchen/living room/dinette, one bedroom, and a screened porch" with entertainment being simple: bingo or a movie.[35] Thekuchaleyns were also visited often by middle and working-class Jewish New Yorkers. Because of the many Jewish guests, this area was nicknamed the JewishAlps and "Solomon County" (a modification of Sullivan County) by many people who visited there.[36]
By the late 1950s, many began closing with most gone by the 1970s, but some major resorts continued to operate, a few into the 1990s.Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel closed in 1986[37] and theConcord Resort Hotel struggled to stay open until 1998.[38] By that time, the business owed millions in back taxes to Sullivan County, but the property was sold "for $10.5 million" and a new resort was eventually built.[39][40]
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which also includes a museum of the sixties and Woodstock, holds many concerts and other events throughout the year.
Other notable cultural destinations include the CAS Arts Center, a multi-arts exhibit space and education center run by the Catskill Art Society inLivingston Manor, New York, the NaCl Theatre, a professional regional theater company focusing on experimental work in Highland Lake, and theDelaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) which serves as the Arts Council for Sullivan County and is located in Narrowsburg. DVAA offers two art galleries, performing arts and cultural programming, grant opportunities for artists and nonprofits, the Big Eddy Film Festival, and Riverfest.
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