When part of theNew Netherland colony, Dutch traders first called the area of present-day Ulster County "Esopus", a name borrowed for convenience from a locality on the opposite side of the Hudson. "Esopus" meant "land of flowing water and high banks," or "small brook."[3][4] There is also a town namedEsopus located within Ulster County.
The localLenape indigenous people called themselves Waranawanka, but soon came to be known to the Dutch as the "Esopus Indians" because they were encountered around the settlement known as Esopus. In 1652, Thomas Chambers, a freeholder from theManor of Rensselaerswyck, purchased land at Esopus.[5] He and several others actually settled and began farming by June 1653. The settlements grew into the village of Wiltwijck, which the English later namedKingston. In 1683, the Duke of York created 12 counties in his province, one of which was Ulster County, named after Prince James, Duke of York (later KingJames II of England) whosesubsidiary titles includedEarl of Ulster. Its boundaries at that time included the presentSullivan County and parts of the presentDelaware,Orange, andGreene counties.[A]
In 1777, the first state capital of the independent New York State was established at Kingston. The official records of Ulster County were removed to safety to a stone house inKerhonkson when it became evident that the British would burn Kingston.
In 1797, parts ofOtsego and Ulster counties were split off to create Delaware County.[A]
In 1798, Ulster County's southernmost towns were moved into Orange County to compensate Orange for breaking away its southernmost part to formRockland County.
In 1800, portions ofAlbany and Ulster counties were split off to create Greene County.[A]
In 1809, Sullivan County was split off from Ulster County.[A]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,161 square miles (3,010 km2), of which 1,124 square miles (2,910 km2) is land and 37 square miles (96 km2) (3.1%) is water.[7]
The county's highest point isSlide Mountain, at approximately 4,180 feet (1,270 m) above sea level. The lowest point is sea level along the Hudson River.
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]
As of thecensus[12] of 2010, the county had 181,440 people, 67,499 households, and 43,536 families. The population density was 158 inhabitants per square mile (61/km2). There were 77,656 housing units at an average density of 69 units per square mile (27/km2). The county's racial makeup, as of 2008, was 83.2%white, 6.50%black orAfrican American, 0.3%Native American, 1.7%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 2.15% fromother races, and 1.70% from two or more races. 7.6% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 19.2% were ofItalian, 16.8%Irish, 15.5%German, 6.8%English, and 4.7%American ancestry according toCensus 2000. 90.3% spokeEnglish, 4.5%Spanish, 1.2%Italian, and 1.0%German as their first language.
There were 67,499 households, of which 30.70% had children under age 18 living with them, 49.20% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.50% were non-families. Of all households, 27.90% were made up of individuals, and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03.
23.50% of the county's population was under age 18, 8.70% was from age 18 to 24, 29.70% was from age 25 to 44, 24.70% was from age 45 to 64, and 13.30% was age 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males.
The county's median household income was $42,551, and the median family income was $51,708. Males had a median income of $36,808 versus $27,086 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $20,846. About 7.20% of families and 11.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.
For most of the 20th century, Ulster County voted for the Republican nominees for president. Republicans regularly got over 60% of the vote, the high point coming whenDwight D. Eisenhower won 76% in1956. The Democratic nominee won only in1912, whenTheodore Roosevelt and hisProgressive Party split the Republican vote and gave a plurality toWoodrow Wilson, and in1964, whenLyndon B. Johnson won every county in New York and carried Ulster County by 19.8 percentage points.
For a long time, Ulster County had a county-scale version of acouncil-manager government, with the county legislature hiring a county administrator to handle executive functions. The chair of the legislature had a great deal of power and was accountable only to the voters of their district. The only countywide elected officials were thecounty clerk,district attorney, andsheriff.
In 2006, voters approved the first-ever countycharter, changing to an elected executive branch. Two years later,Michael P. Hein, the last appointed county administrator, became Ulster's first electedcounty executive.[15] In early 2019, Hein resigned to accept GovernorAndrew Cuomo's appointment as commissioner of the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.[16] Deputy County Executive Adele Reiter succeeded him as acting county executive until a special election was held in April 2019.
On April 30, 2019, Democrat Patrick K. Ryan was elected in a special election by a margin of 74%-26%.[17] He was sworn in as Ulster County's second County Executive on June 7, 2019.[18] On September 9, 2022, Ryan stepped down as county executive after winning election to theUnited States House of Representatives, andJohanna Contreras was sworn in as an acting county executive.[19]
DemocratJen Metzger, a former New York State Senator, defeated Republican Jim Quigley in the 2022 election to replace Ryan.[20] For the election, 14-year-old Hudson Rowan designed theUlster County "I Voted" sticker, which went viral for its weird design. Metzger took office in 2023.
Legislative authority is vested in the County Legislature, which consists of 23 members elected from individual districts, as directed by a county charter reapportionment mandate starting in late 2010.[21] Of the members of the 2024-2025 County Legislature, 14 are part of the Democratic Caucus (all 14 are affiliated with the Democratic Party), and 9 are part of the Republican Caucus (all 9 are affiliated with the Republican Party).
Ulster County contains a large part ofCatskill Park and theCatskill Forest Preserve. The formerDelaware and Hudson Canal broughtPennsylvania coal to Kingston on the Hudson. Former Orleans band memberJohn Hall served in the Ulster County legislature before moving to the 19th Congressional District to run for Congress.
Ulster County has continued to be a popular vacation destination for many decades. The county is home to many outdoor landscapes, including theCatskill Mountains, theHudson River,Minnewaska State Park,Catskill Park,Shawangunk Mountains and theShawangunk Ridge. Each offers various recreation opportunities, including hiking, bicycling, skiing, horseback riding, kayaking, rock climbing, hunting and fishing.
The Ulster County Fair has been held inNew Paltz for many years and is promoted as "The Best Six Days of Summer".[citation needed] County-run recreation areas include the Ulster County Pool in New Paltz and the Ulster Landing Park in Saugerties.
Public transportation in Ulster County is provided byTrailways of New York to and from New York City and Albany, and along Routes 28 and 32, byUlster County Area Transit on major state and U.S. road corridors in the county.
^abcde"The county is one of the original divisions of the State, erected November 1, 1683. Of its great territory it has given in the formation of Delaware in 1797, part of Greene in 1800, Sullivan in 1809, and a piece to Orange in the same year."[26]
Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett (1880).History of Ulster County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers: Part Second: History of the Towns of Ulster County. Philadelphia, PA: Everts & Peck.OCLC2385957.
Ulster County Historians (1984).The History of Ulster County, With Emphasis upon the Last 100 Years, 1883–1983. Kingston, NY: Ulster County Historians.OCLC11345209.
Van Buren, Augustus H. (1923).A History of Ulster County Under the Dominion of the Dutch. Kingston, NY.OCLC1131828.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Zimm, Louise Hasbrouck (1946).Southeastern New York: A History of the Counties of Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland and Putnam. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co.
