Monticello ( ) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located in Thompson, Sullivan County, within the Catskills region of New York, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2020 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the

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 st ...

of Sullivan County. The village was named after

the residence The Residence, also known as Woodberry, is a historic home located on the grounds of Woodberry Forest School at Woodberry Forest, Virginia, Woodberry Forest, Madison County, Virginia. It was built in 1793, reputedly after the plans of Thomas Jeff ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. The village is located in the central part of Thompson, adjacent to

New York Route 17 New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Souther ...

. Monticello is the largest village in the county in both population and area.

History

In 1801, Samuel F. Jones was given the task of finding a route for the

Newburgh and Cochecton Turnpike The Newburgh and Cochecton Turnpike was a turnpike road in southern New York in the United States. It ran from Newburgh on the Hudson River west to Cochecton on the Delaware River, where travelers could continue west through Pennsylvania on the C ...

to connect The

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...

and Delaware Rivers. While he marked the path through what was then Orange and Ulster counties he saw an opportunity to build a village on the turnpike. Samuel convinced his younger brother,

John Patterson Jones John Patterson Jones (1779–1858) was an American politician from New York. He is well known for being the co founder of Monticello, New York and one of its most early residents. Life Jones was born in Goshen, Litchfield County, Connecticu ...

, to buy a 1861 acre tract of land that would be bisected by the turnpike so they could build this new village. In 1803, John and 11 other men started work on a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

, and other infrastructure to help them build the village. The group left the area during the winter but would return in the early months of 1804 to continue their work. In spring of the same year the route for the turnpike was finalized and the two brothers started to plan the village. After the plan was completed, the first tree was chopped down by John September 4, 1804 on the property that would later become his house. The village grew from there having 20 houses by 1813 and being officially incorporated on April 20, 1830.

1909 Fire

On the evening of August 10, 1909, a major fire started in the Broadway district of Monticello. The fire started in a local power station and quickly spread from building to building, engulfing the whole of Broadway street in flames. Local fire departments were scrambled to stop the fire, quickly containing the fire and stopping its spread to residential areas. By the time the dust had settled 40 buildings had been reduced to ash causing roughly 1 million dollars in damages. Luckily, no one was killed in the fire and the village soon rebuilt.

Geography

Monticello is located at (41.653, -74.690). According to the

United States 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 village has a total area of , all land. The Village of Monticello is located in the southern portion of 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 c ...

region of Lower New York. By driving distance, Monticello is approximately NE of Scranton, Pennsylvania, southeast of

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

, southeast of Elmira, northwest of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, northwest of Lakewood, New Jersey, and southwest of Albany.

Demographics

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 6,512 people, 2,554 households, and 1,460 families residing in the village. 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 RosenberPopul ...

was 1,601.5 people per square mile (617.8/km²). There were 3,758 housing units at an average density of 924.2 per square mile (356.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 55.57%

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 on ...

, 29.32%

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 ...

, 0.31% Native American, 2.13%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 8.14% from other races, and 4.48% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 23.16% of the population. There were 2,554 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.9% 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 t ...

living together, 21.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.14. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $22,671, and the median income for a family was $29,554. Males had a median income of $32,623 versus $22,827 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 village was $14,433. About 30.8% of families and 35.6% 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 t ...

, including 49.7% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Monticello Central School District operates five schools. *Project Excel: preschool *George L. Cooke Elementary School: Grades K–2 *Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary School: Grades 3–5 *Emma C. Chase Elementary School: Grades K–5 *Robert J. Kaiser Middle School: Grades 6–8 * Monticello High School: Grades 9–12

Media

Monticello is home to the radio station

WSUL WSUL (98.3 FM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary radio format. Licensed to Monticello, New York, the station is currently owned by Vince Benedetto, through licensee Bold Gold Media Group, L.P. History WSUL was owne ...

98.3 FM that features Adult Contemporary music and is Sullivan County's most popular station. Other stations in the area include WVOS 1240 AM and

WVOS-FM WVOS-FM (95.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Liberty, New York, United States, the station is owned by Vince Benedetto, through licensee Bold Gold Media Group, L.P. It features programming from Westwood O ...

95.9 FM, licensed to the Village of Liberty. Thunder 102.1 Thunder Country has moved from Liberty to Monticello.

Transportation

Monticello is located adjacent to

New York State Route 17 New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Souther ...

(known regionally as the Quickway and eventually upgraded to be Interstate 86). It is also at the eastern terminus of

New York State Route 17B New York State Route 17B (NY 17B) is a state highway located entirely within Sullivan County, New York, in the United States. It connects the hamlet of Callicoon at its western end with the Monticello area in the east, ending at a ju ...

New York State Route 42 New York State Route 42 (NY 42) is a north–south, discontinuous state highway in the Catskill Mountains region of New York in the United States. The southernmost of the highway's two segments begins at an intersection with U.S. Rout ...

also serves the area, running North and South. The local bus station is served by Coach USA Short Line, and the station acts as a hub for the region. There is also local service provided by Sullivan County Transportation that runs once a week on two routes. The New York, Ontario & Western Railway had a branch to Monticello. Patronage was heavy until after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when competition from the automobile led its abandonment on March 30, 1957.

Tourism

Monticello is known for its Monticello Raceway which attracted people from all over the northeast in its heyday. Now the Raceway has turned into a

racino A racino is a combined race track and casino. In some cases, the gambling is limited to slot machines, but many locations are beginning to include table games such as blackjack, poker, and roulette. In 2003, Joe Bob Briggs described the econo ...

, hosting electronic slot machines as well as horse racing. Just seven miles (11 km) away from the Raceway is

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is an amphitheatre, performing arts center and museum located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair in Bethel, New York. Located approximately from New York City, the site includes a 15,000-se ...

, site of the 1969

Woodstock Festival Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

. An

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

circuit, Monticello Motor Club, is also located nearby.

Resorts World Catskills Resorts World Catskills is a hotel and casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some ...

, Vegas-style casino, luxury hotel and spa opened within the towns location near the old Concord Resort property in February 2018. The community— the center of what was colloquially known as the " Borscht Belt"— was once well known internationally for its massive Jewish resorts including the

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

and Grossinger's resorts, among many others. Only a handful survived into the 21st century.

Kutsher's Hotel Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club in Thompson, Sullivan County, near Monticello, New York, was the longest running of the Borscht Belt grand resorts in the Catskill Mountains region of New York State. While the region was open to any and all vis ...

was one of the last to close. The remnants were auctioned off on February 6, 2014. Today, only the Raleigh Hotel remains open.

Notable people

Stephanie Blythe Stephanie Blythe (born 1970) is an American mezzo-soprano who has had an active international career in operas and concerts since the early 1990s. She is particularly associated with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, with whom she has perfo ...

, opera singer *

Lawrence H. Cooke Lawrence Henry Cooke (October 15, 1914, Monticello, Sullivan County, New York – August 17, 2000, Monticello, Sullivan Co., NY) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1979 ...

, former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals who has a monument dedicated to him on the Sullivan County courthouse front lawn (now named the Lawrence H. Cooke Sullivan County Court House) dedication speech given by Professor Vincent Bonventre (Albany Law School) *

Stanley Finch Stanley Wellington Finch (July 20, 1872 – 22 November 1951) was the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Investigation (1908–1912), which would eventually become the FBI. Life Finch was born in Monticello, New Y ...

, the first director of the

Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

, which is now the FBI. *

Robert S. Kapito Robert Steven Kapito (born February 8, 1957) is an American businessman and investor. He is a founder and president of the New York City-based investment management firm BlackRock. Early life and education Kapito is of Jewish ancestry. He ear ...

, co-founder and president of Blackrock *

Judith Kaye Judith Ann Kaye ( Smith; August 4, 1938 – January 7, 2016) was an American lawyer, jurist and the longtime Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, serving in that position from March 23, 1993, until December 31, 2008. She was the firs ...

, former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals *

Ivan C. Lafayette Ivan C. Lafayette (July 28, 1930 – October 4, 2016) was an American politician who represented the 34th District in the New York State Assembly, which comprises portions of Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst. He served as Deputy Speaker o ...

(1930–2016), politician * Catello Manzi,

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

driver * Elisabeth Worth Muller, suffragist, clubwoman *

Houses of worship

* Chevro Ahavath Zion Synagogue for men
Iglesia de Dios - Amor & Fe (Church of God Love & Faith) - Bilingual (Spanish & English)

References

External links

Village of Monticello website

on city-data.com {{authority control Villages in New York (state) County seats in New York (state) Villages in Sullivan County, New York 1801 establishments in New York (state)