Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It is the county seat of

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...

, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson River Valley region, midway between the core of the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

and the state capital of Albany. It is a principal city of the

Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area The Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in New York's Hudson Valley, with the cities of Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, and Midd ...

which belongs to the New York combined statistical area. It is served by the nearby Hudson Valley Regional Airport and Stewart International Airport in

Orange County, New York Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798. Orange ...

. Poughkeepsie has been called "The Queen City of the Hudson". It was settled in the 17th century by the Dutch and became New York State's second capital shortly after the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. It was chartered as a city in 1854. Major bridges in the city include the

Walkway over the Hudson The Walkway over the Hudson (also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, and High Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, ...

, a former railroad bridge called the Poughkeepsie Bridge which reopened as a public walkway on October 3, 2009; and the Mid-Hudson Bridge, a major thoroughfare built in 1930 that carries

U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...

over the Hudson. The city of Poughkeepsie lies in

New York's 18th congressional district The 18th congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives that contains the northern suburbs and exurbs of New York City. It is currently represented by Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney. ...

. 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 74,751 in 2018. Poughkeepsie is situated between the Lower Hudson and the

Capital District A capital district, capital region or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politica ...

regions, and the city's economy is stimulated by several major corporations, including IBM. Educational institutions include Marist College,

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

, Dutchess Community College and

The Culinary Institute of America The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a private culinary school with its primary campus in Hyde Park, New York, and branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the first t ...

Etymology

The name ''Poughkeepsie'' is derived from a word in the

Wappinger The Wappinger () were an Eastern Algonquian Munsee-speaking Native American people from what is now southern New York and western Connecticut. At the time of first contact in the 17th century they were primarily based in what is now Dutches ...

language, roughly , meaning 'the reed-covered lodge by the little-water place', referring to a spring or stream feeding into 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 N ...

south of the downtown area.

History

English colonist Robert Sanders and Dutch colonist Myndert Harmense Van Den Bogaerdt acquired the land from a local Native 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. The city of Poughkeepsie was chartered on March 28, 1854. The city of Poughkeepsie was spared from battle during 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 ...

and became the second capital of the State of New York after

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

was burned by the British. In 1788, the Ratification Convention for New York State included

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the first ...

, and George Clinton. They assembled at the courthouse on Market Street and ratified the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

, and New York State entered the new union as the eleventh of the original

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of Kingdom of Great Britain, British Colony, colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Fo ...

to become the United States. In 1799, a new seal was created for the city. Poughkeepsie was a major center for whale rendering, and the industry flourished during the 19th century through shipping, millineries, paper mills, and several breweries along the Hudson River, including some owned by Matthew Vassar, founder of

. Families built palatial weekend homes nearby, such as the

Astors The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With ancestral roots in the Italian Alps region of Italy by way of Germany, the Astors settled ...

, Rogers, and Vanderbilts, due to the area's natural beauty and proximity to New York City. The

Vanderbilt Mansion From the late 1870s to the 1920s, the Vanderbilt family employed some of the United States's best Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts architects and decorators to build an unequalled string of townhouses in New York City and East Coast palaces in ...

is located several miles up the Hudson from Poughkeepsie in the town of

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

and is registered as a national historic site; it is considered to be a sterling example of the mansions built by American industrialists during the late 19th century. The city is home to the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, the oldest continuously operating entertainment venue in the state.

Geography

The city of Poughkeepsie is located on the western edge of

, in

Downstate New York Downstate New York is a region that generally consists of the southeastern and more densely populated portion of the U.S. state of New York, in contrast to Upstate New York, which comprises a larger geographic area with much sparser population di ...

's Hudson River Valley Area. It is bordered by the town of

Lloyd Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown" ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), American ...

across the

to the west and by the town of Poughkeepsie on the north, east and south. There are two crossings of the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie: the Mid-Hudson Bridge for motor vehicles and pedestrians, and the pedestrian

. 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 city has an area of , of which is land, and (comprising 10.05%) is water. Poughkeepsie lies approximately north of the center of the New York megacity. It is south of the New York state capital of Albany. The highest elevation of Poughkeepsie is above sea level on College Hill. Its lowest is on the Hudson River. Poughkeepsie makes up a part of the Poughkeepsie—Newburgh—Middletown metropolitan statistical area, which is a part of the wider NY-NJ-CT combined statistical area.

Historic districts

* Academy Street Historic District *

Balding Avenue Historic District The Balding Avenue Historic District is located along the street of the same name, between Mansion and Marshall streets, in Poughkeepsie (city), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. These four acres (1.6 ha) include 27 houses mostly ...

* Dwight-Hooker Avenue Historic District * Garfield Place Historic District *

Mill Street-North Clover Street Historic District Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine ear ...

Mount Carmel District The Mount Carmel District (or Area) is a historic neighborhood in Poughkeepsie, New York named for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and its associated (now defunct) school. Location The neighborhood is located on Poughkeepsie's north side. It ro ...

* Union Street Historic District

Climate

Poughkeepsie has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

( Köppen ''Dfa'') with relatively hot summers and cold winters. It receives approximately 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 a few times per year. Poughkeepsie can also be hit by powerful

nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...

s, but it usually receives significantly less snow or rain from these storms compared to locations towards the south and east. Extremes range from on January 21, 1961, to on July 15, 1995.

Demographics

The

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

's 2018 estimates placed the population at 30,356. There were 14,240 housing units. 39.8% of Poughkeepsans were

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...

, 36.4% were Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.2%

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

, 5.0%

multiracial Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

, and 0.3% from some other race. An estimated 15 persons were of

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 ...

heritage according to 2018's estimates. Hispanic and Latin Americans collectively made up 17.1% of the city's inhabitants.

Mexican Americans Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

and

Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants. Overview The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...

made the two largest groups of Hispanic and Latin Americans in the city, followed by Cubans and others. In 2018, there were 12,627 households, out of which 19.8% had children under the age of 6 living in them. 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. At the 2010 census there were 32,736 people. The population density was 5,806.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,243.8/km²). There were 13,153 housing units at an average density of 2,556.6 per square mile (988.0/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

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. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

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.

Religion

Per '' Sperling's BestPlaces'', nearly 54% of Poughkeepsie and its surrounding area have religious affiliation. The largest Christian organization is the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(37.8%), served by the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

-based Archdiocese of New York. The second and third largest Christian organizations are

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

(2.6%) and

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

(2.0%), which stem from Anglican or Episcopalianism (1.7%). Anglicans or Episcopalians within the city limits and surrounding area are primarily served by the

Episcopal Diocese of New York The Episcopal Diocese of New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing three New York City boroughs and seven New York state counties.

. The fifth largest Christian group is

Pentecostalism Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

(1.3%), followed by

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

(1.1%), the

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

(0.9%), the Latter-Day Saints (0.3%), and Christians of other denominations including the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

and

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

(2.7%). The second largest religious group outside of Christianity is

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

(2.4%). The Islamic community primarily identifies with

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

in the area. Following Islam, 0.8% of the population profess

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

and 0.1% practice an eastern religion.

Economy

As of 2020, the dominant industries in Poughkeepsie are

healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...

, and

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

Cricket Wireless Cricket Wireless is an American prepaid wireless service provider, owned by AT&T. It provides wireless services to ten million subscribers in the United States. Cricket Wireless was founded in March 1999 by Leap Wireless International. AT&T acq ...

, Stop & Shop,

Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...

, Rite Aid, Dunkin', Marshalls,

Boost Mobile Boost Mobile may refer to: * Boost Mobile (Australia), an Australian mobile virtual network operator * Boost Mobile (United States), an American mobile virtual network operator owned by Dish Wireless * Spark New Zealand Spark New Zealand Limit ...

Metro by T-Mobile Metro by T-Mobile (formerly known as MetroPCS and also known simply as Metro) is an American prepaid wireless service provider and brand owned by T-Mobile US. It previously operated the fifth largest mobile telecommunications network in the U ...

Verizon Communications Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas i ...

, M&T Bank, Chase Bank, Big Lots, ShopRite, and Charter Communications are companies with a significant presence in the city and surrounding area. IBM has a large campus in the adjacent town 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 the IBM 700/7000 series of computers as well as the

IBM 7030 Stretch The IBM 7030, also known as Stretch, was IBM's first transistorized supercomputer. It was the fastest computer in the world from 1961 until the first CDC 6600 became operational in 1964."Designed by Seymour Cray, the CDC 6600 was almost three tim ...

computer and later, together with the 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 master Garry 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 of ''Assembly Magazine''. Poughkeepsie remains IBM's primary design and manufacturing center for its newest mainframes and high-end

Power Systems An electric power system is a network of electrical components deployed to supply, transfer, and use electric power. An example of a power system is the electrical grid that provides power to homes and industries within an extended area. The e ...

servers, and it is also one of IBM's major software development centers for z/OS and for other products. Until 1972, Poughkeepsie was home to the

Smith Brothers The Smith Brothers were makers of the first cough drops produced and advertised in the United States, becoming one of the most famous brands in the country in its day. History William Wallace Smith I (1830–1913) and Andrew Smith (1836–1895 ...

cough drop factory. The Smith Brothers' gravesite is in the

Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery The Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery is a rural cemetery located in Poughkeepsie, New York and includes the gravesites of several notable figures. It also has a crematory. The forty-four acres of land used for the cemetery were purchased by Matthew Vass ...

Media

Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County are within the

media market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

of the New York—New Jersey—Connecticut combined statistical area, though the city is headquarters for The '' Poughkeepsie Journal'', the third-oldest active newspaper in the United States. ''Poughkeepsie Journal'' is owned by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

''.

News 12 News 12 may refer to: *KSLA-TV Shreveport, Louisiana *News 12 Networks, 24-hour local cable news television network in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York *WRDW-TV WRDW-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Augusta, Georgia, United States, ...

Hudson Valley is a regional television channel targeting the Poughkeepsie and the Hudson Valley region. FM radio stations in the area are: *

WRRV WRRV (92.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Middletown, New York and serving Orange County, including parts of the mid Hudson Valley and Catskills Mountains. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts an alternative roc ...

-96.9 (alternative rock) *

WPDH WPDH (101.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. Its studios and offices are on Pe ...

-101.5 (album-oriented rock) *

WRHV WRHV (88.7 FM) is a classical music-formatted radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by WMHT Educational Telecommunications and is a satellite of Schenectady's WM ...

-88.7 (classical music, and NPR affiliate) *

WCZX WCZX (97.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Hyde Park, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts at 300 watts ERP from the Illinois Mountain master tower in Marlboroug ...

-97.7 (country) *

WKXP WKXP (94.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kingston, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format from its radio studio ...

-94.3 (soft adult contemporary) * WRWD-FM-107.3 (country) * WSPK-104.7 (top 40) * WHUD-100.7 (adult contemporary) *

WDST WDST (100.1 MHz), branded as "Radio Woodstock 100.1", is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Woodstock, New York, and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley. Radio Woodstock is known as a progressive station that was at the forefront of both the mo ...

-100.1 (independent rock) *

WPKF WPKF (96.1 FM, "Kiss FM") is a Contemporary hit radio, Top 40 (CHR) radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie (city), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and ...

-96.1 (rhythmic top 40) *

WVKR WVKR-FM ''(Independent Radio)'' is a college radio station owned by and primarily staffed by students of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York. The station broadcasts on 91.3 MHz at 3,700 watts effective radi ...

-91.3 (Vassar College Radio) *

WRNQ WRNQ (92.1 MHz "Q92") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switchin ...

-92.1 ('80s to current music) AM radio stations in the area are: *

WEOK WEOK (1390 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and airs a Spanish-language adult hits radio format, known as "Juan 95.7." By day, WEOK ...

-1390 (oldies) * WGNY-1220 (sports) *

WHVW WHVW (950 AM) is a radio station licensed to Hyde Park, New York that is noted for its eclectic format based on old-fashioned blues, jazz, country and Americana music. In a time of corporate ownership of broadcast outlets, it is also one of only t ...

-950 ('50s and older blues and country) *

WKIP WKIP (1450 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie (city), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts at 1,000 watts from a two-tower array adjacent ...

-1450 (talk radio)

Education

The Poughkeepsie City School District is the public K–12 school system, serving approximately 5,000 students. The Oakwood Friends School is a co-ed boarding and day school serving approximately 170 students, grades 5–12. Located about north 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 ...

, it is the oldest

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...

school in New York State, founded in 1796. Oakwood was founded on the Quaker principles of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. The school's vibrant community nurtures the spirit, scholar, artist, and athlete in each student.

Poughkeepsie Day School Poughkeepsie Day School is an independent, progressive, coeducational school in the mid-Hudson Valley serving students from a broad region of New York and Connecticut from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. History Founded in 1934, it was origi ...

, 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 According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...

and Our Lady of Lourdes High School. Spackenkill Union Free School District, comprising generally the southern part of the town of Poughkeepsie, consists of Hagan Elementary School, Nassau Elementary School, Orville A. Todd Middle School, and

Spackenkill High School Spackenkill High School is a 9-12 public high school part of the Spackenkill Union Free School District located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. In 2018, it was named a National Blue Ribbon School, one of 62 high schools nationwide ...

Colleges and universities

Three institutions of higher learning operate campuses within the city:

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

's Hudson Valley Center, Marish College Marist College and the Ridley-Lowell Business and Technical Institute. The Culinary Institute of America's main campus is located in the suburb of

, north of the city of Poughkeepsie. Dutchess Community College, Marist College, and

are all located in the surrounding Town of Poughkeepsie.

Public safety

Fire

The city is protected by the career firefighters in the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department. By keeping buildings up to

code In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...

, 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 three fire stations, located throughout the city, and operates and maintains a fire apparatus fleet of four

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

s, including one reserve engine; two ladder trucks; one rescue vehicle, cross-staffed as needed; and one fireboat. The

Arlington Fire District The Arlington Fire District is one of 3 fire departments that provides fire and EMS services to the residents of the Town Of Poughkeepsie. Arlington has four fire stations located at numerous ends of the Town. The fire district is staffed wit ...

, Fairview Fire District, and

New Hamburg Fire Department Poughkeepsie (), officially the Town of Poughkeepsie, is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 45,471. The name is derived from the native term ''Uppuqui'' () meaning "lodge-co ...

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 responder

fire department A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

and first responder to calls with Mobile Life Support Services.

Police

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. 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 Station 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.

Medical

Poughkeepsie is home to Vassar Brothers Medical Center, a 365-bed hospital situated next to

U.S. Route 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...

on Reade Place. The hospital has an advanced birthing center and a Level III

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), also known as an intensive care nursery (ICN), is an intensive care unit (ICU) specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants. Neonatal refers to the first 28 days of life. Neonatal care, as kn ...

. Vassar Brother Medical Center is owned and operated by

Nuvance Health Nuvance Health is a not-for-profit health system with facilities spanning from New York State's Hudson Valley region to western Connecticut. Nuvance Health was formed in 2019 when Health Quest and Western Connecticut Health Network merged. It empl ...

(formerly HealthQuest), a local nonprofit collection of hospitals and healthcare providers.

Emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...

are provided by Mobile Life Support Services, which are contracted to provide full-time ambulance coverage to the city. They provide

paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

level service, including advanced 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 in New Windsor in Orange County.

Culture

Sports

The Hudson Valley Renegades is a minor league baseball team affiliated with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. The team is a member of the High-A East, and play at Dutchess Stadium in the nearby town of Fishkill. The Hudson Valley Hawks were a team in the National Professional Basketball League until 2009 when the league disbanded. The team's home court was at Beacon High School, located approximately south in the city of Beacon. The Hudson Valley Highlanders of the North American Football League played their home games at

Dietz Stadium Robert Dietz Memorial Stadium is a football stadium in Kingston, New York. Dietz Stadium is the home field of the Kingston High School Tigers football team. Originally the Kingston Municipal Stadium, in 1954 it was dedicated to Robert H. Dietz ...

in nearby

. Poughkeepsie hosted a founding member of the North Eastern Hockey League with the formation of the

Poughkeepsie Panthers The Connecticut Cougars were a semi-professional ice hockey team in North Eastern Hockey League (NEHL). The team was originally the Poughkeepsie Panthers and was based in Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poug ...

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 the

Hudson Valley Bears The Hudson Valley Bears were an ice hockey team in the Eastern Professional Hockey League (2008–2009), Eastern Professional Hockey League. They split their home games between the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie (city), New York, Poughke ...

, one of four founding members of the Eastern Professional Hockey League, for one season. Both teams played their home games at the McCann Ice Arena in the

Mid-Hudson Civic Center Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center (formerly the Mid-Hudson Civic Center) is a venue located in Poughkeepsie, New York, consisting of Mair Hall (a concert and convention hall) and the McCann Ice Arena (an ice skating venue). It was built in th ...

One of Poughkeepsie's most notable sports events was the annual

Poughkeepsie Regatta The Poughkeepsie Regatta was the annual championship regatta of the U.S. Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) when it was held in Poughkeepsie, New York from 1895 to 1949. History The IRA was established by Cornell, Columbia, and Pennsylva ...

of the

Intercollegiate Rowing Association The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) governs intercollegiate rowing between varsity men's heavyweight, men's lightweight, and women's lightweight rowing programs across the United States, while the NCAA fulfills this role for women's ope ...

, which was held on the

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. 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 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 the 400th anniversary celebration of

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the northeastern United States. In 1607 and 160 ...

's trip up the Hudson River a recreation of the regatta was held with Marist College Crew as its host. 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 in

and ended about a mile south of the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge. Competitors included Marist, Vassar,

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, Penn,

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, Columbia and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. Notably this was the first time women's crew teams were allowed to participate in the historic Poughkeepsie Regatta. Established British racing team Carlin Motorsport have chosen Poughkeepsie as their U.S. base whilst racing in Indy Lights.

Arts and entertainment

Bardavon building poughkeepsie 2007 03 18

Poughkeepsie has a number of notable institutions for arts and entertainment. The Bardavon 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 the

Hudson Valley Philharmonic The Hudson Valley Philharmonic (abbreviated HVP) is a symphony orchestra based in Poughkeepsie, New York in the United States. It began in 1932, and it serves the Hudson Valley region. The Philharmonic offers a series of concert performances in th ...

. The Mid-Hudson Civic Center, located down the street from the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, hosts concerts,

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

and

trade shows A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

and has an

ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

next door for

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

. From July 1984 to August 5, 1986, the Civic Center was the location for filming WWF Championship Wrestling. The Chance, located at 6 Crannell Street in downtown Poughkeepsie, hosts live rock concerts with local as well as major artists. The collections of the

Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, commonly known as The Loeb, is a teaching museum, major art repository, and exhibition space on the campus of Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It was founded in 1864 as the Vassar Colleg ...

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. Locust Grove, the home of Samuel Morse and a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

, features paintings by Morse, as well as historically important examples of telegraph technology. For shopping and movie theater entertainment, the

Poughkeepsie Galleria The Poughkeepsie Galleria is a shopping center on U.S. 9 in the Town of Poughkeepsie, New York, located just north of Wappingers Falls, and is the largest shopping center in Dutchess County. The mall is anchored by the traditional chains Macy's ...

is located in the town of Poughkeepsie, southeast of the hamlet of Crown Heights and north of Wappingers Falls. The mall, which opened in 1987, consists of two floors with 250 shops and restaurants. The

Regal Cinemas Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with over 7,200 screens i ...

theater has 16 screens. Current anchor stores within the mall include

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

J. C. Penney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Girl ...

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

, and H&M. The

Mid-Hudson Children's Museum The Mid-Hudson Children's Museum (MHCM) is a children's museum in the Hudson River Valley between the larger New York City and Albany markets. In 2022, as a result of a strategic assessment and visioning process, the museum extended the age range ...

is located at 75 North Water Street. The Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center at 9 and 12 Vassar Street provides venues for music, dance and the visual arts.

Bananas Comedy Club Bananas Comedy Club are two venues for stand-up comedy: the original founded in 1986 in Poughkeepsie, New York and the other opening its doors in 1988 in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. Top comedians in the business have stopped by throughout the ye ...

is a comedy club that presents comedians such as Jim Norton, Rich Vos, Patrice O'Neal, and

Nick DiPaolo Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Places ...

Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...

started his career performing at the club.

Joseph Bertolozzi Joseph Bertolozzi (born 1959) is an American composer and musician with works ranging from full symphony orchestra and solo songs to immense sound-art installations. With increasingly numerous performances across Europe and the United States to ...

Bridge Music ''Bridge Music'' is a public sound art installation on the Mid-Hudson Bridge in New York. An album was released featuring music from the installation, under the same name. History One of composer Joseph Bertolozzi, Joseph Bertolozzi's most well ...

is a sound-art installation on the Mid-Hudson Bridge. The Chance Theater and

ranked #4 and 5, respectively, on a list of Poughkeepsie's most Instagrammed locations in 2016.

Library

The Poughkeepsie Public Library has a central branch on Market Street and a branch location on Boardman Road.

Transportation

Poughkeepsie sits at the junction of the north–south

US 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, betwe ...

and east–west

US 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...

and NY 55 highways. Rail commuter service to New York City is provided at the Poughkeepsie Metro-North station by the MTA's

Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State public benefit corporations, public authority of the U.S. state of New Yor ...

. Poughkeepsie is the northern terminus of Metro-North's Hudson Line.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

also serves the station, along the Hudson River south to New York City's Pennsylvania Station and north along the river to Albany-Rensselaer station and points further north and west. Amtrak trains serving Poughkeepsie are the '' Adirondack'', ''

Empire Service The ''Empire Service'' is an Inter-city rail service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. The brand name originated with the New York Central Railroad in 1967. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service ...

'', ''

Ethan Allen Express The ''Ethan Allen Express'' is a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak in the United States between New York City and Burlington, Vermont, via Albany, New York. One daily round trip is operated on a north-south route with a 7 hour 35 min ...

'', '' Maple Leaf'', and '' Lake Shore Limited.'' The Mid-Hudson Bridge, opened in 1930, carries US 44 and NY 55 across the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie to

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

. The

Poughkeepsie Bridge The Walkway over the Hudson (also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, and High Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, ...

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. 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 of

's first exploration of the river named for him. The bridge is now open for pedestrian and bicycle use and is a state historic park. Poughkeepsie Roads

The

Dutchess County Airport Hudson Valley Regional Airport , formerly known as Dutchess County Airport, is a county-owned public-use airport located on State Route 376 in the Town of Wappinger, Dutchess County, New York, United States, four miles (6 km) south of the ...

in nearby

services general aviation, although it once had scheduled air carrier service by Colonial Airlines in the 1950s and

regional airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...

service by Command Airways and others in the 1960s–1980s. The nearest major airport to Poughkeepsie is Stewart International Airport about south in Newburgh. Other nearby airports include

Westchester County Airport Westchester County Airport is a county-owned airport in Westchester County, New York, three miles (6 km) northeast of downtown White Plains, with territory in the towns of North Castle and Harrison, New York, and village of Rye Brook, New ...

approximately south,

Albany International Airport Albany International Airport is six miles (9 km) northwest of Albany, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is owned by the Albany County Airport Authority. ALB covers of land. It is an air port of entry in the town of Colon ...

approximately north and the three major metropolitan airports for New York City: John F. Kennedy International Airport approximately south,

Newark Liberty International Airport Newark Liberty International Airport , originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport straddling the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union Count ...

approximately south, and LaGuardia Airport approximately south. Bus transit service is provided by

Dutchess County Public Transit The Dutchess County Public Transit is the bus service provided by the Dutchess County Division of Public Transit in Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population ...

, operated by Dutchess County, which travels throughout Dutchess County and also serves as the main link to the Route 9 corridor, including

and

South Hills Mall The Shoppes at South Hills, formerly South Hills Mall, is a shopping mall on U.S. 9, now converted into a strip mall, in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York. The 675,000 ft² plaza opened in 1974 and included two anchors, Sears and Kmart, a ...

. 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-only

Main Mall The Main Mall was an outdoor pedestrian shopping plaza in downtown Poughkeepsie, New York, which was in existence from 1973 until 2001. An urban renewal project designed with the intention of stopping the decline of the central business district o ...

(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 include

Adirondack Trailways Trailways of New York is one of the largest privately held transportation companies based in New York State. It employs over 450 people and carries passengers more than 80 million miles annually. TrailwaysNY, as it is known, operates over 150 tr ...

, Short Line, commuter runs to White Plains, and a shuttle to New Paltz.

Notable people

George Appo George Washington Appo (born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 4, 1856; died in New York City on May 17, 1930) was a pickpocket and fraudster whose manner of speech in a testimony became influential in depictions of criminals . George himself wrote ...

, pickpocket and con artist: operated in a

green goods scam The green goods scam, also known as the "green goods game", was a fraud scheme popular in the 19th-century United States in which people were duped into paying for worthless counterfeit money. It is a variation on the pig-in-a-poke scam using mo ...

in Poughkeepsie for a short period in the 19th century *

George G. Barnard George Gardner Barnard (c. 1829 Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York – April 27, 1879 New York City) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was one of only four people ever tried by the New York Court for the Trial of Impe ...

, state judge impeached by the Court for the Trial of Impeachments for events during the Erie War * Chris Bell, film director and producer *

, composer, musician, and creator of

and

Tower Music Tower music is a musical performance from the top of a tower. It can also designate the music composed for or played in such a performance. In the early European Middle Ages, musical instruments on towers were used to warn of danger and mark t ...

projects * Josh Billings, pen name of Henry Wheeler Shaw, humorist of mid-to-late 19th century *

Jane Bolin Jane Matilda Bolin (April 11, 1908 – January 8, 2007) was an American attorney and judge. She was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association and the first to join the New York Ci ...

, the first black woman to serve as a judge in the United States * Rob Chianelli, drummer for We Are the In Crowd * Shawn Christensen, Oscar-winning screenwriter, film director, singer-songwriter, actor and painter * Richard Connell, author * Philip Schuyler Crooke (1810–1881), was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Andrew Jackson Davis Andrew Jackson Davis (August 11, 1826January 13, 1910) was an American Spiritualist, born in Blooming Grove, New York. Early years Davis had little education. In 1843 he heard lectures in Poughkeepsie on animal magnetism, the precursor of hypn ...

(1826–1920), known variously as the "Poughkeepsie Seer" or "The Seer of Poughkeepsie" *

Cathy Davis Cathy Davis (born c. 1952) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1976 and 1981. Some of her fights were fixed. Career Davis sued the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) in 1977 because she was denied a boxing lic ...

, boxer *

Amanda Minnie Douglas Amanda Minnie Douglas (July 14, 1831 – July 18, 1916) was an Lists of American writers, American writer of adult and Young adult fiction, juvenile fiction. She was probably best remembered by young readers of her day for the ''Little Girl'' and ...

(1831–1916), writer''New Jersey Historical Society Library''
Retrieved December 1, 2013 * Bill Duke, actor and film director * Chris Dyson, racecar driver * Martin Faust, actor *

Kendall Francois Kendall Francois (July 26, 1971 – September 11, 2014) was a serial killer from Poughkeepsie (city), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York, convicted of killing eight women, from 1996 to 1998. After his conviction and sentencing, Francois was housed ...

, serial killer *

Carolyn Garcia Carolyn Elizabeth Garcia (née Adams; born May 7, 1946), also known as Mountain Girl, is an American Merry Prankster and the former wife of Jerry Garcia, the lead vocalist and guitar player with the American rock band, Grateful Dead. Biogra ...

, a/k/a "Mountain Girl," Merry Prankster, wife of

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

guitarist

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

Benjamin A. Gilman Benjamin Arthur Gilman (December 6, 1922 – December 17, 2016) was an American politician and Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Middletown, New York, from January 3, 1973, to January 3, 2003. Early life Gilm ...

, former U.S. congressman *

Alex Goot Alexander George Goot (born March 15, 1988) is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from New York City. , his YouTube channel GootMusic has 3.75 million subscribers and more than 800 million total views. He plays acoustic guitar, bass g ...

, YouTube musician *

Against The Current (band) Against the Current (often abbreviated as ATC) is an American pop-rock band from Poughkeepsie, New York, formed in 2011. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Chrissy Costanza, guitarist Dan Gow, and drummer Will Ferri. The band quickly g ...

, pop/rock musicians with

Chrissy Costanza Christina Nicola Costanza (born August 23, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is best known as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the pop rock band Against The Current. Early life Costanza was born on August ...

as their lead singer *

Dustin Higgs Dustin John Higgs (March 10, 1972 – January 16, 2021) was an American man who was executed by the United States federal government, having been convicted and sentenced to death in 2000 for his role in the January 1996 murders of three women in ...

, convicted murderer executed by the United States federal government *

Mela Hudson Mela Hudson (July 24, 1987 – August 14, 2018) was an American actress, and producer best known for her roles in '' Split Costs,'' '' The Sisterhood of Night,'' '' Hits,'' '' Eight,'' and ''Melancholia''. Hudson made her producer debut in 2013 ...

, actress, producer * Jonathan Idema, self-proclaimed counter-terrorism expert and

covert operation A covert operation is a military operation intended to conceal the identity of (or allow plausible deniability by) the party that instigated the operation. Covert operations should not be confused with clandestine operations, which are performe ...

s specialist, partially served sentence in Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Afghanistan before being pardoned by

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...

Tibor Kalman Tibor George Kalman (July 6, 1949 – May 2, 1999) was an American graphic designer of Hungarian origin, well known for his work as editor-in-chief of ''Colors'' magazine. Early life Kalman was born on July 6, 1949, in Budapest, to parents Ma ...

, graphic designer, emigrated from

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

to Poughkeepsie as a child *

Hevad Khan Hevad Khan (born January 25, 1985) is an American professional poker player, best known for making the final table at the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, where he finished in sixth place. Competitive Gaming Khan began on the competitive ...

, poker player *

G. Gordon Liddy George Gordon Battle Liddy (November 30, 1930 – March 30, 2021) was an American lawyer, FBI agent, talk show host, actor, and convicted felon in the Watergate scandal as the chief operative in the White House Plumbers unit during the Nixon admi ...

, key figure in

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

* Keith Lockhart, conductor of Boston Pops Orchestra *

Bartlett Marshall Low Bartlett Marshall Low (February 3, 1839 – July 28, 1893) was an American farmer and politician. Low was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. He served in the 42nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War and was commissioned a fi ...

, Minnesota state legislator and businessman *

Terry MacAlmon Terry MacAlmon (born May 12, 1955) is an American Christian singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, worship leader and author. He is known for writing the popular song 'I Sing Praises', that has been a Top 40 Christian song around the wo ...

, Christian musician *

Jocko Maggiacomo Chauncey T. Maggiacomo Jr. (born November 30, 1947) known as "Jocko" or, in high school, as "Chant," is a racing car driver from Poughkeepsie, New York. He is infamous for T-boning Bobby Allison, all but ending both careers. His father Chauncey T ...

, race car driver *

Joe McPhee Joe McPhee (born November 3, 1939) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist born in Miami, Florida, a player of tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, the trumpet, flugelhorn and valve trombone. McPhee grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, and is ...

, jazz multi-instrumentalist * Johnny Miller, pioneering aviator, brother of Lee Miller * Lee Miller, fashion model, photographer and

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 ...

correspondent, sister of Johnny Miller *

Alison Mountz Alison Mountz is an American political geographer. She is a full professor and Canada Research Chair at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. In 2016, Mountz was elected a member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, ...

, political geographer *

Sergio Rossetti Morosini Sergio Rossetti Morosini (born 1953) is a Brazilian-American Scholar, artist and author of Venetian extraction who served as Brazil's Cultural attaché in New Orleans and is dedicated to preserving the Atlantic Forest and restoring the art in st ...

, artist, conservator * Sterling Morrison, guitarist for the 1960s rock band

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

Anna Morton Anna Livingston Reade Morton ( Street; May 18, 1846 – August 14, 1918) was the second wife of United States Vice President of the United States, Vice President Levi P. Morton and Second ladies and gentlemen of the United States, Second Lady of ...

, Second Lady of the United States from 1889 to 1893 * Billy Name, photographer, filmmaker, artist and

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

collaborator *

Homer Augustus Nelson Homer Augustus Nelson (August 31, 1829 – April 25, 1891) was an American politician and soldier from the state of New York. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representative and was an officer in the Union Army during the first part ...

, lawyer,

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

Secretary of State of New York The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York who leads the New York State Department of State, Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York ...

and

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

Michelle Nijhuis Michelle Nijhuis (born January 7, 1974) is an American science journalist who writes about conservation and climate change for many publications, including '' National Geographic'' and '' Smithsonian'' magazines. Awards Nijhuis has received sever ...

, science journalist *

Mark Parker Mark Parker (born October 21, 1955) is an American businessman. He serves as executive chairman of Nike, Inc. He was named the third CEO of the company in 2006 and served as president and CEO until 13 January 2020. Personal life Parker was born ...

, president and CEO of Nike, Inc. *

Edmund Platt Edmund Platt (February 2, 1865 – August 7, 1939) was an American politician and corporate executive who served as the 4th Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve from 1920 to 1930. He previously served as United States Representative from New York f ...

, former U.S. Representative *

Dave Price David M. Price (born October 18, 1966) is an American journalist and weather forecaster who is currently working for WNBC-TV in New York as a weekday afternoon weatherman. Price is perhaps best known for his time on CBS television's ''The Early ...

WNBC-TV WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...

Weatherman * William Radford (1814–1870), former

Barbara Rhoades Barbara Rhoades (born March 23, 1946) is an American actress, known primarily for her comedy and mystery roles, especially as lady bandit Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushings in '' The Shakiest Gun in the West'' (1968). She had a recurring role on ''Soa ...

, film and television actress *

Richard Rinaldi Richard P. Rinaldi (born August 3, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Baltimore Bullets. Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Rinaldi attended F.D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, New York and was a gua ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

guard * Robert Sheckley, author, nominated for Hugo and Nebula awards *

Leonard B. Smith Leonard B. "Tuck" Smith (October 29, 1915 in Mayview, Missouri – May 16, 2006 in Friday Harbor, Washington) was an American pilot who spotted the German battleship '' Bismarck'' prior to its being sunk by British naval and air forces.

, jazz cornetist and composer * Charles Spencer, professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

offensive tackle *

Monty Stickles Monty Anthony Stickles (August 16, 1938 – September 3, 2006) was an American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints. Stickles was born in Kingston, New York on August 1 ...

, AFL and NFL football player *

Debi Thomas Debra Janine Thomas (born March 25, 1967) is an American former figure skater and physician. She is the 1986 World Figure Skating Championships, 1986 World champion, the Figure skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics, 1988 Olympic bronze medalist, an ...

, figure skater, 1986 world champion and 1988 Olympic bronze medalist * Matthew Vassar, founded

in 1861 * Riley Weston, screenwriter best known for her work on '' Felicity'' *

Andre Williams Andre Williams may refer to: * Andre Williams (musician) * Andre Williams (American football) * Andre Williams, British DJ better known as Shy FX {{hndis, Williams, Andre ...

, NFL running back, 2013

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

finalist *

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

, film director

Scientists and inventors

Sara Josephine Baker Sara Josephine Baker (November 15, 1873 – February 22, 1945) was an American physician notable for making contributions to public health, especially in the immigrant communities of New York City. Her fight against the damage that widespread ur ...

, physician, inventor infant formula * William Henry Brewer, chemist, geologist and botanist *

Alfred Mosher Butts Alfred Mosher Butts (April 13, 1899 – April 4, 1993) was an American architect, famous for inventing the board game ''Scrabble'' in 1938. Personal life Alfred Mosher Butts was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on April 13, 1899, to Allison Bu ...

, architect and inventor of board game '' Scrabble'' * Donald Klein, Chemist. Inventor of

MOSFET The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, or MOS FET) is a type of field-effect transistor (FET), most commonly fabricated by the controlled oxidation of silicon. It has an insulated gate, the voltage of which d ...

transistor upright=1.4, gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (pink). A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch e ...

Calvin D. MacCracken Calvin Dodd MacCracken (1919-1999) was an American inventor who made important contributions to energy storage technology and the construction of ice rinks. Early life MacCracken was born in Poughkeepsie, New York to Henry Noble MacCracken, a ...

, inventor *

Harold J. Morowitz Harold Joseph Morowitz (December 4, 1927 – March 22, 2016) was an American biophysicist who studied the application of thermodynamics to living systems. Author of numerous books and articles, his work includes technical monographs as well as ess ...

, biophysicist * Samuel Morse, Morse Code *

Samuel Slocum Samuel Slocum (March 4, 1792 - January 26, 1861), was an American inventor from Poughkeepsie, New York. He was born in Jamestown, RI, son of Peleg Slocum and Anne Dyer Slocum. He was raised in Usquepaugh, RI, a village in South Kingstown, RI, wher ...

, inventor * William Wallace Smith 2nd, chemist: first cough drops produced and advertised in the United States

Major League Baseball players

Frank Bahret Franklin F. Bahret (1858 – March 30, 1888), sometimes referenced as Frank J. Bahret was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and catcher for the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association in 1884. He also played for Indianapolis duri ...

Tommy Boggs Thomas Winton Boggs (October 25, 1955 – October 5, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and college baseball coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Texas Rangers (1976–1977, 1985) and the ...

Buttons Briggs Herbert Theodore "Buttons" Briggs (July 8, 1875 – February 18, 1911) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played a total of five seasons. Career Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Briggs played his entire major league career for t ...

Frank Cimorelli Frank Thomas Cimorelli (born August 2, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Cimorelli played for the St. Louis Cardinals in . Cimorelli attended Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, New York where he was teammates with ...

* Bill Daley *

Ricky Horton Ricky Neal Horton (born July 30, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) left-handed pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1984 to 1990. As of 2022, he is a radio broadcast ...

* Fred Lasher *

Mickey McDermott Maurice Joseph "Mickey" McDermott Jr. (April 29, 1929 – August 7, 2003) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Pre-professional career Mickey McDermott was the third son of Maurice McDermott Sr., a police officer and fo ...

* Jeff Pierce *

Elmer Steele Elmer Rae Steele (May 17, 1886 in Poughkeepsie, New York – March 9, 1966 in Rhinebeck, New York) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in the major leagues from 1907 to 1911. He also played for several years in the minor leagues. ...

Bands

Genghis Tron Genghis Tron is an American four-piece cybergrind band formed in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States, and latterly based in Brooklyn, New York and San Francisco, California. The band signed to Relapse Records after releasing two recordings ...

(grindcore metal) *

Matchbook Romance Matchbook Romance was an American emo band from Poughkeepsie, New York and was formed in 1997. They were signed to Epitaph Records. They released two full-length albums and one EP. Their EP, ''West for Wishing'', released in 2003 was their first r ...

(emo punk) *

Pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), a unit of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile Symbols * Po ...

(rock) * Shai Hulud (hardcore metal) * That's Outrageous! (metalcore) * We Are the In Crowd (pop punk) * Against the Current (pop rock)

References

Notes

External links

City of Poughkeepsie official website
* * {{Authority control Cities in New York (state) Populated places established in 1687

New York (state) populated places on the Hudson River County seats in New York (state) Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area 1687 establishments in the Province of New York Cities in the New York metropolitan area Cities in Dutchess County, New York