Everything about Ulster County New York totally explained
» Ulster is also one of the four provinces of Ireland, as well as Other places.
Ulster County is a
county located in the
state of
New York,
USA. It sits in the state's
Mid-Hudson Region of the
Hudson Valley. As of the
2000 census, the
population is 177,749. However, recent population estimates completed by the
United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 (2007) are at 181,860 residents. It is the northernmost county and largest county (by land area) in the
New York Metropolitan Area. The
county seat and only large city is
Kingston. The county is named for the
Irish province of
Ulster, then an
earldom of the
Duke of York (later
James II).
History
In 1683, the
Province of New York established its first twelve counties. Ulster County was one of them. Its boundaries at that time included the present
Sullivan County, and portions of the present
Delaware and
Greene Counties.
In 1777, the capital of New York State (the first state capital of independent New York) was established at Kingston, though it was subsequently moved when the British burned that city.
In 1797, portions of
Otsego and Ulster Counties were split off to create Delaware County.
In 1800, portions of
Albany and Ulster Counties were split off to create Greene County.
In 1809, Sullivan County was split off from Ulster County.
Geography
Ulster County is in the southeast part of New York State, south of
Albany, immediately west of the
Hudson River. Much of the county is within the
Catskill Mountains and the
Shawangunk Ridge. Ulster County also has
Sam's Point Preserve, which includes rare dwarf pine trees and
VerKeerderkill falls.
The highest point is
Slide Mountain, at approximately 4,180 feet (1,274 m) above sea level. The lowest point is sea level along the Hudson River.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,161 square miles (3,006 km²), of which, 1,126 square miles (2,918 km²) of it's land and 34 square miles (89 km²) of it's
water. The total area is 2.95% water.
The
New York State Thruway Interstate 87 runs north-south through the county, carrying a lot of traffic to and from
New York City and its surroundings.
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 177,749 people, 67,499 households, and 43,536 families residing in the county. The
population density was 158 people per square mile (61/km²). There were 77,656 housing units at an average density of 69 per square mile (27/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.91%
White, 5.43%
Black or
African American, 0.27%
Native American, 1.24%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 2.15% from
other races, and 1.98% from two or more races. 6.16% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 19.2% were of
Italian, 16.8%
Irish, 15.5%
German, 6.8%
English and 4.7%
American ancestry according to
Census 2000. 90.3% spoke
English, 4.5%
Spanish, 1.2%
Italian and 1.0%
German as their first language.
There were 67,499 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were
married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.50% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,551, and the median income for a family was $51,708. Males had a median income of $36,808 versus $27,086 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $20,846. About 7.20% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Ulster had long had a county-scale version of a
council-manager government, with the county legislature hiring a county administrator to handle executive functions. The chair of the legislature had a great deal of power and was only accountable to the voters of his own district. The only countywide elected officials were the
district attorney and
sheriff.
In 2006, voters approved the first-ever county
charter, changing to an elected executive branch. Ulster will hold elections in 2008 for its first-ever
county executive and
comptroller.
(External Link
)
Additional County Information
Ulster County contains a large part of
Catskill Park and the
Catskill Forest Preserve. The former Delaware and Hudson Canal brought
Pennsylvania coal to Kingston on the Hudson. Former Orleans band member
John Hall served in the Ulster County legislature before moving to the 19th Congressional District to run for Congress.
(External Link)
The former
Ulster and Delaware Railroad runs through Ulster County. There are three railroad attractions in the county on this corridor:
Trolley Museum of New York,
Catskill Mountain Railroad, and
Empire State Railway Museum.
The Ulster County Fair has been held in
New Paltz for many years and has been described as The Best Six Days of Summer.
Trivia
- The county's total area (1,161 square miles) makes it almost as large as Rhode Island (1,214 square miles, according to the Wikipedia article on that state). Some sources give Rhode Island a smaller area than Ulster County.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ulster County New York'.
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