The county was named for Mary of Modena, Duchess of York dutchess is an archaic spelling of the word duchess. Its boundaries at that time included the present Putnam County, and a small portion of the present Columbia County (the towns of Clermont and Germantown). On November 1, 1683, the Province of New York established its first twelve counties, including Dutchess. They had their council-fire at what is now Fishkill Hook, and had settlements throughout the area.
History View of Harlem Valley from Appalachian Trail in Pawlingīefore Anglo- Dutch settlement, what is today Dutchess County was a leading center for the indigenous Wappinger peoples. It is located in the Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley, north of New York City.ĭutchess County is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area, which belongs to the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organized in 1713. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911.