Editing Columbia County, New York

{{Short description|County in New York, United States}}
{{Distinguish|Columbia, New York}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
| county           = Columbia County
| state            = New York
| type = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
| flag             = Flag of Columbia County, New York.svg
| seal             = Columbia County ny seal.png
| founded          = {{start date and age|1786|4|4}}{{refn|group=nb|name="Sullivan-founding"}}
| seat wl           = Hudson
| largest city   = [[Kinderhook, New York|Kinderhook]]
| city type  =
| area_total_sq_mi = 648
| area_land_sq_mi  = 635
| area_water_sq_mi = 14
| area percentage  = 2.1
| census yr        = 2020
| pop              = 61570<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Population%20Total&g=0400000US36%240500000&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29|access-date=January 2, 2022|title=US Census 2020 Population Dataset Tables for New York|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
| density_sq_mi      = 97
| web              = http://www.columbiacountyny.com/
| ex image = First Columbia County courthouse, Claverack, NY.jpg
| ex image cap = First Columbia County Courthouse in Claverack
| district = 19th
| time zone = Eastern
| named for = [[Christopher Columbus]]
}}
[[File:William Henry Ludlow house, Claverack, Columbia County, NY, USA.jpg|thumb|right|[[William Henry Ludlow House]], built in 1786, Hudson, NY]]

'''Columbia County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[New York (state)|New York]]. At the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 61,570.<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Columbia County, New York|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/columbiacountynewyork/PST045221|access-date=January 3, 2022|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The [[county seat]] is [[Hudson, New York|Hudson]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref> The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the surname of [[Christopher Columbus]], which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal for the name of the [[United States]]. The county is the southern end of the [[Capital District (New York)|Capital District]] of the state.

==History==
At the arrival of European colonists the area was inhabited by the [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] [[Mahican|Mohican Indians]]. To the west of the river were the Mohawk and other four tribes of the [[Iroquois Confederacy]], extending past what is now the border of New York state. The first known European exploration of Columbia County was in 1609, when [[Henry Hudson]], an English explorer sailing for the Dutch, ventured up the [[Hudson River]]. An accident to his craft forced him to stop at what is now known as Columbia County and there search for food and supplies.<ref name="disc1">{{Cite web|author=Columbia County, NY.com|title=History of Columbia County, New York|access-date=February 11, 2008|url=http://www.columbiacountyny.com/history.html}}</ref> In 1612, the Dutch established trading posts and minor settlements, building New Amsterdam (now [[New York City]]) and Fort Orange (now [[Albany, New York|Albany]]). Fort Orange became a center of the [[fur trade]] with the [[Mohawk people]]. Traders stopped at points along the Hudson River on their travels between New Amsterdam and Fort Orange; small settlements arose along the river to supply the traders' ships.<ref name="disc1"/>

Dutch colonists bought land [from whom?] near [[Claverack, New York|Claverack]] in 1649 and 1667.<ref name="disc2">{{Cite web|author=Rootsweb|title=History of Columbia County|access-date=February 11, 2008|url=http://www.rootsweb.com/~nycolumb/}}</ref> As more Dutch arrived, the region slowly developed. In 1664, the English took over New Netherland and renamed it the "[[Province of New York]]"; they also renamed Fort Orange "[[Albany, New York|Albany]]".<ref name="disc2"/>

In the late 17th century, [[Robert Livingston the Elder|Robert Livingston]], a Scots immigrant by way of Rotterdam, built on his connections as [[Indian agent]] in the colony and purchased two large tracts from the Native Americans. He gained much larger grants from the provincial government, for a total of 160,240 acres. He was made [[lord of the manor|lord]] of [[Livingston Manor]] by the [[British crown|Crown]], with all its perquisites, and developed the property with [[tenant farm]]ers. In 1710, he sold 6,000 acres of his property to [[Queen Anne of Great Britain]] for use as work camps and for the resettlement of [[German Palatines|Palatine German]] refugees. The Crown had supported their passage to New York, and they were to pay off the cost by [[indentured labor]].<ref name=Knittle>{{cite book|last=Knittle|first=Walter Allen|title=Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration|year=1965|publisher=Genealogical Publishing Co.|location=Baltimore|isbn=0-8063-0205-4}}</ref> Some 1,200 [[Palatine Germans]] were brought to Livingston Manor (now [[Germantown (town), New York|Germantown]]). New York's Governor Hunter had also helped with these arrangements: the workers were to make [[naval stores]] (''e.g.'', pitch, resin, and turpentine) from the pine trees in the [[Catskill Mountains]].

They were promised land for resettlement after completing their terms of indenture.<ref name="disc2"/> They were refugees from years of religious fighting along the border with France, as well as crop failures from a severe winter.<ref name=Knittle/> Work camps were established on both sides of the Hudson River. The Germans quickly established Protestant churches at the heart of their community, which recorded their weddings, births and deaths, among the first vital records kept in the colony.<ref name=Knittle/>

[[File:1879 CV map only.jpg|thumb|left|1879 map of the [[Vermont Central Railway]]]]

After many years, some of the colonists were granted land in the frontier of the central Mohawk Valley west of present-day [[Little Falls, New York|Little Falls]] in the 100 lots of the Burnetsfield Patent; in the Schoharie Valley, and other areas, such as [[Palatine Bridge, New York|Palatine Bridge]] along the Mohawk River west of Schenectady. They were buffer communities between the British settlements and the Iroquois and French (the latter located mostly in Canada.)

Columbia County was formed in 1786 after the [[American Revolutionary War]] from portions of [[Albany County, New York|Albany County]],{{refn|group=nb|name="Sullivan-founding"}} once a vast area until new communities were developed and jurisdictions were organized. In 1799, the southern boundary of Columbia County was moved southward to include that portion of Livingston Manor located in [[Dutchess County]].

In the nineteenth century, the [[Vermont Central Railway]] was constructed to the area. It provided transportation north towards [[Rutland (city), Vermont|Rutland]] and [[Burlington, Vermont]], and south towards the major junction town of [[Chatham, New York]], for travel to points west, south and east.

A large number of [[LGBT]] artists and writers settled in Columbia County in the late 20th century, including [[Ellsworth Kelly]], who moved to the county in 1970, followed by [[James Ivory]] and [[Ismail Merchant]] (1975) and the poet [[John Ashbery]] (1978).<ref name=Gefter>Philip Gefter, [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/t-magazine/columbia-county-gay-utopia-new-york.html The Place Beyond the Fire Island Pines], ''New York Times'' (October 23, 2017).</ref>

{{expand section|content on the 19th and 20th centuries. But for one single item after the 1700s both are entirely skipped.|date=September 2021}}

==Government and politics==
{{PresHead|place=Columbia County, New York|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=October 22, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|15,168|20,396|333|New York}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|14,464|20,386|760|New York}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|13,756|15,284|1,862|New York}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|12,225|16,221|683|New York}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|13,337|17,556|540|New York}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|14,457|15,929|717|New York}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|13,153|13,489|2,056|New York}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|10,324|12,910|4,169|New York}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|11,568|11,368|6,120|New York}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|15,111|11,585|228|New York}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|18,814|8,960|117|New York}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|13,946|9,500|2,828|New York}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|15,871|10,514|189|New York}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|17,995|7,558|57|New York}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|13,857|7,762|1,466|New York}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|9,023|14,516|19|New York}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|15,893|8,747|24|New York}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|19,004|4,999|0|New York}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|17,539|6,075|35|New York}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|13,758|6,527|595|New York}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|13,055|6,969|54|New York}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|13,527|8,591|44|New York}}
{{PresRow|1936|Republican|13,034|8,375|264|New York}}
{{PresRow|1932|Republican|11,667|9,083|181|New York}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|14,000|6,403|209|New York}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|10,774|5,466|674|New York}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|9,284|5,203|336|New York}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|5,314|4,938|97|New York}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|3,741|4,599|1,501|New York}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|5,726|5,097|286|New York}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|5,996|5,245|206|New York}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|6,478|4,953|217|New York}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|6,654|4,373|355|New York}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|5,384|5,868|555|New York}}
{{PresRow|1888|Republican|6,447|6,037|292|New York}}
{{PresRow|1884|Republican|6,424|5,854|209|New York}}
|}

Voters in Columbia County since the mid-19th century have mostly elected [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] to office. But from 1996 to 2007, new voter registrations by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] have outpaced those by Republicans by a margin of 4 to 1.<ref name="test">{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/EnrollmentCounty.html |title=New York State Board of Elections Enrollment by County Page |access-date=December 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218050402/http://www.elections.ny.gov/EnrollmentCounty.html |archive-date=December 18, 2014 }}</ref> Democrats have been able to win the county in every presidential election since 1996, with [[Joe Biden]]'s 57% of the vote in 2020 being the highest for a Democrat in the county since 1964.

{| class=wikitable style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none"
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration as of April 1, 2016<ref>{{cite web|title=NYSVoter Enrollment by County, Party Affiliation and Status |date=April 2016 |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/enrollment/county/county_apr16.pdf |publisher=New York State Board of Elections |access-date=July 30, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730140838/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/enrollment/county/county_apr16.pdf |archive-date=July 30, 2016 }}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Active voters
! Inactive voters
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 13,037
| style="text-align:center;"| 1,241
| style="text-align:center;"| 14,278
| style="text-align:center;"| 33.05%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 11,774
| style="text-align:center;"| 724
| style="text-align:center;"| 12,498
| style="text-align:center;"| 28.93%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Unaffiliated
| style="text-align:center;"| 10,724
| style="text-align:center;"| 1,007
| style="text-align:center;"| 11,731
| style="text-align:center;"| 27.16%
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| Other{{refn|group=nb|Included are voters affiliated with the [[Conservative Party of New York State|Conservative Party]], [[Green Party of New York|Green Party]], [[Working Families Party]], [[Independence Party of New York|Independence Party]], [[Women's Equality Party (New York)|Women's Equality Party]], [[Reform Party of New York State|Reform Party]], and other small parties.}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,225
| style="text-align:center;"| 467
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,692
| style="text-align:center;"| 10.86%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 39,760
! style="text-align:center;"| 3,439
! style="text-align:center;"| 43,199
! style="text-align:center;"| 100%
|}

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|648|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|635|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|14|sqmi}} (2.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519062322/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 19, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 3, 2015 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files }}</ref>

Columbia County is in the southeast south-to-central part of New York State, southeast of [[Albany, New York|Albany]] and immediately west of the [[Massachusetts]] border. The western border is the [[Hudson River]].

The landscapes of the county were among the scenes depicting by the [[Hudson River School]], a mid-19th century [[art movement]].<ref name=Gefter/>

The terrain is gentle, rolling hills, rising sharply into the [[Taconic Mountains|Taconic]] and [[Berkshire Mountains]] along the state line. To the west lie the [[Hudson River]] and the [[Catskill Mountains]].
[[File:Catskills across the Hudson.jpg|thumb|The [[Catskill Mountains]] from [[Olana]] in southern Columbia County]]

The highest point is on the [[Massachusetts]] state line, near the summit of Alander Mountain, at approximately {{convert|2,110|ft|m}} above sea level, in the town of Copake. The lowest point is at or near sea level, along the Hudson.

Columbia County is accessible by two limited-access highways. The [[Taconic State Parkway]], which is not accessible to trucks or commercial traffic, runs through the center of the county from south to north, ending at an interchange with [[Interstate 90 in New York|Interstate 90]] and connecting the county with points south. Columbia County is the last New York county located along eastbound [[Interstate 90 in New York|Interstate 90]] (and the first county along westbound I-90), which passes through the towns of Canaan and Chatham as the Berkshire Connector portion of the [[New York Thruway]]. I-90 has two exits within the county; for the southbound [[Taconic State Parkway]] in Chatham, and for [[New York State Route 22|NYS Route 22]] in Canaan. Depending on precise location within the county, road travel distance to New York City ranges between {{convert|96|and|145|mi|km}}.

Several other major routes cross Columbia County including north–south [[U.S. Route 9 in New York|U.S. Route 9]], east–west [[New York State Route 23|NYS Route 23]], north–south [[New York State Route 22|NYS Route 22]] and a short portion of east–west [[U.S. Route 20 in New York|U.S. Route 20]] in the county's northeastern corner.

===Rivers and streams===
[[File:Roeliff Jansen Kill, Livingston, New York.jpg|thumb|The [[Roeliff Jansen Kill]] near Rhinebeck-Hudson Road in [[Livingston, New York]].]]
The Hudson River forms the western border of the county. Other notable creeks include; the Ancram Creek, [[Claverack Creek]], Copake Creek, [[Kinderhook Creek]], [[Roeliff-Jansen Kill]], and Valatie Kill. The Rossman Falls and Stuyvesant Falls lie on the Kinderhook Creek. Notable lakes and ponds include [[Copake Lake, New York|Copake Lake]], Kinderhook Reservoir, [[Queechy Lake]], and [[Lake Taghkanic State Park|Lake Taghkanic]].
[[File:Herondale Farm sign, Ancram, New York.jpg|thumb|A farm on Columbia County Route 3 in [[Ancram, New York]].]]

=== Farms ===
Columbia County is home to many local farms supplying the area with fresh meat, eggs, herbs, and produce, including Holmquest, Ronnybrook, Fix Brothers Fruit Farm, Eger Brothers, Hover Farms, Marsh Meadow Farm, Schober Farm, Millerhurst, Ooms Farm, Churchtown Dairy, Pigasso, Common Hands Farm, Darlin' Doe, Blue Star Farm, Green Mead Farm, Little Ghent Farm, and Ironwood Farm.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Columbia County Home to Next Generation of Farmers|url = http://www.twcnews.com/nys/hudson-valley/news/2015/09/16/columbia-county-home-to-next-generation-of-farmers.html|website = TWC News|access-date = October 14, 2015}}</ref> Other farms include the large, well-known Hawthorne Valley Farm which includes a farm store and training programs, the biodynamic Roxbury Farm, and FarmOn! at Empire Farm, also a teaching farm.

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Albany County, New York|Albany County]] - northwest
* [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire County]], [[Massachusetts]] - east
* [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]] - south
* [[Greene County, New York|Greene County]] - west
* [[Rensselaer County, New York|Rensselaer County]] - north
* [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster County]] - southwest

===National protected area===
* [[Martin Van Buren National Historic Site]]

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
|1790= 27496
|1800= 35322
|1810= 32390
|1820= 38330
|1830= 39907
|1840= 43252
|1850= 43073
|1860= 47172
|1870= 47044
|1880= 47928
|1890= 46172
|1900= 43211
|1910= 43658
|1920= 38930
|1930= 41617
|1940= 41464
|1950= 43182
|1960= 47322
|1970= 51519
|1980= 59487
|1990= 62982
|2000= 63094
|2010= 63096
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 3, 2015}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 3, 2015|archive-date=August 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ny190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 3, 2015}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 3, 2015}}</ref> 2010-2020<ref name="QF"/>
|2020=61570}}

=== 2020 census ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Columbia County Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title =P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Columbia County, New York|url= https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Columbia%20County,%20New%20York&t=Race%20and%20Ethnicity&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (NH)
|50,795
|82.5%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (NH)
|2,421
|3.93%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]] (NH)
|70
|0.11%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]] (NH)
|1,423
|2.31%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]] (NH)
|16
|0.02%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]] (NH)
|3,303
|5.4%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|3,542
|5.8%
|}

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 63,094 people, 24,796 households, and 16,588 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|99|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 30,207 housing units at an average density of {{convert|48|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units&nbsp;}}. The racial makeup of the county was 92.09% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 4.52% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.21% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.80% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.90% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.45% from two or more races. 2.53% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. 17.2% were of [[Germans|German]], 14.7% [[Italian people|Italian]], 14.5% [[Irish people|Irish]], 9.0% [[English people|English]], 6.3% [[Polish people|Polish]] and 6.1% [[United States|American]] ancestry according to [[Census 2000]]. 94.0% spoke [[English language|English]] and 2.1% [[Spanish language|Spanish]] as their first language.

There were 24,796 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.10% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,915, and the median income for a family was $49,357. Males had a median income of $34,702 versus $25,878 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $22,265. About 6.40% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

As of the 2010 census, the racial makeup of the county was 90.6% White, 4.5% African American, 0.2% Native American and 1.6% Asian. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.9% of the population.<ref>American Fact Finder, U.S. Census, 2010, Columbia County, New York, https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|date=June 11, 2013}} [https://www.census.gov]</ref>

==Communities==

===City===
* [[Hudson, New York|Hudson]] (county seat)

===Towns===
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Ancram, New York|Ancram]]
* [[Austerlitz, New York|Austerlitz]]
* [[Canaan, New York|Canaan]]
* [[Chatham (town), New York|Chatham]]
* [[Claverack, New York|Claverack]]
* [[Clermont, New York|Clermont]]
* [[Copake, New York|Copake]]
* [[Gallatin, New York|Gallatin]]
* [[Germantown (town), New York|Germantown]]
* [[Ghent, New York|Ghent]]
* [[Greenport, Columbia County, New York|Greenport]]
* [[Hillsdale, New York|Hillsdale]]
* [[Kinderhook (town), New York|Kinderhook]]
* [[Livingston, New York|Livingston]]
* [[New Lebanon, New York|New Lebanon]]
* [[Stockport, New York|Stockport]]
* [[Stuyvesant, New York|Stuyvesant]]
* [[Taghkanic, New York|Taghkanic]]
{{div col end}}

===Villages===
* [[Chatham (village), New York|Chatham]]
* [[Kinderhook (village), New York|Kinderhook]]
* [[Philmont, New York|Philmont]]
* [[Valatie, New York|Valatie]]

===Census-designated places===
{{div col}}
* [[Claverack-Red Mills, New York|Claverack-Red Mills]]
* [[Copake (CDP), New York|Copake]]
* [[Copake Falls, New York|Copake Falls]]
* [[Copake Lake, New York|Copake Lake]]
* [[Germantown (CDP), New York|Germantown]]
* [[Ghent (CDP), New York|Ghent]]
* [[Lorenz Park, New York|Lorenz Park]]
* [[Niverville, New York|Niverville]]
* [[Stottville, New York|Stottville]]
* [[Taconic Shores, New York|Taconic Shores]]
{{div col end}}

===Hamlets===
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Boston Corner, New York|Boston Corner]]
* Chatham Center
* [[Columbiaville, New York|Columbiaville]]
* [[Craryville, New York|Craryville]]
* [[East Chatham, New York|East Chatham]]
* [[Elizaville, New York|Elizaville]]
* [[Humphreysville, New York|Humphreysville]]
* Lebanon Springs
* Malden Bridge
* [[Mellenville, New York|Mellenville]] 
* New Britain
* New Lebanon
* New Lebanon Center
* [[Niverville, New York|Niverville]]
* North Chatham
* [[Old Chatham, New York|Old Chatham]]
* [[Spencertown, New York|Spencertown]]
* [[Stuyvesant Falls, New York|Stuyvesant Falls]]
* [[Red Rock, New York|Red Rock]]
* [[West Copake, New York|West Copake]]
* West Lebanon
{{div col end}}

==Education==
* [[Columbia–Greene Community College]] is located in Hudson, NY.

==Transportation==
===Major highways===
[[Interstate 90 in New York|Interstate 90]] runs east–west through the county. The [[Taconic State Parkway]] runs from I-90 south towards Westchester County. The main arterial north–south road, [[U.S. Route 9 in New York|U.S. 9]], runs through the larger towns towards the Hudson River.
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* {{jct|state=NY|I|90|NYBC}}
* {{jct|state=NY|US|9}}
* {{jct|state=NY|US|20}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|9G}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|9H}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|9J}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|22}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|23}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|23B}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|66}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|71}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|82}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|203}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|217}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|295}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|344}}
* {{jct|state=NY|NY|398}}
* {{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Taconic}}
{{div col end}}

===Railroads===
[[Amtrak]] passenger trains of the ''Empire Service'' corridor, as well as the ''[[Adirondack (train)|Adirondack]],'' ''[[Ethan Allen Express]],'' ''[[Maple Leaf (train)|Maple Leaf]]'' and the seasonal ''[[Berkshire Flyer]]'' make stops at [[Hudson station (New York)|Hudson station]].

Into the latter 1930s, the [[Rutland Railroad]] (in map above) operated trains between Bennington, Vermont and Chatham.<ref>'Official Guide of the Railways,' August 1936, Rutland Railway section, Table 5</ref> At [[Chatham Union Station]] there were connections to [[New York Central]]'s [[Harlem Line]] to [[Grand Central Terminal]]. Penn Central (successor to the New York Central) truncated service on the [[Harlem Line]] from Chatham to [[Dover Plains, New York|Dover Plains]] in 1972.<ref name=":13">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/26/archives/train-service-to-upper-harlem-valley-terminated.html|title=Train Service to Upper Harlem Valley Terminated|last=Faber|first=Harold|date=March 26, 1972|page=60|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 3, 2011}}</ref>

===Airport===
[[Columbia County Airport]] is located in Hudson and provides general aviation services.

==Notable people==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
*[[Martin van Buren]] (1782–1862) – the eight [[President of the United States]]
*[[Francis Forshew]] (1827–1895), photographer

==See also==
{{Portal|Hudson Valley|New York (state)}}
* [[List of counties in New York]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Columbia County, New York]]
{{clear right}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb|refs=
{{refn|group=nb|name="Sullivan-founding"|"As a county Columbia was set off from Albany on April 4, 1786."{{r|n="Sullivan1927p445"}}}}
}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
{{r|n="Sullivan1927p445"|r=
  {{cite Q|Q114149636|mode=cs1|p=445|chapter=Chapter V. Columbia County.
  |editor=Sullivan, James
  |editor2=Williams, Melvin E.
  |editor3=Conklin, Edwin P.
  |editor4=Fitzpatrick, Benedict
 }}}}
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Ellis|first=Franklin|title=History of Columbia County, New York|publication-place=Philadelphia|publisher=Everts & Ensign|year=1878|lccn=02001869}}
* {{cite Q|Q114149636|mode=cs1|p=445-51|chapter=Chapter V. Columbia County.
 |editor=Sullivan, James
 |editor2=Williams, Melvin E.
 |editor3=Conklin, Edwin P.
 |editor4=Fitzpatrick, Benedict
 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Columbia County, New York}}
* [http://www.columbiacountyny.com Columbia County, NY]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311032100/http://www.hrvh.org/collections/inst-intro.htm?inst=23 Columbia County Historical Society Digital Collections]
* [http://crandelltheatre.org Crandell Theatre (1926)], Official website of the oldest and largest movie theater in Columbia County
* [http://www.registerstar.com ''The Register-Star''], newspaper of Columbia County
* [https://archive.today/20131231234325/http://www.hudsonvalleydirectory.com/columbia ''Hudson Valley Directory''], listings pertaining to Columbia County, New York
* [http://visitchathamny.com ''Visit Chatham, NY''], site sponsored by the Chatham Area Business Alliance
* [https://www.columbiaedc.com Columbia Economic Development Corporation], lead economic development organization for Columbia County, New York
{{Geographic Location
| Centre    = Columbia County, New York
| North     = [[Rensselaer County, New York|Rensselaer County]]
| Northeast =
| East      = [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts]]
| Southeast = [[Litchfield County, Connecticut]]
| South     = [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]]
| Southwest = [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster County]]
| West      = [[Hudson River]]<br />[[Greene County, New York|Greene County]]
| Northwest = [[Albany County, New York|Albany County]]
}}
{{Hudson Valley navigation}}
{{Columbia County, New York}}
{{Capital District}}
{{New York}}

{{Coord|42.25|-73.63|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-NY_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Columbia County, New York| ]]
[[Category:1786 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1786]]