Putnam County, New York
Infobox U.S. County
county = Putnam County
state = New York

map size = 250
founded =
seat = Carmel | area_total_sq_mi =246
area_land_sq_mi =231
area_water_sq_mi =15
area percentage = 1.21%
census yr = 2000
pop = 95745
density_km2 =160
web = www.putnamcountyny.com
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Putnam County is a
Adjacent Counties
Adjacent counties
*Dutchess County (north)
*
*
*Orange County (west)Geographic Location
Centre = Putnam County, New York
North =
Northeast =
East =
Southeast =
South =
Southwest =
West =
Northwest =
History
When New York State established its first twelve counties in In 1609, a group of Native Americans called the Wappingers inhabited the east bank of the In 1691, a group of Dutch traders purchased an area of land that is now known as Putnam County from the Wappingers. Six years later the traders sold it to wealthy Dutch-American merchant Adolph Philipse, who then obtained a royal patent for land extending all the way from the In 1737, the Colonial Assembly designated the Philipse Patent as the South Precinct of Dutchess County, and the Philipses began leasing farms to immigrants from Due to increasing population of Dutchess County and the great distance from its county seat, Poughkeepsie, Putnam detached from Dutchess in 1812, and created its own county.Cite web|author=GenWeb|title=Putnam County|year=2006|publisher=|Rootsweb|accessdate=2008-01-27|url=http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyputnam/] Putnam was also able to function as a separate county because of the easy transportation provided by the Hudson River. Boats transporting goods traveled up the Hudson to Putnam. Problems arose when the river froze in the winter, which resulted in little food or goods being brought to the county. To resolve that, the Philipstown Turnpike was created in 1815 as a toll Putnam County played an important role in the By the 20th century, improved roads brought vacationers from New York City, which led to creation of the After Government and Politics County Executives Governmental operations in Putnam County are outlined in the County Charter which was approved by the voters of the County in November 1977. It is administered by a The County has had three County Executives: Prior to the Charter form of government, the County's affairs were managed by a six-member Board of Supervisors (one Supervisor from each town in the County). County Legislature The members of the County Legislature are: County Courts There are three types of general trial courts in Putnam County: the The County Court is authorized to hear all criminal cases that have occurred in the county as well as limited jurisdiction over civil cases. The County Court handles felony cases exclusively and shares jurisdiction with the town and village justice courts on misdemeanor cases and other minor offenses and violations. The County Court's jurisdiction on civil cases is limited to those involving less than $25,000. The Historic Putnam County Courthouse is located in the town of Carmel. Built in 1814 in Greek Revival style, it is the second oldest working courthouse in New York State. Portico and pillars were added to the structure in the 1840s. It was recently extensively remodeled to preserve the structure and adapt it for use as the Surrogate’s Court. [ [http://www.visitputnam.org/historic/carmel.html Putnam County Visitors' Bureau] ] The New Putnam County Courthouse opened on January 2, 2008. It was constructed at a cost of $22.8 million. Jury assembly, court clerks and a public law library are located on the first floor. The second floor includes a Family Court and hearing room. On all floors are judges' chambers, jury deliberation rooms, prisoner cells and conference rooms. The third floor has two courtrooms for the County Court. The Supreme Court and a law library occupy the fourth floor. [ [http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071229/NEWS04/712290359 "Putnam's $22.8M courthouse to open Wednesday," by Susan Elan, "The Journal News", County Sheriff The current sheriff, Politics Putnam County is considered a red county. Bush won 56% of the vote to John Kerry's 42% in 2004. In 2006 however it was surprisingly won by Geography Putnam County is situated in the southeastern part of New York State, between the According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 246 Reservoirs Putnam County is known for its large number of reservoirs, which partially supply New York City's large need for drinking water. Some of the largest reservoirs include:cite web|author|title=NYC Department of Environmental Protection|year=2008|publisher=NYC Department of Environmental Protection|accessdate=2008-01-13|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/watershed_protection/html/reservoirs.html] Bog Brook in Southeast; Croton Falls in Carmel and Southeast; Diverting in Southeast; East Branch in Brewster; Middle Branch in Southeast; West Branch in Kent and Carmel and Boyds Corner in Kent. Adjacent counties The adjacent counties include: Climate The climate of Putnam County is humid continental, as is the rest of Towns and municipalities Carmel Carmel is the county seat of Putnam County, with a population of 34,000.cite web|author=U.S. Census bureau|title=Demographcis of Carmel New York|year=2000|publisher|U.S. census burea|accessdate=2008-01-14|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=06000US3607912529&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Carmel&_cityTown=Carmel&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=] The town of Carmel includes the villages and hamlets of Carmel, Carmel Hills, Field Corners, Hopkins Corners, Mahopac, Kent Kent is a town located along a the northern border of Putnam with a population of 14,000.cite web|author=U.S. Census bureau|year=2006|title=Population of Kent|publisher=U.S. Census bureau|accessdate=2008-01-15|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=06000US3607939331&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Kent&_cityTown=Kent&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=] Kent contains the villages and hamlets of Lake Carmel, Kent Corners, Kent Hills, and Luddingtonville. Kent was originally named Fredericktown, when it was founded in 1778. Patterson Patterson is a town located in the northeast area of Putnam County with a population of 12,000.cite web|author=U.S. census bureau|title=Population of Patterson|year=2006|publisher=U.S. Census bureau|accessdate=2008-01-15|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=06000US3607956748&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Patterson&_cityTown=Patterson&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=] Patterson, originally named Franklin, was founded in 1795. Patterson contains the villages and hamlets of Barnum Corners, Camp Brady, Fields Corners, Haines Corners, Haviland Hollow, Putnam Lake, Steinbeck Corners, Towners, and West Patterson. Philipstown ) is located across the Hudson River from the village of Cold Spring. outheast Southeast is a town located along the southern border of Putnam County with a population of 18,000.cite web|author=U.S. Census bureau|title=Population of Southeast|year=2006|publisher=U.S. Census bureau|accessdate=2008-01-15|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=06000US3607968924&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=southeast&_cityTown=southeast&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=] It was founded in 1788.Cite web|author=|title=Town of Southeast|year=2007|publisher=Town of Southeast, New York|accessdate=2008-01-15|url=http://www.townofsoutheast-ny.com/Public_Documents/SoutheastNY_WebDocs/about] It is the second largest town in Putnam County, second only to Carmel. Southeast is located at the crossroads of Interstate highways 684 and 84, and State Routes 22, 312, 6 and 202. Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line has two stops that service the area, at Brewster Village and Southeast Station (formerly Brewster North) off Route 312. Southeast contains the villages and hamlets of Brewster, Brewster Heights, Deans Corners, Deforest Corners, Drewville Heights, Dykemans, Milltown, Sears Corners, and Sodom. Putnam Valley Putnam Valley is a town located on the southern border of Putnam County with a population of 11,000.cite web|author=U.S. Census bureau|title=Population of Putnam Valley|year=2006|publisher=U.S. Census bureau|accessdate=2008-01-15|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&_name=Putnam+Valley&_state=&_county=Putnam+Valley&_cityTown=Putnam+Valley&_zip=&_sse=on&_lang=en&pctxt=fph] Putnam Valley contains the villages and hamlets of Adams Corners, Christian Corners, Gilbert Corners, Lake Peekskill, Oscawana Corners, Putnam Valley, Tompkins Corners, Sunnybrook. Putnam Valley is also home to the Demographics As of the In 2000 there were 32,703 households out of which 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.40% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.00% were non-families. 18.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.27. In the county the population was spread out with 26.50% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.cite web|author=U.S. census bureau|title=Putnam Connty demographics|year=2008|publisher=U.S. census burea|accessdate=2008-01-13|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36079.html] The median income for a household in the county was $72,279, and the median income for a family was $82,197, the highest in the state. Males had a median income of $53,295 versus $38,390 for females. The Education The county has six public school districts: Brewster, Carmel, Garrison, Haldane, Mahopac, and Putnam Valley. [ [http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/localList.php?local=22495&locTGroup=School_districts&direction=down&sec=0&qty=6 School Districts in or near Putnam County - ePodunk ] ] Mahopac is the largest school district in Putnam County, educating more than 5,000 students in four elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school (1600 students). [http://www.mahopac.k12.ny.us/do/profile/] The library system consists of eight libraries; the Transportation Putnam has two interstate highways. The east-west Interstate 84 comes in from the north near Ludingtonville, and connects to the southbound The county's highway and facilities department maintains a number of county roads and performs snow and ice control on portions of the following numbered highways within the county:cite web|url=https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/portal/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/06tdreport.pdf|title=Traffic Data Report - All routes|format=PDF|publisher= The county also has several passenger trains that travel through the county. The Culture Points of interest Points of interest include Chuang Yen Monastery, located in Carmel and home to the largest Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere as well as the only library in the Depictions in popular culture Putnam County served as the setting for the Infrastructure *Putnam County gets the majority of its electricity from ee also * References External links * [http://www.putnamcountyny.com Putnam County, New York site]
Mahopac Falls, Mahopac Point, Secor Corners, Tilly Foster, and West Mahopac. Carmel is along the southern border of Putnam County. Carmel is known for its historic courthouse and high school, which serves grades 9-12.cite web|author=|title=Carmel High School|year=2007|publisher=Carmel High School|accessdate=2008-01-15|url=http://www.ccsd.k12.ny.us/chs/] Carmel was taken from what is now know as Kent in 1795.cite web|author=|title=Putnam County history|year=2007|publisher=Rootsweb|accessdate=2008-01-15|url=http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyputnam/putnam1841.html] ] NY 301 runs east-west from Cold Spring to Carmel. The short NY 403 connects 9 and 9D near Garrison. Three of the region's major east-west routes traverse the eastern half of the county. NY 52 enters alongside I-84 from Dutchess County, to end at US 6 south of Carmel. East of Brewster,
NY 6N for the entire duration within Putnam;
NY 9D from NY 301 to the Dutchess County line;
NY 52 from its southern terminus to NY 311;
NY 164 for its entire duration, and
NY 301 for its entire duration.
*Putnam County gets its water supply mainly from wells, the City of New York's local reservoirs and controlled lakes, or from the
*The main hospital which serves Putnam County is the Putnam Hospital Center, located in Carmel. [ [http://www.putnamhospital.org/foundation/ Putnam Hospital Center ] ]
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* [http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/state/his/bk3/ch11.html Summary early history of Putnam County]
* [http://fishkillcreekwatershed.org/ Fishkill Creek Watershed Committee]
* [http://www.SoutheastMuseum.org Southeast Museum Brewster, NY]
* [http://www.FriendsofTillyFoster.org Friends of Tilly Foster, Southeast NY]