Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1820 | 11,268 | — | |
1830 | 12,628 | 12.1% | |
1840 | 12,825 | 1.6% | |
1850 | 14,138 | 10.2% | |
1860 | 14,002 | −1.0% | |
1870 | 15,420 | 10.1% | |
1880 | 15,181 | −1.5% | |
1890 | 14,849 | −2.2% | |
1900 | 13,787 | −7.2% | |
1910 | 14,665 | 6.4% | |
1920 | 10,802 | −26.3% | |
1930 | 13,744 | 27.2% | |
1940 | 16,555 | 20.5% | |
1950 | 20,307 | 22.7% | |
1960 | 31,722 | 56.2% | |
1970 | 56,696 | 78.7% | |
1980 | 77,193 | 36.2% | |
1990 | 83,941 | 8.7% | |
2000 | 95,745 | 14.1% | |
2010 | 99,710 | 4.1% | |
2020 | 97,668 | −2.0% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [43] 1790-1960 [44] 1900-1990 [45] 1990-2000 [46] 2010-2013 [3] 2010 and 2020 [47] |
According to the 2020 Census, there were 97,668 people and 38,713 households in the county, with 2.76 persons per household. The population density was 432.9 inhabitants per square mile (167.1/km2). 50.1% of the population was female. The racial makeup of the county was 77.1% White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.0% from other races, 1.8% from two or more races and 16.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race. 12.9% of the population was foreign born. [47]
4.5% of the population was under the age of 5, 19.4% under the age of 18, and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.4 years. [47]
The median income for a household in the county was $104,486, and the per capita income was $47,448. 5.2% of the population was in poverty. [47]
93% of the population at least 25 years old had a high school degree or higher, and 39.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher. [47]
There were 38,713 housing units, 81.8% of which were owner occupied. [47] As of Q4 2021, the median value of all homes in Putnam County was $419,890, an increase of 12.1% from the prior year. [48]
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (NH) | 71,942 | 73.66% |
Black or African American (NH) | 2,425 | 2.5% |
Native American (NH) | 80 | 0.1% |
Asian (NH) | 2,146 | 2.2% |
Pacific Islander (NH) | 12 | 0.01% |
Other/Mixed (NH) | 3,303 | 3.4% |
Hispanic or Latino | 17,760 | 18.2% |
The county has the following public school districts: [50]
Mahopac is the largest school district in Putnam County,[ citation needed ] educating more than 5,000 students in four elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school (1600 students). [51]
Saint Basil Academy, a private boarding facility, functioned as a private school with in-house instruction until 1997. [52]
The library system consists of eight libraries; the Brewster Public Library in Brewster; the Kent Public Library in Kent; the Reed Memorial Library in Carmel; the Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library in Cold Spring; the Alice Curtis Desmond and Hamilton Fish Library in Garrison; the Mahopac Public Library in Mahopac; the Patterson Library in Patterson, and the Putnam Valley Free Library in Putnam Valley. [53]
As of 2022 [update] SUNY Westchester Community College holds some general education classes at Mahopac High School. [54]
Putnam County was provided with the majority of its electricity by the nuclear Indian Point Energy Center in Westchester County until April 30, 2021. [55]
Water is supplied from wells, lakes, or the Hudson River.[ citation needed ]
The Putnam Hospital Center, located in Carmel, serves the eastern county. [56] Western Putnam County is mainly served by hospitals in Dutchess or Westchester counties.
The county has several passenger trains that serve the county. The Harlem Line and the Hudson Line of the Metro-North Railroad run north–south in Putnam. The Harlem Line makes stops at Brewster, Southeast, and Patterson. The Hudson Line makes stops at Manitou, Garrison, Cold Spring, and Breakneck Ridge. [57] A connection to Amtrak can be made to the south at Croton-Harmon in upper Westchester County or to the north at Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, both on the Hudson Line. Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan is roughly a one-hour train ride.
Until May 1958, a third commuter line, the New York Central's Putnam Division, operating between the Bronx and points in the county, served the region. With no direct connection to Grand Central Terminal (a transfer was required in the Bronx), ridership on the line was weak compared to its counterparts. Freight service was also scant. The line was eventually abandoned in waves between 1962 and 1980. The former railbed has been converted to trails, and now serves as the South County Trailway, North County Trailway, and Putnam County Trailway rail trails.
Putnam Transit, operated by the county, provides local public transportation.
In contrast to the surrounding counties, Putnam has no airport.
Putnam has two interstate highways. The east–west Interstate 84 comes in from the north near Ludingtonville, and connects to the southbound Interstate 684 in Southeast toward the Connecticut border. [58] The Taconic State Parkway runs north–south through central Putnam. [59] 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, US 6 joins US 202 and the routes leave the county and state concurrently aside the interstate. [60]
Chuang Yen Monastery, located in Kent, is home to the largest indoor Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere. It has the only library in the United States specializing in Buddhist history. [62]
Clarence Fahnestock State Park is a 14,000-acre (57 km2) natural area containing over 50 miles of trails for walking and hiking, including nine miles of the Appalachian Trail. [63] Donald J. Trump State Park (currently closed) is a 436-acre (1.76 km2) park located in Putnam and Westchester counties. [64] A small ski resort, Thunder Ridge Ski Area, with 30 trails and three lifts is located in the town of Patterson. [65]
The Journal News serves the region known as the Lower Hudson Valley, which comprises Westchester County, Rockland County, and Putnam County. The Journal News is owned by Gannett Company, Inc. Before Gannett merged its local dailies into the Journal News, Putnam County was served by an edition of the Reporter Dispatch.
Putnam County newsreaders were served for generations by the Putnam County News and Recorder, formerly an independently owned newspaper devoted to local affairs. The oversized broadsheet – measuring seventeen by twenty inches – was first published in Cold Spring as The Recorder in 1866. [66] In July 2008, the local ownership sold the paper to Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox News, who named his wife Elizabeth as the new publisher. The paper altered its editorial content substantially, generating local controversy. [67] In 2009 the Ailes family also purchased the Putnam County Courier, when it was shut down by Journal Register Co. (The first issue after publication resumed listed Roger Ailes as owner and chairman, but Elizabeth Ailes has since been identified as the owner). The Courier was first established as the Putnam County Democrat in 1841. Under Ailes ownership, the Courier closed its Carmel office. The News and Recorder remained a full broadsheet, with a 17-inch-wide front page, until 2017. Both newspapers are now standard-sized broadsheets. The two newspapers share an editor and many of the same stories appear in both. Douglas Cunningham, editor-in-chief of the Courier and News and Recorder since 2011, purchased the two papers from the Ailes in December 2016 and became publisher. [68] [69]
Two other weeklies are the Putnam County Times (historically Times & Republican) and Putnam County Press, virtually identical except that the former is distributed free. Both have been owned since 1958 by Don Hall. Hall and Roger Ailes, though both Republicans, are bitter rivals. Hall had long derided Ailes as a part-time resident. When Ailes faced harassment allegations, leading to his ouster from Fox News, his Putnam County connection contributed to his being featured on the front pages of the Times and Press.
In 2010, Gordon Stewart, a businessman living in Garrison, launched a news website to compete with the Ailes-owned PCNR called Philipstown.info. In 2012 a print version was launched called The Paper. Shortly Stewart's death in 2014, the publication became a nonprofit led by a board of directors. It changed its name in 2016 to The Highlands Current to reflect its coverage of neighboring Beacon.
There are six towns and three incorporated villages in Putnam County. There are no cities:
Carmel is the largest town of Putnam County, with a population of 33,576. [70] The Town of Carmel includes the hamlets of the county seat Carmel, Carmel Hills, Field Corners, Hopkins Corners, Mahopac, Mahopac Falls, 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. [71] Carmel was taken in 1795 from Frederickstown, a town which encompassed the present towns of Kent, Patterson, and Carmel. [72]
Kent is a town located along the northern border of Putnam with a population of 12,900. [73] Coles Mills was settled in 1747 at the outlet of Barrett Pond into the West Branch of the Croton River. [74] Kent contains the hamlets of Lake Carmel, Kent Corners, Kent Hills, and Ludingtonville. Kent was the last remaining section of Frederickstown, after the towns of Carmel and Patterson were divided from it in 1795. Frederickstown was founded in 1788. [72]
The Town of Patterson is located in the northeast area of Putnam County and has a population of 11,541. [75] Patterson, originally named Franklin, was divided from the former town of Frederickstown, in 1795. [72] Patterson contains the hamlets of Patterson, Barnum Corners, Camp Brady, Fields Corners, Haines Corners, Haviland Hollow, Putnam Lake, Steinbeck Corners, Towners, and West Patterson.
Philipstown is a town located along the western end of Putnam County and it has a population of 9,831. [76] Philipstown contains the villages and hamlets of Cold Spring, Forsonville, Garrison, Garrison Four Corners, Glenclyffe, Manitou, McKeel Corners, Nelsonville, North Highlands, Storm King, and the north side of Continental Village. It was founded in 1788. [72] West Point (in Orange County) is located across the Hudson River from the village of Cold Spring. [72] It has three stations on the Metro North Railroad Hudson line: in Garrison, Cold Spring and Manitou, which has limited train service.
Two public libraries are located in Philipstown: the Desmond-Fish Library in Garrison and the Julia L. Butterfield Library in Cold Spring.
Putnam Valley is a town located on the southern border of Putnam County with a population of 11,762. [77] It is the third largest town in the county. Putnam Valley contains the hamlets of Adams Corners, Christian Corners, Gilbert Corners, Lake Peekskill, Oscawana Corners, Putnam Valley, Tompkins Corners, Sunnybrook.
Putnam Valley was created in 1835 as the Town Of Quincy, taking its current name the following year. The town was created by splitting off from Philipstown. Putnam Valley is home to the Clarence Fahnestock State Park, which covers much of Putnam County and some of Dutchess County. [63]
The Town of Southeast is located in the southeastern corner of Putnam County, with a population of 18,058. [78] It was founded in 1788 as one of the three original towns in what would later become Putnam County. [79] Its shape changed greatly in 1795, when it lost its northern half to Patterson and gained a great amount on its western side.
It is the second-largest town in Putnam County, second only to Carmel. [79] The crossroads of Interstate highways 684 and 84; State Routes 22 and 312; and US Highways 6 and 202 are located here. 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. [79] Southeast contains the village of Brewster, and the hamlets of Brewster Hill, Brewster Heights, Deans Corners, DeForest Corners, Drewville Heights, Dykemans, Milltown, Peach Lake, Sears Corners, and Sodom.
Brewster is an incorporated village within the Town of Southeast.
Cold Spring is an incorporated village within Town of Philipstown and the village of Nelsonville.
Nelsonville is an incorporated village within the Town of Philipstown and the village of Cold Spring.