Putnam County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,668. The county seat is Carmel, within one of the county's six towns. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.

Putnam County is bordered by Dutchess County to the north, Connecticut and its county of Fairfield to the east, Westchester County to the south, and the Hudson River and Orange County to the west. Midtown Manhattan is around a one-hour drive, and the county is included in the New York metropolitan area.

Putnam County was formed in 1812 from Dutchess County and is named for Israel Putnam, a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War.

It is one of the most affluent counties in America, ranked 21st by median household income, and 43rd by per-capita income, according to the 2012 American Community Survey and 2009–2013 American Community Survey, respectively.

History

In 1609, the Wappinger Native American people inhabited the east bank of the Hudson River. They farmed, hunted, and fished throughout their range, often encountering Dutch fur traders. They obtained metal tools and goods such as alcohol and firearms in exchange for furs.

The colonial Province of New York and the Connecticut Colony negotiated an agreement on November 28, 1683, establishing their border as east of the Hudson River, and north to Massachusetts. Dutchess county was organized as one of New York's twelve counties. It included all of today's Putnam County and two towns in the present Columbia county. Until 1713, Dutchess was administered by Ulster county.

In 1691, a group of Dutch traders purchased a tract of land from the Wappingers that spanned from the Hudson River to the Connecticut border. Six years later they sold it to wealthy Dutch-American merchant Adolphus Philipse, who obtained a Royal sanction for a "Highland Patent" (later to be known as the Philipse Patent) that encompassed most of today's Putnam County. Unknown at that time was a northwest veer in the river's path at the Hudson Highlands. This generated a dispute over a roughly 2-mile-wide section of border between northern Westchester County, then-Dutchess County, and the Connecticut Colony, which came to be known as "The Oblong".NYGenWeb Putnam County, NY - History, Chap VIII, "The Oblong". Rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved on July 26, 2013.

In 1737, the New York Colonial Assembly designated the Philipse Patent as the South Precinct of Dutchess County. The Philipses began leasing farms to migrants from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Long Island, and lower Westchester. After Adolph Philipse's death, the Patent was divided in 1754 into nine lots granted to three heirs: Mary Philipse, Philip Philipse, and Susannah Philipse Robinson. During the French and Indian War, many of the Wappinger went to Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Compared to other parts of the Hudson Valley, Putnam County had slow settlement. It was privately owned and settlement was limited to tenant farmers willing to pay the Philipse family for leases. Secondly, it was mostly hilly and rocky, making it unappealing to men looking for tillable cropland. Its use was generally limited to dairy farming and wood cutting. The first non-tenant settlers in the county were along its eastern edge. The ambiguous border with Connecticut attracted farmers from New England. They assumed that Philipse did not own the disputed area.

Among early settlers were the Hayt family, which built a farm called The Elm in 1720.Patterson Through the Years. Historicpatterson.org. Retrieved on July 26, 2013. Jacob Haviland settled in the Oblong in 1731 in what became known as Haviland Hollow.Haviland Hollow. Historicpatterson.org. Retrieved on July 26, 2013. The first village in the county was Fredericksburg, now the hamlet of Patterson.

During the American Revolution, the Philipses stayed loyal to the Crown. As a consequence, their lands were confiscated by the New York government. It sold the Philipse Patent along with the rest of their holdings. The dispute over The Oblong was resolved in the aftermath of the war, with the heavily settled tract being incorporated as the first of two versions of the Town of Southeast. Also resolved were two "Gores", the Beekman Gore and the Rombout Gore, which being geographically similar to the Livingston and Beekman patents they abutted, were ceded by the Philipses to Dutchess County in 1758 and 1771 respectively.Pellitreau, History of Putnam County, p. 87

Due to the increasing population of the Southern Precinct of Dutchess County and the great distance of these communities from the county seat in Poughkeepsie, Putnam was split from Dutchess in 1812 and organized as an independent county. It encompassed all of the Philipse Patent and the Oblong abutting it, less a triangular area in the farthest northwest reach of the Patent. There, a lowland near Fishkill Creek isolated from the rest of Putnam County and its adjacent upland drainage leading into the Hudson Highlands to the south, were ceded to Dutchess.

Putnam travelers mostly used boats and ships along the Hudson River. Boats transporting goods traveled up the Hudson to ports, mainly at Peekskill, New York. They were transported by road into Putnam County, or goods were unloaded in Putnam County at Cold Spring, New York. Such transport suffered in winter, when the river froze. At that time, little food or goods could be shipped to the county.

The Philipstown Turnpike was created in 1815 as a toll road from Cold Spring to Connecticut. The wagons that traveled the road would transport produce from eastern Putnam County and iron ore from the mines. The route of the turnpike can roughly be traced today: Rt 301 from Cold Spring to Farmers Mills Road, to White Pond Road to Pecksville, then Holmes Rd to Patterson, then Quaker Hill Rd to Connecticut. Transportation improved with the advent of the railroad, namely the Harlem Line, which was built in the 1840s, connecting Putnam by rail to New York City. Originally there were four stations on the Harlem line in Putnam County: Brewster, Dykeman's, Towner's, and Patterson. Today only the Brewster and Patterson stops remain; a new one called Southeast was added in modern times.

Putnam County played an important role in the Civil War. One third of the county's men between the ages of 15 and 55 served in the military during the war years. During the post-Civil War years, industry and agriculture suffered losses as the economy contracted. Iron, which was produced in the Highland Mountains, could be found elsewhere. Agriculture was also affected greatly. The increasing need for drinking water in New York City led the city to search for sources in the Hudson Valley. In Putnam County, much of the farmland was flooded to create reservoirs as part of New York City's Croton Watershed. The abandoning of farms, the creation of reservoirs, and the preservation of the remaining open land resulted in scenic lands that drew large amounts of tourism from New York City.

By the 20th century, improved roads brought vacationers from New York City. The Taconic State Parkway was constructed during the Great Depression as one of numerous infrastructure projects in the state and country. This brought more vacationers from the city, who were attracted to the scenic lands and the inexpensive hotels, inns, and summer houses. Putnam County's population doubled during the summer months.

After World War II, Putnam County became an exurb of New York City. Rapid residential development occurred and the county became a bedroom community. However, the prevalent rocky uplands and protection of Putnam county's reservoirs inherently limited development, as much of the land in the county is close to wetlands or reservoirs.

Government and politics

Governmental operations in Putnam County are set forth in the County Charter, which was approved by the voters of the County in November 1977.

The law-making and policy-making body of the county is an elected nine-member County Legislature. County laws, policies and regulations are administered on behalf of the County Legislature by an elected County Executive.

The current County Executive is Republican Kevin M. Byrne (R) After serving the state of New York for 6 years as the Assemblyman of the 94th district, he won the Republican nomination for Putnam County Executive and then went unopposed in the general election.

Prior to the Charter form of government, the county's affairs were governed by a Board of Supervisors, with one Supervisor from each of the county's six towns having an equal vote. Since the towns had varying populations and such variance violated the principle of "one man, one vote", a system of weighted voting among the Board of Supervisors was implemented, but proved to be unwieldy. It was this imbalance which, among others factors, inspired the reorganization of County government under a charter form.

County legislature The members of the county legislature for the 2025 session include 8 Republicans and 1 Democrat: District 1 - Nancy Montgomery (D) District 2 - William Gouldman, Deputy Chair (R) District 3 - Toni Addonizio (R) District 4 - Laura Russo (R) District 5 - Jacob D'Angelo (R) District 6 - Thomas Regan, Jr. (R) District 7 - Daniel G. Birmingham, Chair (R) District 8 - Amy Sayegh (R) District 9 - Erin L. Crowley (R)

County Legislators are elected to three-year terms. Each single-member district contains approximately 10,500 people. Any person elected to the County Legislature on or after February 1, 2014, is limited to four three-year terms in office (without taking into account any previous terms held by such person prior to February 1, 2014). Legislative terms are staggered so that one-third of the members of the County Legislature is elected each year.

+ Chairs of the County Legislature Chair Party Years Ethel Forkell* Republican 1979 Robert J. Bondi Republican 1980–1981 Raymond M. Maguire Republican 1982–1983 Kevin L. Wright Republican 1984–1985 Joseph G. Hickey Republican 1986–1989 Jim Gordon Democratic 1990–1993 William R. Bell Republican 1994–1996 Arne Nordstrom Republican 1997 Michael K. Semo Jr. Republican 1998 Tony Hay Republican 1999 Arne Nordstrom Republican 2000 Robert J. Pozzi Republican 2001–2002 Robert McGuigan Jr. Republican 2003–2005 Daniel G. Birmingham Republican 2006–2007 Tony Hay Republican 2008–2009 Vincent M. Tamagna Republican 2010–2011 Mary F. Conklin Republican 2012 Richard T. Othmer Jr. Republican 2013 Carl L. Albano Republican 2014–2015 Ginny Nacerino Republican 2016–2017 Joseph Castellano Republican 2018–2019 Toni Addonizio Republican 2020–2021 Neal Sullivan Republican 2022 Paul Jonke Republican 2023–2024 Amy Sayegh Republican 2025 Daniel G. Birmingham Republican 2026-Present * The County Charter took effect on January 1, 1979, and the County Legislature was established on that day. The County Board of Supervisors was dissolved on the previous day and members of the County Legislature for the year 1979 were the supervisors of each of the six towns. Ethel Forkell was Supervisor of the Town of Kent and was elected by her colleagues as the first Chair of the County Legislature.

County Executives The county has had six County Executives: Name Party Term David D. Bruen Democratic January 1, 1979 – December 31, 1986 Peter C. Alexanderson Republican January 1, 1987 – December 31, 1990Robert J. Bondi Republican January 1, 1991 – December 31, 2010 Paul J. Eldridge Independent January 1, 2011 – November 11, 2011 MaryEllen Odell Republican November 11, 2011 – December 31, 2022 Kevin M. Byrne Republican January 1, 2023 – present

County courts