When you see a weather map on TV, Putnam County is the parallelogram that sits atop Westchester and just below Dutchess. Bordered by the Hudson River to the west and Connecticut to the east, it's easily accessible via the Taconic Parkway, Interstate 84, Route 9, Metro-North (with Hudson Line train stops in Manitou, Garrison, Cold Spring, and Breakneck Ridge and Harlem Line stops in Brewster, Southeast, and Patterson) or the river itself.
Founded in 1812 and originally part of Dutchess County, Putnam offers about 250 square miles of land and water for slightly fewer than 100,000 residents. The land is dotted with hills and valleys, farms and forests, lakes and streams, and includes Fahnestock State Park, 14,000 acres reserved for both winter and summer sports enthusiasts. The county seat, in Carmel, is marked by a historic courthouse, built in 1814 and later added to the National Register of Historic Places. Putnam's six towns and three villages present an array of living, shopping, dining, and recreational experiences.
The Putnam County tourism office likes the slogan "Where the Country Begins," and that's an apt description. Unlike its more citified neighbors to the north and south, the charm of Putnam is that almost everywhere has a small-town feel, with comparatively modest school districts, a low crime rate (touted every election year by the County Sheriff), and citizens who tend to look out for one another. Last December, when a member of the community was killed in the infamous Metro-North train derailment in the Bronx, the entire village of Cold Spring rallied around his family, raising more than $100,000 in just a few days and providing food and comfort to his wife and kids.
In preservation circles, Putnam's "viewshed" is often one of the most talked-about assets. Several regional land trusts have worked hard to preserve open spaces for public enjoyment, which can be both a blessing and a drawback. Development plans that do get to the municipal table can be challenged and sometimes rejected if they are perceived to be a threat to an area's natural beauty or historic character. For more than two years, for example, Cold Spring has been focused on proposed plans to develop the historic but decaying Butterfield Memorial Hospital site; the outcome is still uncertain.
There's a variety of fine restaurants and other eateries across the county, many with a focus on farm-to-table freshness and locally sourced meats and dairy. Shopping opportunities abound—from the large outdoor Independent Way shopping center off of Route 84 in Brewster, to the Route 6 corridor in Carmel and Mahopac, to the more intimate shops of Brewster and Cold Spring. Even in Putnam Valley, where stores and restaurants are few, there's the opportunity to drive on miles of historic roads (don't miss Peekskill Hollow Road, which runs from Putnam Valley to Kent Cliffs) and see mysterious, prehistoric stone chambers, or a rare cranberry bog.
Top 10 Things to Know about Putnam County
Parrott Rifles, a type of cannon used extensively by both sides in the American Civil War, were manufactured at Cold Spring's West Point Foundry. The Putnam History Museum is located in the now defunct foundry's school building, and at the outdoor West Point Foundry Preserve.
Boscobel House and Gardens, an early 19th-century Federal-style mansion was moved in its entirety from its original location 15 miles downriver to a scenic bluff in Garrison in 1961. A growing destination for weddings and life celebrations, Boscobel also hosts the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival during the summer.
Patterson's Great Swamp, 444 protected acres, is supported by groups like the Friends of the Great Swamp (FroGS) and The Nature Conservancy. See ducks, geese, deer, wild turkey, cottontails, squirrels, foxes, coyotes, beavers, muskrats, minks, and bobcats; as well as turtles, snakes, frogs, and salamander—with occasional black bears and moose.
There's a highly public Cold Spring media battle between conservative Roger Ailes, of Fox News fame—whose wife Elizabeth publishes two of Putnam's weekly papers—and Gordon Stewart, a liberal entrepreneur, whose relatively new, free newspaper is in direct and sometimes gritty competition with the Aileses' paper.
Fahnestock State Park is a focus for year-round outdoor activity all, with boating, swimming, lake and pond activities, hiking, cross-country skiing, and camping on 14,000 acres. It serves as the natural division between eastern and western Putnam, and Appalachian Trail hikers can be seen there year-round.
Putnam County is currently in a heated legal battle with Gannett over the County Clerk Dennis Sant's refusal to provide the newspaper chain with the names of registered gun owners in the county. County Executive MaryEllen Odell backs the refusal.
The Chuang Yen Monastery, in Kent, features beautifully walkable grounds, resident monks with shaven heads and saffron robes, numerous public programs, a charming gift shop, and the largest indoor Buddha statue in the US. Chuang Yen means majestically adorned.
Hello Dolly, starring Barbra Streisand, was filmed at Garrison's Landing, a tiny Victorian waterfront neighborhood, complete with gazebo, which houses two community favorites, the Garrison Art Center and the Philipstown Depot Theatre. The Art Center's summer Fine Crafts Fair draws thousands down to the riverside each year.
Putnam's Breakneck Ridge is one of the most popular and challenging hiking locations in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Local emergency responders call it simply "the mountain" and know all too well how easy it is to get lost, stranded, or hurt there. Hike it if you dare.
A broad coalition of regulators, local governments, environmental organizations, and residents are working to create the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, a path for pedestrians stretching from Cold Spring to Beacon alongside picturesque Route 9D.
