Highways More than 1,400 miles of public roads crisscross Columbia County. The limited-access Taconic State Parkway bisects the County from south to north, connecting with the east-west Berkshire Spur of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) at East Chatham. The two roads provide quick access to New York City (2 hours), Albany (45 minutes) and Boston (3 hours). The Taconic Parkway is currently limited to passenger vehicles, though proposals are afoot to open it to commercial traffic. The main branch of the Thruway (Interstate 87) is just across the Hudson River in Catskill.
Major north/south state highways include Routes 9, 9G, 9H and 9J running along or near the river, and Route 22 along the New York/Massachusetts border. Route 23 connects Hudson with western Massachusetts.
Rail
Amtrak provides passenger service along the Hudson Division of the former New York Central System, connecting New York City and Albany/Rensselaer. Eighteen trains stop daily at the Hudson train station. The Metro North Railroad provides commuter service from Poughkeepsie and Dover Plains in Dutchess County.
Conrail provides freight service to the County on the Hudson line and on the Boston & Albany route through Canaan and Chatham to the Selkirk yards south of Albany.
Air
Scheduled passenger air service links Albany Airport, less than an hour from Columbia County, with principal domestic and international destinations. Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, NY, and Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT, are both less than a two-hour drive.
The Columbia County Airport, 5 miles from the City of Hudson, has a 5,350-foot jet-capable runway. The fixed-base operator, Richmor Aviation, Inc., offers an air charter service, FAA-approved flight lessons, and scenic flights; for aircraft owners Richmor provides parts, maintenance and repair, hangar storage and 24-hour fuel service.
River
A riverfront site near the Hudson railroad station provides dockage for barges and small cruise vessels. Nearby are a marina and a public recreational boat launch site, and a project is under way to improve facilities in the riverfront area. A state-run boat launch can be found in Germantown, and one is planned for Nutten Hook in Stuyvesant. Marinas can also be found across the river from Hudson in Athens and to the south in Kingston.
Bus
Bus service between Columbia County and Albany consists of two trips daily in each direction by Pat Zanchelli, Inc., with stops in Hudson, Greenport, Kinderhook and Valatie. Bonanza Bus Lines operates summer weekend service between Bennington, VT, and New York City, stopping in Canaan and Hillsdale in Columbia County.
The City of Hudson operates two bus routes within its limits, providing access to the railroad station, Columbia Memorial Hospital, and downtown shopping. The County Office for the Aging provides transportation for persons 60 and older between rural areas and the Hudson/Greenport area.
Utilities & Public Services
Electric Service is provided by National Grid in the western part of the County and by New York State Electric & Gas Corp. in the eastern part. Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. serves the Town of Ancram. All three companies belong to the New York Power Pool, which has set up a statewide, interconnected transmission grid.
National Grid supplies natural gas to the City of Hudson and parts of Greenport and Stottville.
Utility district offices are as follows:
• National Grid, 300 Erie Boulevard West, Syracuse, NY 13202, 800-932-0301
• New York State Electric & Gas Corp. (NYSEG), P.O. Box 3607, Binghamton, NY 13902-3607, 800-241-0620
• Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., 284 South Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-452-2000
Telephone
With the exception of parts of the towns of Clermont and Gallatin, Columbia County lies in the 518 area code. The following telephone companies serve the County:
• FairPoint Communications (towns of Ancram, Austerlitz, Canaan, Chatham, Copake, Gallatin, Ghent, Hillsdale, Kinderhook, New Lebanon, and Stuyvesant), 651 FairPoint Communications, P.O. Box 70994, Charlotte, NC 28272-0994, 800-822-6642
• Germantown Telephone Company (towns of Clermont, Gallatin, Germantown, Livingston, and Taghkanic), Main Street, Germantown, NY 12526, 518-537-6255
• Verizon (City of Hudson, towns of Claverack ,Greenport, Livingston, Stockport and Taghkanic) 158 State Street, Albany, NY 12207, 518-890-5310
FairPoint Communications, Germantown Telephone, and Verizon all provide DSL Internet access at local-call rates. Cable modem Internet access is offered by Mid-Hudson Cablevision and Time Warner Cable.
Water
One-third of the County’s residents are served by municipal water systems in the City of Hudson, villages of Chatham, Kinderhook, Philmont and Valatie, towns of Greenport and Stockport, and the Columbia County Commerce Park. With the exception of Hudson (Churchtown Reservoir) and Philmont (Forrest Pond), all systems use drilled wells.
Sewage Municipal sewage and waste treatment plants serve the City of Hudson, villages of Chatham, Philmont and Valatie, part of the Town of Greenport, the Hamlet of Stottville, the Columbia County Commerce Park, and, in the near future, the Town of Germantown. Elsewhere in the County, individual septic systems are in use.
Solid Waste The County’s last sanitary landfill ceased operation in 1988, and all but two of the old dumps have been sealed. Residents and businesses bring solid waste to County-run transfer stations in the towns of Copake, Chatham, Gallatin, Germantown, Greenport, Hillsdale, Kinderhook and Livingston. From there, waste is trucked to out-of-County landfills, while recyclables are taken to a plant operated by Resource Recovery Systems, Inc., in the Columbia County Commerce Park. (Residents of the Town of Canaan have free use of a privately owned transfer station in their town.)
Residential and industrial customers also have the option of contracting with private haulers.
Columbia County has nearly fifty country farm markets and orchards, many of them specializing in organic produce.
The Old Chatham Sheepherding Company is the largest sheep dairy farm in the United States.
Census/Demographics
The estimated population of the County is 63,668.
Hudson, once a busy port city frequented by whalers, is the Seat of Columbia County.
Arts & Culture
PS/21 - Performing Spaces for the 21st Century, is a new venue under the direction of Gwen Gould, offering classical sings under an open-air tent in Chatham. www.ps21chatham.org.
What's New
Migrant Farm Workers Get New Housing Through Innovative Program
Migrant workers on several farms in Columbia County are receiving new living quarters thanks to a unique program created by the Columbia Hudson Partnership.
