Hudson is a city located in Columbia County, New York, United States, and serves as the county seat. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. The city is located on the east side of the Hudson River, 120 miles (190 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. It was named after Henry Hudson, the river's explorer.
It is often called the "Brooklyn of Upstate New York" and is a tourist destination known for its antique shops and boutiques.
History
The Mahican people lived in this area for many years before Dutch settlers arrived in the 17th century. The Dutch called the place "Claverack Landing," which later became known in English. In 1662, some Dutch settlers bought land from the Mahican. Later, English colonists created the Town of Claverack.
After the American Revolution in 1783, many Quaker whalers and merchants from places like Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Providence, Rhode Island, settled in the area. Thomas and Seth Jenkins led these settlers. They used Hudson's position at the head of the Hudson River for navigation and developed it into a busy port. Hudson became a city in 1785. The city's founders, called "Proprietors," designed a grid layout for the city. By 1786, Hudson had wharves, warehouses, a spermaceti-works, and about 1,500 residents.
In 1794, John Alsop, a New York businessman, moved to Hudson for a short time. He kept part ownership in his New York company and brought customers from Hudson, including the Jenkins family and the Paddock family. After Alsop died in November 1794, his partner, Isaac Hicks, focused on selling whale products, such as oil and spermaceti candles. Hudson grew quickly as a port and nearly became the capital of New York state. It lost to Albany, a city with a long history of Dutch and English trade.
By 1790, Hudson was the 24th-largest city in the United States, which at the time included only areas east of the Allegheny Mountains. In 1820, it had 5,310 people and was the fourth-largest city in New York state, after New York City, Albany, and Brooklyn.
A famous legal case, People v. Croswell, began in Hudson when Harry Croswell published a critical article about President Thomas Jefferson in the Wasp, a Federalist newspaper, on September 9, 1802. The state's attorney general, Ambrose Spencer, charged Croswell with seditious libel. The case reached the New York Supreme Court in Albany in 1804, where Alexander Hamilton defended Croswell. Croswell lost the case, likely because of the influence of Justice Morgan Lewis, an anti-Federalist. However, after observing the trial, state assemblymen changed the state's libel laws in 1805.
The construction of the Erie Canal in 1824 shifted development westward in New York, helping cities like Rochester and Buffalo grow. The Hudson River remained important for trade, carrying lumber and other goods from the Midwest to New York and other markets.
During the 19th century, Hudson became a center of industry and was known as a factory town. It attracted many immigrants and workers for industrial jobs. Wealthy business owners and merchants built large, Victorian-style homes.
Hudson received a new city charter in 1895. Its population peaked in 1930, reaching 12,337 residents.
In 1935, to celebrate the city's 150th anniversary, the U.S. Mint created the Hudson Half Dollar. Only 10,008 of these coins were made, making them very rare. The coin's front shows Henry Hudson's ship, the Half Moon, and the back shows the city's seal. A local story claims President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered the coin to thank the Hudson City Democratic Committee for supporting him early in his political career.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hudson became known for illegal activities, such as gambling and prostitution. Today, Columbia Street was once called Diamond Street. At its height, Hudson had more than 50 bars. These activities were largely stopped in 1951 when New York state troopers raided brothels in Hudson. The raids led to arrests of local police and others involved.
The first written mention of the word "cocktail" as a drink appeared in The Farmers Cabinet in 1803. A definition of a cocktail as an alcoholic drink appeared three years later in The Balance and Columbian Repository, a newspaper from Hudson, New York, on May 13, 1806. Traditionally, cocktails included spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. Over time, the definition changed to include liqueur.
In 1998, a land-use conflict began when St. Lawrence Cement proposed building a 1,800-acre coal-fired cement plant in Hudson and Greenport. Supporters argued the project would create jobs and boost the economy. Opponents, led by the group Friends of Hudson for seven years, claimed the project would harm the environment and violate state laws. The plan was canceled after New York's Secretary of State, Randy Daniels, said it conflicted with the state's coastal policies. Nearly 14,000 public comments were received, with 87% opposing the project. This was the highest number of comments ever received by the state's Coastal Resources Division.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), with 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²) being land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km²), or 7.38%, being water.
Hudson is located 120 miles (190 km) from New York Harbor, at the point where ships can no longer sail upstream on the Hudson River. It was originally a piece of land extending into the Hudson River between South Bay and North Bay. Both bays have mostly been filled in. Across the Hudson River is the town of Athens in Greene County. A ferry connected Hudson and Athens for much of the 19th century. Between the two areas lies Middle Ground Flats, a former sandbar that grew naturally from silt and from material removed during dredging. Today, deer and a few people living in unofficial summer shacks inhabit the area. The Town of Greenport borders the city on three sides.
Demographics
In 2010, the city had 6,713 people, 2,766 households, and 1,368 families living there. By 2013, the population was estimated at 6,648, according to the US Census Bureau. This number includes about 360 people who live at the Hudson Correctional Facility.
The population density was 3,110.8 people per square mile (1,201.1 per square kilometer). The racial makeup of the city was 59.0% (55.5% Non-Hispanic) White, 25.0% African American, 7.1% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race made up 8.2% of the population.
There were 2,766 households. Of these, 25.2% had children under 18 living with them, 24.6% were married couples, 19.4% had a female householder without a husband, and 50.5% were non-families. Forty percent of all households had only one person, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.24 people, and the average family size was 3.09 people.
The age distribution of residents was 22.5% under 18, 9.8% aged 18 to 24, 27.3% aged 25 to 44, 27.0% aged 45 to 64, and 13.5% aged 65 or older. The median age was 37.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 or older, there were 105.6 males.
The median household income was $35,117, and the median family income was $37,400. Males earned a median income of $26,274, while females earned $22,598. The per capita income was $22,353. About 23.0% of families and 23.2% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 31.8% of those under 18 and 19.1% of those aged 65 or older.
Economy
After a big drop in the economy during the 1960s and 1970s, caused by job losses from changes in the manufacturing industry, the city has experienced a major improvement. The economy now focuses on tourism, services, and related retail businesses.
Because of the city's good architecture, a group of antique shop owners opened stores on Warren Street, the city's main street, in the mid-1980s. These included the Hudson Antiques Center, started by Alain Pioton, and the English Antiques Center. By the early 2000s, the city had nearly 70 antique shops, managed by the Hudson Antiques Dealers Association (HADA). This business growth helped increase tourism and brought more people to live in the city, with some building second homes there. The city is now known for its active arts scene, restaurants, art galleries, nightlife, and antique shops.
According to a 2014 study by the Regional Alliance for the Creative Economy called Captivate: The Capital Region's Creative Economy, Hudson (2016) has more independent artists living there than only two other U.S. counties—Kings County (Brooklyn) and Taos County, New Mexico.
Arts and culture
In 2010, Hudson held its first LGBTQ pride parade, which was attended by many people. Lil' Deb's Oasis is a restaurant in Hudson that hosts events for LGBTQ individuals and serves as a meeting place for the community.
Hudson is home to the Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY) Museum of Firefighting, which is one of the biggest museums focused on firefighting in the world. The museum is located on the grounds of the FASNY Firemen's home, the first nursing home in the United States built specifically for firefighters.
The Hudson Music Festival was an annual event started in 2011 and was the largest free music festival in New York. The fourth festival took place from August 8 to 10, 2014, and included 100 different performances.
Hudson Hall is an arts venue and organization located on Warren Street in the center of the city. It is the oldest operating theater in New York.
Time & Space Limited is a nonprofit arts organization that serves the city of Hudson and the Hudson River Valley region. It screens a wide variety of independent films.
Olde York Farm is a woman-owned and family-run distillery that uses ingredients from the Hudson Valley to create seasonal spirits.
Hudson has many buildings listed or eligible to be listed in the State and National registers of historic places. It is often called the "finest dictionary of American architecture in New York State" because it contains a wide range of architectural styles. Most of the buildings in the Hudson Historic District are considered important because they contribute to the area's historical and architectural value.
Some of these buildings include the Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Estate, Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Stables, Henry A. and Evanlina Dubois House, Cornelius H. Evans House, Front Street-Parade Hill-Lower Warren Street Historic District, Houses at 37–47 North Fifth Street, Hudson Almshouse, Hudson Historic District, Hudson/Athens Lighthouse, Rossman-Prospect Avenue Historic District, United States Post Office, William Henry Ludlow House, Elisha Williams House, Oliver Wiswall House, and Van Salsbergen House.
Government
The city uses a type of government where a mayor and a council make decisions. Since the 1990s, nine mayors have held office: William Allen, Dolly Allen, Richard Scalera, Kenneth Cranna, Richard Tracy, William Hallenbeck, Tiffany Martin Hamilton, Rick Rector, and Kamal Johnson. This time has had a lot of disagreements between elected officials and residents because the people living in the city and the city's money matters have changed. The Common Council has ten members chosen from five districts. A Council President and a Treasurer are also chosen by all city residents.
Schools
The Hudson City School District serves the city. The district includes Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School, Hudson Junior High School, and Hudson High School.
Media
Newspapers based in Hudson include:
• The Register Star
• Modern Farmer
Movies that were filmed in Hudson include:
• Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), starring Harry Belafonte and Robert Ryan
• Ironweed (1987), starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep
• Nobody's Fool (1994), starring Paul Newman
• A Bread Factory (2018), directed by Patrick Wang
Infrastructure
Amtrak, which is the country's main passenger train service, offers train rides to Hudson through the Hudson station. Columbia County Public Transportation offers local and commuter bus services that go to Albany. Greene County Transit's Route 711 connects Hudson to Catskill, which is on the other side of the Hudson River in Greene County. The Hudson Ferry Company operates ferry rides across the Hudson River to Athens, which is also located in Greene County.
Notable people
- Marina Abramović, performance artist
- Robert Adams, American sailor and explorer
- John Ashbery, New York State poet laureate
- Melissa Auf der Maur, musician (The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole) and owner of Basilica Hudson, an arts and performance venue
- Rashad Barksdale, New York Giants cornerback
- Jonah Bokaer, choreographer, media artist
- J. D. Cannon, actor
- Nicolas Carone, artist
- Dave Cole, Sculptor
- Rich Conaty (1954–2016), radio disc jockey
- John Corapi, Catholic priest and whistleblower, born and grew up in Hudson
- Lynn Davis, photographer
- Tom Davis, comedian
- Alice Mary Dowd (1855–1943), educator, author
- Sarah Stoddard Eddy (1831–1904), reformer and clubwoman
- George C. Ewing, politician, and founder of Holyoke, Massachusetts
- Joel Flaum, Judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Nancy Fuller, host of Food Network's Farmhouse Rules
- Kevin Geary (born 1952), English portrait and abstract artist
- Sanford Robinson Gifford, artist of the Hudson River School of landscape painters, born and raised in Hudson.
- Kirsten Gillibrand, politician, lawyer, and member of the United States Senate
- Robert J. Gorlin (1923–2006), oral pathologist and clinical geneticist, was born in Hudson
- Bibbe Hansen, performance artist, actress, musician
- Gaby Hofmann, actress
- Hezekiah Lord Hosmer, first chief justice of the Montana Territory Supreme Court
- Joshua Lee, US congressman
- John B. Longley (1830–1892), lawyer and politician
- Tyler Lydon, basketball player, first-round selection in 2017 NBA draft
- Harold Macy, microbiologist
- Sam J. Miller, science fiction author
- Meshell Ndegeocello, musician
- Benjamin Moore Norman, author and book dealer
- Almerin C. O'Hara, US Army major general
- Elvis Perkins, musician
- Bert Geer Phillips, artist, born in Hudson
- Cornelia Holroyd Bradley Richards, author
- Dawn Langley Simmons, intersex author
- Tommy Stinson, musician
- Bob T