| County: | Sullivan County |
| State: | New York |
| Flag: | Flag of Sullivan County, New York.jpg |
| Seal: | Sullivan County, New York seal.png |
| Founded: | 1809 |
| Seat Wl: | Monticello |
| Largest City: | Monticello |
| City Type: | village |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 997 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 968 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 29 |
| Area Percentage: | 2.9 |
| Census Yr: | 2020 |
| Pop: | 78624 [1] |
| Density Sq Mi: | 81.2 |
| Web: | https://sullivanny.us/ |
| Ex Image: | Shallow Stream in Rock Hill, NY.jpg |
| District: | 19th |
| Time Zone: | Eastern |
| Named For: | John Sullivan |
Sullivan County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,624.[2] The county seat is Monticello.[3] The county's name honors Major General John Sullivan, who was labeled at the time as a hero in the American Revolutionary War in part due to his successful campaign against the Iroquois (see Sullivan Expedition). The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.
The county was the site of hundreds of Borscht Belt hotels and resorts, which had their heyday from the 1920s through the 1970s.
In 2010, the state's center of population was at the southern edge of Sullivan County.[4]
When the Province of New York established its first twelve counties in 1683, the present Sullivan County was part of Ulster County. In 1809, Sullivan County was split from Ulster County.[5]
In the late 19th century, the Industrial Revolution and the advent of factories driven by water power along the streams and rivers led to an increase in population attracted to the jobs.[6] Hamlets enlarged into towns. As industry restructured, many of those jobs left before the middle of the twentieth century. The economy changed again after that, shifting to a more tourist-based variety and benefiting from resorts established by European Jewish immigrants and their descendants in what became called the Borscht Belt of the 20th century. Resort hotels featured a wide variety of entertainers, some nationally known. At the beginning of this period, visitors traveled to the area by train, and later by automobile.[7] The area's natural resources also provided a setting for numerous summer camps frequented by the children of immigrants and their descendants.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (2.9%) is water.[8]
Sullivan County is in the southern part of New York State, southeast of Binghamton and southwest of Albany. It is separated from Pennsylvania along its southwest boundary by the Delaware River.
The county, which starts about 70 miles northwest of New York City, is in the Catskill Mountains. Its northeastern corner is within the Catskill Park.
The highest point in the county is a 3118feet peak unofficially known as Beech Mountain, near Hodge Pond, a subsidiary summit to Mongaup Mountain[9] across the Ulster County line. The lowest point is along the Delaware River.[10]
As of the 2000 census,[11] there were 73,966 people, 27,661 households, and 18,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 76/mi2. There were 44,730 housing units at an average density of 46/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 85.31% White, 8.51% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.89% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. 9.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.6% were of German, 13.9% Irish, 12.5% Italian, 7.3% American and 6.2% English ancestry according to 2000 census. 86.6% spoke English, 7.4% Spanish and 1.0% German as their first language. A small population of Russians, late twentieth-century immigrants, live in the villages. There are a few persons in Sullivan and nearby counties who are of mixed Dutch and Mohawk or Lenni-Lenape ancestry in this region of upstate New York, the legacy of indigenous peoples in the region and the New Netherlands colonial era in the 17th century.
There were 27,661 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.10% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.80% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,998, and the median income for a family was $43,458. Males had a median income of $36,110 versus $25,754 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,892. About 11.60% of families and 17.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over.
| White (NH) | 52,691 | 67.01% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 6,069 | 7.72% | |
| Native American (NH) | 174 | 0.2% | |
| Asian (NH) | 1,569 | 2.0% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 10 | 0.01% | |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 4,104 | 5.22% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 14,007 | 17.81% |
Sullivan County is a swing county, backing the national winner in all but three presidential elections from 1952 to the present. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush defeated Democrat John Kerry by a margin of 49.47% to 48.55%, or a difference of 285 votes.[13] In 2008, however, it was won by Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain by a margin of 54% to 45%.[14] The margin remained virtually the same in 2012, as Obama won the county again over Republican Mitt Romney by 54-44%.[15] But then, in 2016, the county swung to Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton by a margin of 53% to 42%.[16] In 2020, the county didn't back the winner nationally for the first time since 2000. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump won the county with 54% of the votes that year compared to the national winner Democrat Joe Biden's 45%.[17]
There are thirty-six town and village courts in Sullivan County.
Legislative authority is vested in the county legislature which consists of nine members, each elected from single member districts. Currently, there are five Democrats and four Republicans.
| District | Legislator | Title | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt McPhillips | Majority Leader | Democratic |
| 2 | Nadia Rajsz | Chair | Democratic |
| 3 | Brian McPhillips | Democratic | |
| 4 | Nicholas Salomone, Jr. | Minority Leader | Republican |
| 5 | Catherine Scott | Democratic | |
| 6 | Luis Alvarez | Democratic | |
| 7 | Joseph Perrello | Republican | |
| 8 | Amanda Ward | Republican | |
| 9 | Terry Blosser-Bernardo | Republican | |
Sullivan County has services provided by Short Line to New York City. It also has some local service provided by the county itself, as well as community organizations.[18] [19] [20]
Sullivan County International Airport is located in Bethel and is used frequently for general aviation purposes.
Sullivan County has been a popular vacation spot since the 19th century, with mountain climbing, boating, and other outdoor activities, as well as the Monticello Raceway being among the attractions. The majority of the tourism occurs in the summer months. It was the site of the hundreds of resort complexes of the Borscht Belt (with their golf courses, social events, and entertainers), between the 1920s and 1970s.
Borscht Belt hotels, bungalow colonies, summer camps, and kuchaleyns (a Yiddish name for self-catered boarding houses) proliferated. The bungalows usually included "a kitchen/living room/dinette, one bedroom, and a screened porch" with entertainment being simple: bingo or a movie.[21] The kuchaleyns were also visited often by middle and working-class Jewish New Yorkers. Because of the many Jewish guests, this area was nicknamed the Jewish Alps and "Solomon County" (a modification of Sullivan County) by many people who visited there.[22]
Many famous comedians tested their material and performed regularly at Borscht Belt hotels, including Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, and Henny Youngman. Eddie Fisher performed often at Grossinger's, where in 1955 he married Debbie Reynolds.
By the late 1950s, many began closing with most gone by the 1970s, but some major resorts continued to operate, a few into the 1990s. Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel closed in 1986[23] and the Concord Resort Hotel struggled to stay open until 1998.[24] By that time, the business owed millions in back taxes to Sullivan County, but the property was sold "for $10.5 million" and a new resort was eventually built.[25] [26]
Sullivan County was the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival located at the present-day Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. During the period August 15–18, 1969, approximately 500,000 people gathered in Sullivan County's Town of Bethel at Max Yasgur's farm to attend the Woodstock Festival. The entertainers included The Who; the Grateful Dead; Jefferson Airplane; The Band; Canned Heat; Joan Baez; Arlo Guthrie; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Janis Joplin; Santana; Sly and the Family Stone; Blood, Sweat and Tears; Jimi Hendrix; and Richie Havens. The state and the town of Bethel council subsequently passed laws prohibiting future mass event types of festivals. In 2019, a 50th celebration of Woodstock was organized: "Sullivan County ... finally embracing the ultimate symbol of peace and love, the 1969 Woodstock festival".[27] The Woodstock 50 festival, scheduled for August, was canceled months earlier so it did not take place.[28] The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts did organize of weekend of "low-key" concerts.[29]
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which also includes a museum of the sixties and Woodstock, holds many concerts and other events throughout the year.
Other notable cultural destinations include the CAS Arts Center, a multi-arts exhibit space and education center run by the Catskill Art Society in Livingston Manor, New York, the NaCl Theatre, a professional regional theater company focusing on experimental work in Highland Lake, and the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) which serves as the Arts Council for Sullivan County and is located in Narrowsburg. DVAA offers two art galleries, performing arts and cultural programming, grant opportunities for artists and nonprofits, the Big Eddy Film Festival, and Riverfest.