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Poughkeepsie| Town and administrative headquarters of Dutchess County, southeast New York State, USA; population (2000) 29,900. It is situated on the Hudson River, 65 mi/105 km north of New York City. Products include dairy equipment, chemicals, ball bearings, electronic components, clothing, and cough drops. Computer research and assembly is also important to the local economy. Poughkeepsie is home to Dutchess Community College (1958). Vassar College (1861) is in Arlington, which adjoins the town to the northeast. |
| Settled in 1683 by Dutch colonists, it was temporarily the state capital from 1777–97. New York ratified the federal Constitution here in 1788. The city was an important port for the surrounding agricultural region until the completion of the Erie Canal (1825) brought competition from western farms. Industrialization followed, including the establishment of the Smith Brothers cough drop factory in 1850. |
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