Hudson Valley

Hudson Valley of New York State

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Delaware County, NY

Delaware County
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DELAWARE COUNTY It is surely the most enduringly beautiful country in the world, this serene County of pasture, Woods, and water. On the Catskills' Western slopes, Delaware County is a land of mountains and valleys, of sudden spectacular vistas and gentle, sheltered aspects.

The abundance of water is one of its great charms - a bend in the road and there before you is a still pool; another bend and the road carries you over one of hundreds of streams, a wild stony torrent, a stately, well-bred river, or maybe only a merry little creek.

Another Delaware splendor is its trees - hundreds of varieties of beautiful old trees lining highway and main street, lovely in spring and summer and a great glory in the fall. The hunting and fishing are superb.

Delaware County covers 1460 square miles, an area larger than that of Rhode Island. It ranges from valley bottoms of 1,000 feet above sea level to peaks higher than 3,000 feet. Both branches of the Delaware River rise in the Northeast comer (the West Branch in Lake Utsayantha, Stamford; the East Branch in Grand Gorge) and traverse the County before joining forces at Hancock.

It was the Delaware River which drew to the area the first permanent white settlers, who followed in the tracks of earlier fur traders and trappers. Lumbering and stone cutting were at first the major industries in the County. The town of Deposit received its name because it was a receiving point for logs rafted down river.

The trees of Delaware County stood so tall and straight that they were in demand for shipbuilding. The main mast of the famous "Constitution" ("Old Ironsides") came from a hilltop near Walton.

Agriculture gradually came to replace lumbering and stone cutting as the major industry. Today Delaware County is famous for its dairy products. The trend has been toward larger and larger farms and herds. The dairyman of today is, in his own way, every bit as much a businessman as his industry counterpart.

A rapidly growing industry in the area is recreation. Campsites, farm homes, motels - everything from natural, unimproved campgrounds to full grown resorts with luxurious accommodations, filtered swimming pools and golf courses are here to welcome vacationers.

In recent years, business has been moving into Delaware County attracted by the beauty of the area and encouraged by an enthusiastic labor force and ease of access to major highways. Only a few hours away by rail or road, about an hour by air, are two of the largest consumer markets in the United States - the New York City. and Philadelphia metropolitan complexes.

For families coming to Delaware County there are many more advantages than the lore of wholesome living: educational facilities in the County have long been famous; the Delaware Literary Institute in Franklin is nationally known, drawing its student body from all over the United States and even from abroad. Its high standards of public education is one of the. County's prides.

Within commuting distance are six, two and four-year colleges. Churches and temples of all faiths are within easy distance of all communities.

Delaware County is gaining a new reputation as a vacation home haven in increasing numbers, residents of the metropolitan areas are purchasing a few acres, or even small farms, for summer homes or hunting or fishing camps.

These part time residents are in permanent captivity do they but know it. This alluring land casts a spell from which there is no escape.

Delaware - in the spring, with every brook in torrent, with a few a very few-lovely, warm, promising days with the trees in feathery bud, the bulbs just pushing up through patchy snow, the herds of cows back in newly green pastures after a winter in the barn, plow breaking ground, fish leaping in streams; in the summer, the lush, green summer, with the indescribable smell of new mown hay, the magnificent, majestic trees, the corn ripening and growing tall in the fields, countless welcoming waters, fish deep in the streams in the fall, so beautiful in its coloring it is almost unbelievable, with the streams again in spate, the days brilliant in clarity and sunshine, the fields a-rubble, the farmers bustling to prepare for the winter ahead, and the deer bounding across almost every highway; in the winter, bleak, cold, now laden, with hungry deer in the meadows of a morning now, the evergreens splashing color against Andrew Wyeth grays and tans, the awesome silences of a bright day, the cows content and shedding warmth in tight barns Delaware - when you come to see us, prepare to stay.

Delaware County real estate offices

Delaware County Genealogy and History

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Cities / Towns / Villages

Cannonsville
defunct

Delhi
County Seat

NY map

Related Links

Delaware County Genealogy & History

Delaware County Chamber of Commerce: 114 Main Street; Delhi, NY 13753; 607-746-2281; Delaware County Chamber of Commerce; The Western Catskills offers the best of the mountains, unique shops and galleries, great music and theatre, friendly lodging - all without the crowds.