Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area

The Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area was designated by Congress in 1996 to recognize the importance of the history and the resources of the Hudson River Valley to the nation. These resources represent themes of settlement and migration, transportation and commerce. The cities, towns, and rural landscapes of the region display exceptional surviving physical resources spanning four centuries.

The Hudson River Valley played an important role in the military history of the American Revolution. The region gave birth to significant developments in American art and architecture and played a central role in the recognition of the aesthetic value of the landscape through the work of Andrew Jackson Downing, Alexander Jackson Davis, Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. Dutch and Huguenot settlements, the Knickerbocker writers, early labor cooperatives and the first women's secondary school are all significant contributions to the development of our country and are products of the Hudson River Valley.

The mission of the National Heritage Area is to recognize, preserve and promote the natural and cultural resources of the Hudson River Valley. This will be accomplished through a voluntary partnership with communities and citizens, and local, state and federal agencies emphasizing public access, economic development, regional planning and interpretive programs.

The Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area includes 250 communities in ten counties bordering the Hudson River for 154 miles of tidal estuary. This area is approximately three million acres of Hudson Highlands, Catskill Mountains, rolling farmland and compact villages, small cities and hamlets. The region extends from the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers, south to the northern border of New York City.

The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area is managed by the Hudson River Valley Greenway. Visit the National Heritage Area website.

Boundaries

The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area includes the counties of Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Westchester, and Rockland and the Village of Waterford in Saratoga County.

The Hudson River Valley Ramble is an annual event series that celebrates the history, culture and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, as well as the amazing landscape, communities, and trails throughout the region.  Every September, ‘Ramblers’ come not only from the Hudson Valley region and New York State, but from other regions of the country as well to discover the riches our Valley has to offer.

Visit the Hudson River Valley Ramble website for more information about this year's events!