Columbia County, New York

Columbia County, New York
First Columbia County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location in the U.S. state of New York
New York's location in the U.S.
Founded	1786
Named for	Christopher Columbus
Seat	Hudson
Largest city	Hudson
Area
• Total	648 sq mi (1,678 km2)
• Land	635 sq mi (1,645 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (36 km2), 2.1%
Population
• (2010)	63,096
• Density	99/sq mi (38/km²)
Congressional district	19th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.columbiacountyny.com

Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,096. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal for the name of the United States of America.

Columbia County comprises the Hudson, NY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Albany-Schenectady, NY Combined Statistical Area. It is located on the east side of the Hudson River.

At the time of European encounter, the area was occupied by the indigenous Mohican Indians. To the west of the river were the Mohawk and other four tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, extending past what is now the border of New York state. The first known European exploration of Columbia County was in 1609, when Henry Hudson, an English explorer sailing for the Dutch, ventured up the Hudson River. An accident to his craft forced him to stop at what is now known as Columbia County, and search for food and supplies. In 1612, the Dutch established trading posts and minor settlements, constructing New Amsterdam (today New York City) and Fort Orange (today Albany). Fort Orange became a center of the fur trade with the Mohawk people. Traders began to stop at midway points along the Hudson River, on their travels between New Amsterdam and Fort Orange. Small settlements arose along the river to supply the traders' ships.