Mid Hudson Civic Center

The Mid Hudson Civic Center is one of the many landmarks in Poughkeepsie, New York that is trying to bring the old city back to its feet. The town and city of Poughkeepsie is large area, roughly situated between the capital of New York State, Albany, and its more famous (though some would say infamous) neighbor, New York City. It lies on the Hudson River and has for a long time been a bustling harbor city where a lot of commerce and industry has taken place. The 1980's and 1990's, however, saw a lot of economic and social decay turning the once great city into a vision of urban decay.

Attempts, like the Mid Hudson Civic Center, tried to turn the city around, but only recently have these events started to pay off. A great investment was made in the revitalization of the main street and the waterfront area to bring back the glory days of Poughkeepsie. It seems to have worked and the city is poised for a general resurgence of its fortunes. This is good news considering that it is one of the oldest cities in the state.

Long before all the modern problems and the Mid Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie was a small area that was settled by a Dutch family in the 1600's. In 1687, the area was founded by Baltus Barent van Kleeck. It was this same Dutchman who built the first recorded house in the area in 1702. Soon after the area was split, a part of it became incorporated as the Town of Poughkeepsie. Later, the City of Poughkeepsie was chartered. While the two remain independent, the only real differences between the two are municipal designations. To anyone on the outside, the town and the city are both considered the same place.

The area was a large center for whale rendering for a long time, but other industries also flourished in the area. The 1800's were a golden age for Poughkeepsie with all the traffic and industries along the Hudson River bringing in a lot of revenue and business to the area. But nothing lasts forever, and as time went by, economic decline and social decline had a negative effect on the town. Luckily, efforts, like the Mid Hudson Civic Center, among others, have helped to revitalize the city, the town, and the area. The problems of the past have been forgotten and things are starting to look up again.

Poughkeepsie is not just an interesting city and town, but the area surrounding the city and town is beautiful, as well. There is much to see and do in the town and the area and with all the new renovations being made, the city is once more starting to attract people to its streets. From the Mid Hudson Civic Center to various, other, new attractions and destination, Poughkeepsie is striding into the future with high hopes once more.