Overview
Sullivan County has been a popular vacation spot since the 19th Century, with mountain climbing, boating, and other outdoor activities, and the Monticello Raceway being among the attractions.
The majority of the tourism occurs in the summer months. It was the site of the hundreds of resort complexes of the Borscht Belt (with their golf courses, social events, and entertainers), between the 1920s and 1970s. It was the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
Key Aspects
Main Industry: In the late 19th century, the Industrial Revolution and the advent of factories driven by water power along the streams and rivers led to an increase in population attracted to the jobs. As industry restructured, many of those jobs left before the middle of the twentieth century.
The economy changed again after that, shifting to a more tourist-based variety and benefiting from resorts established by European Jewish immigrants and their descendants in what became called the Borscht Belt of the 20th century. At the beginning of this period, visitors traveled to the area by train, and later by automobile. The natural resources of the area also provided a setting for numerous summer camps frequented by the children of immigrants and their descendants.
Education: Sullivan County Community College is located in the hamlet of Loch Sheldrake in the town of Fallsburg.
Land: Sullivan County is separated from Pennsylvania along its southwest boundary by the Delaware River. The county is in the Catskill Mountains. Its northeastern corner is within the Catskill Park. The highest point is a 3,118-foot peak unofficially known as Beech Mountain, near Hodge Pond, a subsidiary summit to Mongaup Mountain across the Ulster County line.
Elected Officials
County Legislative Chair - Nadia Rajsz