It turns out that the Hudson Valley isn't where most of us think it is.

We cover many stories every day from all over the Hudson Valley.  Without fail, there's always someone from the "geography police" who's quick to chime in on Facebook or in our comments section to tell us that the location we're reporting on isn't actually in our area. The scolding is usually followed with a definition of what the Hudson Valley "really is."

Lots of things are up for debate, but what part of New York is considered being in the Hudson Valley isn't one of them. New York State's official Hudson Valley Tourism website clearly defines what the Hudson Valley region actually is.

Hudson Valley Tourism/travelhudsonvalley.com
Hudson Valley Tourism/travelhudsonvalley.com
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The Hudson Valley is a 10 county region designated by New York State that stretches from Albany County down through Westchester.

The "Upper Hudson" portion of the valley includes the Capitol District, consisting of Albany, Columbia, Greene and Rensselear counties.

The "Lower Hudson" portion of our area includes Putnam, Rockland and all of Westchester counties.

Most people, it seems, confuse the Hudson Valley with the "Mid Hudson" portion of the region. Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster counties are all considered part of the Mid-Hudson region, which sits in the middle of the Hudson Valley.

Sullivan County, although not officially on the New  York State map of the Hudson Valley, is widely considered a part of the region. Small portions of the Catskills bordering Green County are also considered part of the Hudson Valley.

So, while it's true that Albany and Westchester are not in the "Mid-Hudson Valley," they are most certainly a part of the Hudson Valley. In fact, Ulster down through Westchester is usually lumped together as "Downstate New York" with the Upper Hudson Valley and all counties north being classified as "Upstate."

So the next time you get pulled over by the "geography police" just whip out the map posted above and politely explain that they're wrong.

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