I'm originally from Connecticut, but the Hudson Valley has become my home and every day I'm here I learn something new and different about the area.

I've noticed that people often refer to Poughkeepsie as the "Queen City." The first time I heard this, I wasn't sure if I heard correctly, but then I kept hearing it more actually saw it on a couple of businesses. I've always wondered how the city claimed this nickname and exactly how it got started.

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I did a little digging on USA History and  NewYork/Entry/Poughkeepsie found out some interesting ideas about the origin of it. Which one do you believe?

  • Poughkeepsie has been known as "Queen City of the Hudson" when a newspaper in 1873 said, "They will find Poughkeepsie not only as the Queen City, but one of the gems of the Empire State"
  • Poughkeepsie is the principal city of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown Metropolitan Area, It's the "Queen" of Dutchess and Orange County
  • Poughkeepsie was known as a thriving city right on the river early on
  • The word "Poughkeepsie" comes from the word "Apokeepsing" which means safe harbor

Some other nicknames the city goes by is Po-Town and Tree City.

Fun fact? The Poughkeepsie Journal is the oldest newspaper in New York and the third oldest in the country. Pretty neat.

If you have any other theories on this, feel free to drop a comment below and share it with us.

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