Monticello

History

In 1801, Samuel F. Jones was given the task of finding a route for the Newburgh and Cochecton Turnpike to connect The Hudson and Delaware Rivers. While he marked the path through what was then Orange and Ulster counties he saw an opportunity to build a village on the turnpike. Samuel convinced his younger brother, John Patterson Jones, to buy a 1861-acre tract of land that would be bisected by the turnpike so they could build this new village. In 1803, John and 11 other men started work on a sawmill, and other infrastructure to help them build the village. The group left the area during the winter but would return in the early months of 1804 to continue their work. In spring of the same year the route for the turnpike was finalized and the two brothers started to plan the village. After the plan was completed, the first tree was chopped down by John September 4, 1804, on the property that would later become his house. The village grew from there, having 20 houses by 1813 and being officially incorporated on April 20, 1830. On the evening of August 10, 1909, a major fire started in the Broadway district of Monticello. The fire started in a local power station and quickly spread from building to building, engulfing the whole of Broadway street in flames. Local fire departments were scrambled to stop the fire, quickly containing the fire and stopping its spread to residential areas. By the time the dust had settled, 40 buildings had been reduced to ash, causing roughly 1 million dollars in damages. Luckily, no one was killed in the fire and the village soon rebuilt.

Geography

Monticello is located at (41.653, -74.690). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. The village of Monticello is located in the southern portion of the Catskill Mountains region of Lower New York. By driving distance, Monticello is approximately NE of Scranton, Pennsylvania, southeast of Binghamton, southeast of Elmira, northwest of New York City, northwest of Lakewood, New Jersey, and southwest of Albany.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  6,635
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,311
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,226
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,099
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  6,055
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  5,775
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,745
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,455

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 2.79 — 2015-09-27
  New York
• M 2.95 — 2009-02-03
  1 km ESE of Victory Gardens, New Jersey