Kingston, city, seat (1683) of Ulster county, southeastern New York, U.S. It lies on the west bank of the Hudson River (there bridged), at the mouth of Rondout Creek, 54 miles (87 km) south of Albany. A fur-trading post was established on the site about 1615. The first permanent settlement, called Esopus, was made by the Dutch in 1652. Governor Peter Stuyvesant fortified it (1658) and issued a charter in 1661 renaming it Wiltwyck. With British control its name was changed to Kingston (1669) for the English family estate of Governor Francis Lovelace. The year 1777 was one of historic firsts for Kingston. In that year it was chosen as New York’s first state capital; the state’s first legislature, senate, and supreme court (under John Jay) convened there; the first state constitution was adopted there; and George Clinton was inaugurated there as New York’s first governor. Burned by the British on October 16, 1777, during the American Revolution, the community survived and was incorporated as a village in 1805. In 1872 Kingston absorbed the adjacent villages of Rondout, Wiltwyck, and Wilbur and became a city.
Kingston’s growth during the 19th century was stimulated by the completion (1828) of the Delaware and Hudson Canal (providing a link with the Pennsylvania coalfields) and the arrival of the railroads in the 1860s. Boatbuilding, limestone quarrying, and the manufacture of cement products were early enterprises. The city’s industries were later diversified; the manufacture of machine tools and blasting components is important. The city is surrounded by fruit lands and is a tourist base for the nearby Catskill resort areas.
The old Senate House (1676) is preserved as a museum and state historic site. The city’s Old Dutch Church (1852) originated with a congregation established in 1659. Other local attractions include the Hudson River Maritime Museum, the Trolley Museum of New York, and the Volunteer Firemen’s Hall and Museum of Kingston. Ulster County Community College, part of the State University of New York system, is at nearby Stone Ridge. Ashokan Reservoir, an important part of the New York City water supply system, lies 5 miles (8 km) northwest. Pop. (2000) 23,456; (2010) 23,893.