The Hudson River: A River, Not a State or Territory

The Hudson River is a 315-mile (507 km) river flowing primarily through eastern New York, with its lower 21 miles forming the New York–New Jersey boundary.

Key Facts

• Source: Lake Tear of the Clouds (Adirondack Mountains, 4,322 ft)
• Mouth: Upper New York Bay (Atlantic Ocean)
• Tidal estuary: Lower 153 miles (to Troy, NY) — saltwater intrusion
• Watershed: 13,000 sq mi across NY, NJ, MA, CT, VT

Historical Significance

• Henry Hudson (1609) for Dutch East India Company
• Dutch colony New Netherland (New Amsterdam → New York)
• Strategic Revolutionary War corridor
• Erie Canal (1825) linked to Great Lakes, fueling NYC's rise
• Hudson River School: First native U.S. art movement (Cole, Church, Durand)

Environmental Recovery

Severely polluted mid-20th century (PCBs, industrial waste). Clean Water Act (1972), Superfund cleanups (GE Hudson Falls), and advocacy (Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson) restored swimmable/fishable conditions in many reaches. Ongoing PCB remediation.

The Hudson is a river—geologically, legally, and culturally. It flows through states; it is not one.