Beacon, city (2020 pop. 14,370), Dutchess co., SE N.Y., on the E bank of the Hudson River; settled 1663, inc. in 1913 when Fishkill Landing and Matteawan villages were united. Beacon's textile, printing, and other industries have declined, but the opening of Dia:Beacon, the world's largest museum of contemporary art, has stimulated a revival of the city. The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge connects the city with Newburgh on the west bank. An incline railway ascends Mt. Beacon, site of a monument to Revolutionary soldiers who built signal fires to warn of the coming of the British.
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