Kingston. 1 City (1990 pop. 23,095), seat of Ulster co., SE N.Y., on the Hudson River at the mouth of Rondout Creek; inc. as a village 1805, and as a city through the union (1872) of Kingston and Rondout. A tourist hub for the Catskill-Shawangunk resort area, it has plants that make data acquisition and control systems, ships, conveyors and separators for sand and gravel, hydraulic and filter systems, electronics, machines, boilers, and draperies and textiles. The city is also a market for nearby fruit and vegetable farms (especially apples).
The first permanent settlement (called Wiltwyck) was established in 1652. Kingston served as the first capital of New York state until it was burned by the British in Oct., 1777. Its growth in the early 19th cent. was stimulated by the Delaware and Hudson Canal. Among notable landmarks are many old Dutch stone houses; the senate house (1676), meeting place of the first New York state legislature; the old Dutch church (1659) and cemetery (1661); the burial place of James Clinton; and nearby “Slabsides,” the former cottage of John Burroughs.
2 Borough (1990 pop. 14,507), Luzerne co., NE Pa., on the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes-Barre; settled 1769, inc. 1857. Although chiefly residential, it has food-products, textiles and apparel, machinery, and furniture industries.
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