Hudson River

The Hudson River is a 315-mile (507 km) river that flows from north to south through eastern New York state. It starts in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake in the town of Newcomb and ends at New York Bay, a tidal estuary between New York City and Jersey City, before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The river forms the eastern border between New York and New Jersey and helps define many county borders in upstate New York.

The Hudson River has been home to many Indigenous groups, including the Munsee, Lenape, Mohican, Mohawk, and Haudenosaunee. It was later named after Henry Hudson, an Englishman who explored it in 1609 while sailing for the Dutch East India Company. Before that, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano had seen the river in 1524 while sailing for King Francis I of France.

In the 1800s, the Hudson River inspired famous American writer Washington Irving and the Hudson River School of landscape painting. The river also played a key role in transportation history with canals like the Delaware and Hudson Canal and the Erie Canal, which connected New York to distant places.

In the middle of the last century, the Hudson River faced serious pollution problems. Efforts to clean up the river have been underway since then, and today, signs of nature returning are appearing, with sturgeon spotted in its waters.

Names

The Hudson River had many names throughout history. The Haudenosaunee called it Ka’nón:no or Ca-ho-ha-ta-te-a ("the river"). The Mohican nation knew it as Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk ("river that flows two ways") or Mahicannittuk, named for its strong tides. The Delaware Tribe of Indians also considered the river part of their land and called it Muhheakantuck.

When Europeans arrived, the river was first named Rio San Antonio by explorer Estêvão Gomes in 1525. The Dutch later called it the Noortrivier, meaning "North River," while the nearby Delaware River was the Zuidrivier, or "South River." Other names included Manhattes rieviere ("Manhattan River") and Groote Rivier ("Great River"). The name "Hudson River" first appeared on a map in 1740. Even today, some people still use the old name "North River," especially in shipping and for places like the North River piers, North River Tunnels, and the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In 1939, the magazine Life called the Hudson "America's Rhine," comparing it to the famous Rhine river in Europe.

Course

The Hudson River is a long river that stretches about 315 miles (507 km) from north to south through New York state. It starts in the Adirondack Mountains at a lake called Henderson Lake, located in the town of Newcomb, and flows down to New York Bay. This bay is a special area where the river meets the sea, sitting between New York City and Jersey City, before finally emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The river also forms the border between New York and New Jersey and helps define many county lines in upstate New York.