Monticello (/ˌmɒntɪˈsɛloʊ/ ⓘ MON-tiss-EL-oh)[3] is a village located in Thompson, Sullivan County, within the Catskills region of New York, United States.

In 1801, Samuel F. Jones was given the task of finding a route for the Newburgh and Cochecton Turnpike to connect The Hudson and Delaware Rivers.

While he marked the path through what was then Orange and Ulster counties he saw an opportunity to build a village on the turnpike.

Samuel convinced his younger brother, John Patterson Jones, to buy a 1861-acre tract of land that would be bisected by the turnpike so they could build this new village.

By the time the dust had settled, 40 buildings had been reduced to ash, causing roughly 1 million dollars in damages.

[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.1 square miles (11 km2), all land.

The village of Monticello is located in the southern portion of the Catskill Mountains region of Lower New York.

[citation needed] Other stations in the area include WVOS 1240 AM and WVOS-FM 95.9 FM, licensed to the Village of Liberty.

Monticello is located adjacent to New York State Route 17 (known regionally as the Quickway and eventually upgraded to be Interstate 86).

There is also local service provided by Sullivan County Transportation that runs once a week on two routes.

Patronage was heavy until after World War II, when competition from the automobile led its abandonment on March 30, 1957.

Just seven miles (11 km) away from the Raceway is Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.