In 1854, part of the western section of the town, already an independent village, became the city of Poughkeepsie.

The town is bordered by Hyde Park to the north, Pleasant Valley to the northeast, LaGrange to the east, and Wappinger to the southeast.

The Deputy Supervisor monitors the town's fiscal condition and enforces its ordinances and laws.

The Town Supervisor is also involved in the discussion of all matters coming before council yet has no final vote.

The council functions to set policy, approve the annual budget and enact local laws, resolutions and ordinances.

The departments operate a varied fire apparatus fleet, along with basic life support and advanced life support emergency medical services (EMS) within the Arlington Fire District.

All EMS transports in the New Hamburg Fire District are covered by Mobile Life Support Services through a contract with the town of Poughkeepsie.

When someone calls 911, the call is routed to the Dutchess 911 center in the town of Poughkeepsie, and they route it to the town police department's communications center, who then dispatch the closest unit(s) based on a GPS map.

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides regular service to Poughkeepsie city.

Poughkeepsie also has commuter rail service to New York City via the Hudson Line (Metro-North).

Dutchess County Public Transit bus system provides service throughout the town.