Midtown Manhattan is around a one-hour drive,[5] and the county is included in the New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

[6] In 1691, a group of Dutch traders purchased a tract of land from the Wappingers that spanned from the Hudson River to the Connecticut border.

[8][9] In 1737, the New York Colonial Assembly designated the Philipse Patent as the South Precinct of Dutchess County.

The Philipses began leasing farms to migrants from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Long Island, and lower Westchester.

It was privately owned and settlement was limited to tenant farmers willing to pay the Philipse family for leases.

The dispute over The Oblong was resolved in the aftermath of the war, with the heavily settled tract being incorporated as the first of two versions of the Town of Southeast.

There, a lowland near Fishkill Creek isolated from the rest of Putnam County and its adjacent upland drainage leading into the Hudson Highlands to the south, were ceded to Dutchess.

The wagons that traveled the road would transport produce from eastern Putnam County and iron ore from the mines.

[6] Transportation improved with the advent of the railroad, namely the Harlem Line, which was built in the 1840s, connecting Putnam by rail to New York City.

In Putnam County, much of the farmland was flooded to create reservoirs as part of New York City's Croton Watershed.

This brought more vacationers from the city, who were attracted to the scenic lands and the inexpensive hotels, inns, and summer houses.

[30] Putnam County is part of the 94th State Assembly District (Towns of Carmel, Patterson, Putnam Valley and Southeast), represented by Matt Slater (R),[32] and the 95th State Assembly District (Towns of Kent and Phillipstown), represented by Dana Levenberg (D).

[33] Putnam County is part of the 40th State Senate District (Towns of Carmel, Patterson, and Southeast), represented by Peter Harckham (D),[34] and the 41st State Senate District (Towns of Kent, Phillipstown and Putnam Valley), represented by Democrat Michelle Hinchey.

Putnam County has voted consistently for Republican presidential candidates, largely bucking the Democratic trend in the New York City suburbs.

Depending on precise location within the county, road travel distance to New York City ranges between 45 and 65 miles (72 and 105 km).

The highest point in Putnam County is Scofield Ridge, with four summits at approximately 1,540 feet (470 m) above sea level.

Putnam County is known for its many pristine reservoirs, part of the New York City water supply system's Croton Watershed.

[40] In the winter, bouts of cold, dry air arrive from Canada, and interior sections of North America.

[40] Extratropical storms often affect the county; in the winter, Nor'easters bring heavy snow and rain, and sometimes high wind.

In the summer and fall, back door cold fronts move in from the north and bring thunderstorms, sometimes severe.

[54] As of 2022[update] SUNY Westchester Community College holds some general education classes at Mahopac High School.

[citation needed] The Putnam Hospital Center, located in Carmel, serves the eastern county.

Until May 1958, a third commuter line, the New York Central's Putnam Division, operating between the Bronx and points in the county, served the region.

With no direct connection to Grand Central Terminal (a transfer was required in the Bronx), ridership on the line was weak compared to its counterparts.

[61] Chuang Yen Monastery, located in Kent, is home to the largest indoor Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere.

[67] In July 2008, the local ownership sold the paper to Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox News, who named his wife Elizabeth as the new publisher.

Douglas Cunningham, editor-in-chief of the Courier and News and Recorder since 2011, purchased the two papers from the Ailes in December 2016 and became publisher.

When Ailes faced harassment allegations, leading to his ouster from Fox News, his Putnam County connection contributed to his being featured on the front pages of the Times and Press.

In 2010, Gordon Stewart, a businessman living in Garrison, launched a news website to compete with the Ailes-owned PCNR called Philipstown.info.

[73] It has three stations on the Metro North Railroad Hudson line: in Garrison, Cold Spring and Manitou, which has limited train service.