Where Will You Find the Hamlet of Rochdale in the Hudson Valley?

There are several mini-towns throughout the Hudson Valley that people only know about on paper, or they live there. So when someone asked me about Rochdale and then said I probably drive through it often, I had to stop and think, "Where is Rochdale?"

They finally stopped laughing at me and let me know that it is sort of between the Arlington section of Poughkeepsie and Pleasant Valley in that Route 44 corridor. If you were to try and find it on a map, I am not sure that you could. It is in the approximate area of Adams Fairacre Farms and the Purple Parlor Car Wash on Route 44 in Poughkeepsie.

So what other "towns" are there in this part of Dutchess County, NY? Here are a few, do you know where they are? Do you drive through them all the time and think nothing about them? Here are the "hamlets" and then the towns that they are identified with:

Poughkeepsie

• Arlington
• Fairview
• Titusville
• Red Oaks Mill
• Freedom Plains
• Spackenkill

Hyde Park

• Haviland
• East Park

What is a hamlet? According to Webster's online dictionary a hamlet is a small town. There is more info on what a Hamlet is and how it applies to New York State from Grand Gorge. Here is what they had to say, and it makes sense:

a hamlet is a populated area within a town that is not part of a village. The term "hamlet" is not defined under New York law (unlike cities, towns and villages), but is often used in the state's statutes to refer to well-known populated sections of towns that are not incorporated as villages.

Do you live in a hamlet, but really associate it with the name of the larger town? Tell us what the name of your hamlet is, let's check it out!