In the 1830s Swiss emigrants settled Jeffersonville, a small village in Sullivan County, New York, in the southwestern part of the Catskills. The original Swiss name “Winkelried Society” was later changed to Jeffersonville in honor of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.
Jeff’s moderate climate in the summer attracted many tourists and stimulated the building of several hotels. The village was incorporated on November 24, 1924. Read more about its history at here (www.jeffersonvilleny.com/jeffersonville_history_article.html).
Surrounded by mountains, Jeffersonville (Jeff) is located in a valley created by Callicoon Creek. A 23-acre Lake Jefferson lies within the village boundaries. Jeff’s highest point is upper Jefferson Avenue, 1275 feet, and its lowest point is Kohlertown, 1040 feet. It has an area of 1.5 square miles.
The population has not changed much over the years, 421 in 1950 and 352 in 2012. According to the US Census, the majority (95.3%) of residents identify as white, and one in ten (11.5%) identifies as Hispanic. Close to a third are 62 years or over (32.1%) and 15% are under 18 years. Over half (53.6%) of the residents have a high school degree or less, and 15.5% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Unemployment in 2010 was 6%.
