Whitney Point, NY

Whitney Point is a Broome County village at the meeting of the Tioughnioga and Otselic Rivers, where Routes 11, 26, 79, and 206 and nearby Interstate 81 bring a surprising amount of traffic through a small river town. General John Paterson settled here in 1791, and Thomas Whitney became the first postmaster in 1824. The village name grew from that early postal connection.

Fire destroyed 54 buildings in 1897, and the 1935 flood led to construction of the Otselic River dam and Whitney Point Lake. Dorchester Park and the reservoir now give the area fishing, boating, and picnic grounds, while the Broome County Fair and the annual Crappie Derby add long-running calendar dates. The water also gives the village its best-known recreational season. Whitney Point Central School, Main Street businesses, and the library serve a northern Broome County area larger than the village itself. Whitney Point is a crossroads built around two rivers, with flood control and recreation now woven into the same valley.