Town file
Hillsdale, New York
Hillsdale, New York (Columbia County, New York) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 237, "The Bear King Kills" (19 August 2021). Hillsdale, New York, sits in Columbia County in the south-eastern corner of the state, on the Massachusetts border, about two hours and a quarter from New York City and two and a half hours from Boston.
- Town
- Hillsdale
- County
- Columbia County
- State
- New York
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 237
- Approximate location
- 42.229, -73.521
Episode 237 / 19 August 2021 / 160 min / full
The Bear King Kills
"This week we are in Hillsdale, New York, in southeastern New York right on the Massachusetts border, in Columbia County." about 0:05:24
The case: Murder of George Mancini (February 11th, 2006). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2021
- Population
- 1,682
- Median age
- 48.8
- Median household income
- $66,000
- Median home value
- $325,800
- Two-bedroom rent
- $936
- Cost of living
- 111
- Religious
- 39%
- Property crime
- ▼ about half the normal
- Violent crime
- ▼ about a quarter
History, in brief
- The Mohican were in the area first and were devastated by smallpox and other diseases brought by the settlers; they called liquor 'the devil's blood'. about 0:08:30
- The Van Rensselaers bought land that included all of Albany and ran down towards Massachusetts; the tribes thought they were granting rights to hunt and live on the land rather than selling it. about 0:10:06
- In 1776 Henry Knox passed through Hillsdale while transporting cannons from Albany to aid the Continental Army in Boston. about 0:11:32
- The town's population peaked in 1860 and has been smaller ever since. about 0:15:58
The reviews read out
5 stars
"The cascading mountains, rolling hills, golden fields and blue sky make it a magnificent town; the reviewer praises the quiet summer nights, the crickets and the autumn leaf-peeping."about 0:12:26
4 stars
"Hillsdale is a great little community with nice shops but needs more restaurants; there is great skiing, amazing lakes in summer, and it is minutes from Connecticut and Massachusetts with a quick train ride to New York City."about 0:13:41
5 stars
"Locals love seeing new faces and the visitor loved the way the locals treated him; a friendly town."about 0:14:39
3 stars
"The weather depends on preference; spring through autumn is absolutely beautiful and green, but winter can be very long and very cold."about 0:14:51
3 stars
"The area has all the charm and elegance of Americana living but could use more of what it offers, especially more business and employment."about 0:15:14
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Pittsfield, Massachusetts20 miles
- Delmar, New York32 miles
- Barkhamsted, Connecticut35 miles
- North Adams, Massachusetts37 miles
- Bantam, Connecticut38 miles
- Simsbury, Connecticut43 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.