The Catskill Mountains in upstate New York have been popular for summer homes and resorts since the 1800s, particularly in the Jewish community. They are technically a dissected plateau, but appear and act like mountains with hiking trails and skiing spots. The name’s Dutch origin is disputed.
The Catskills, more formally known as the Catskill Mountains, are a mountain range in upstate New York. These mountains have been used for summer homes and resorts since the 1800s and as a result, many people associate them with vacation and nature, especially in the Jewish community, thanks to the famous “Borscht belt” of Jewish resorts in the Catskills. Because the Catskills’ land is difficult to farm, they have been vulnerable to resort development, although several conservation organizations have worked to have sections of the mountains set aside as preserves so that future generations can enjoy the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains.
These famous mountains are located north of New York City and south of Albany, the state capital. Many people consider the Catskills to be part of the Appalachian Range, as they appear to form an extension of this remarkable mountain range, but in reality, the Catskills are geologically separate from the Appalachian Mountains and are, in fact, not mountains at all.
Technically speaking, the Catskills are what’s known as a “dissected plateau.” A dissected plateau is a geological plateau that has been subjected to sufficient uplift to cause it to rise significantly above the surrounding landscape and then severely eroded. Erosion carves deep valleys and gorges, creating a landscape that looks and feels mountainous. The Allegheny Plateau, home to the Catskills, stretches back and forth into the neighboring states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
For all practical purposes, however, the Catskills look like mountains, feel like mountains, and act like mountains, with a number of hiking trails that can be used in the summer and popular skiing and snowshoeing spots for people to enjoy in the winter. Although the Catskills are notoriously rocky, they are also covered profusely with native plant species, making them quite attractive to many nature lovers, and the terrain is quite varied, rising as high as 4,204m in places and demonstrating sweeping views of the surrounding river valleys.
There is some debate over the name of the Catskills, and in fact the name wasn’t set in stone until the 19th century. While the origins of the name are undoubtedly Dutch, the precise translation is disputed. Some people say that “Catskill” should be translated as “cat creek,” a reference to the area’s abundant rivers and once-abundant mountain lions. Others believe that the Dutch word in the name is actually a reference to the Native American fortification, which would have lined the rivers of the region.
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