No matter where you go in Montgomery County, the river is always there, the backdrop of all activities in the Mohawk Valley, the touchstone to which we always return. When you visit, put the future in perspective by thinking about the past, about the history of this region so rich in people, ideas, and dreams. The past, after all, has made our present what it is, with its rich heritage of cultures, its broad commercial and industrial base, our extraordinary architectural legacy, and our deep attachment to the land. In the early 19th century, even when leisure travel was a luxury, the Mohawk Valley was a favorite destination. And so it is today.

Mohawk. British. Dutch. German. Hispanic. Irish. Italian. Polish. The people of Montgomery County are as distinct as its landscape; its cultures have merged into an intricate quilt where there is unity but also individualism and authenticity everywhere we look. We see it in the beautiful limestone architecture of the Palatine German homes. We hear it in the red hot rhythms of the annual Centro Civico Cultural Arts Festival. We taste it in the wonderful Polish pierogies handmade by the thousands in church basements. We feel it when we stop by the gift shop of the Kanatsiohareke, traditional Mohawk Tribal Community re-established next to the river. And we experience it, with a slight lilting of the heart, when we happen on an Amish barn raising.