thumb|Shaded [[Terrain cartography|relief map of New York. The Mohawk Valley is demarked by the green lowlands running east-west across the middle of the state.]]

thumb|Image of the Mohawk and Hudson valleys from [[Space Shuttle Challenger.]]

thumb|The Mohawk Valley

The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, the region's counties have a combined population of 622,133 people. In addition to the Mohawk River valley, the region contains portions of other major watersheds such as the Susquehanna River.

The region is a suburban and rural area surrounding the industrialized cities of Schenectady, Utica and Rome, along with other smaller commercial centers. The area is an important agricultural center and encompasses the heavily forested wilderness areas just to the north that are part of New York's Adirondack Park.

The Mohawk Valley is part of a natural passageway connecting the Atlantic Ocean, by way of the Hudson Valley, with the interior of North America. Native American Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy lived in the region. In the 17th century, Dutch, French and English immigrants —and in the 18th century German, Irish and Scottish—settled the area. Following the rapid industrialization of the mid-19th century, Italians and Welsh People settled in the valley.

During the 18th Century, the Mohawk Valley was a frontier of great political, military, and economic importance. Colonists

  • The Mohawk Valley is an important site in the video game Assassin's Creed III published by Ubisoft. The game takes place during the Revolutionary War era and features an assassin tasked with playing a role in the history of early America.

See also

  • Mohawk Valley formula
  • Dean R. Snow — archeologist who has conducted numerous excavations along the valley, providing valuable historical information about indigenous peoples and colonial America.

Sources

  • Thematic Survey of Dutch Heritage Resources in the Greater Hudson Valley
  • Burning of the Valleys Military Association
  • Fort Johnson in the Mohawk Valley
  • Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission
  • FortPlank.com