The Village of Nelsonville is a small one mile square hamlet located approxamately fifty miles north of New York City. It sits at the epicenter of the Hudson Highlands State Park, adjacent to the Hudson River and the Village of Cold Spring.

Officially incorporated in 1855 by the state of New York, the Village is situated within the boundaries of Putnam County and the Town of Philipstown. The population of the community has remained somewhat constant over the past twenty years, with residents commuting to work via the Metro North Commuter Line or easily accessible main roads and thoroughfares. Nelsonville sits within the Haldane Central School District, which is Kindergarten through 12th grades and has a student body of approxamately 950.

Major attractions of the area include the Hudson River, numerous antique stores, Revolutionary War battlefields, The United States Military Academy at West Point, the West Point Foundry, Boscobel Restoration (with its famous summer Shakespeare Festival) and of course the magnificent hiking trails of the Hudson Highlands. In fact the Village of Nelsonville has been named "The Hiker's Hamlet" by the New York State Greenway Conference.