The City of Beacon is located in Dutchess County, New York with 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. It was named to commemorate the historic beacon fires that blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Continental Army about British troop movements. The area occupied as Beacon was originally settled as the villages of Matteawan and Fishkill Landing in 1709, which were among the first communities in the county. Beacon is located in the southwest corner of Dutchess County in the Mid-Hudson Region, approximately 90 miles south of Albany, New York, and approximately 65 miles north of New York City. The City of Beacon is one of two Cities in Dutchess County.