Kingston

Kingston at a glance

The city

Kingston was settled by the Dutch in the 1650s, became New York's first state capital in 1777, and was burned by the British that October. It's the Ulster County seat, a city of about 24,000, and it has been through several lives: a Dutch farming stockade, a canal and steamboat port shipping coal and bluestone, a brick-making and manufacturing town, and for a long stretch after a big employer left in the 1990s, a place people drove past. In the last decade it has come back hard, with restaurants, studios, new apartments and a lot of people moving up from the city.

It's really three places in one, and buyers usually prefer one of them.

Uptown

The Stockade District, the original walled settlement, has the densest collection of 17th- and 18th-century stone houses in the state, the Senate House where the first state senate met, and a block of shops under a covered wooden sidewalk. The farmers market sets up here on summer Saturdays. Our office at 48 Stockade Row is a two-minute walk from it.

Midtown

The old commercial and industrial middle of the city, between Uptown and the waterfront, with big brick factory buildings now turned into studios, performance spaces and new apartments. Housing here is mostly modest frame houses and two-families, at the lowest prices in the city. It's changing fastest.

The Rondout

The 19th-century port on Rondout Creek, where the old Delaware & Hudson Canal met the river. Brick commercial buildings, Victorian houses up the steep streets, restaurants along the water, a maritime museum, and at the mouth of the creek, the Rondout Lighthouse. Boats tie up in summer, and on festival weekends the waterfront fills.

Getting around

Kingston has no Metro-North station. Coach buses run from the city's bus terminal to the Port Authority in Manhattan in about two hours, several times a day, and many commuters who go in once or twice a week use them. Amtrak is across the river at Rhinecliff, 15 to 20 minutes' drive over the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, with trains to Penn Station in about an hour and forty minutes. The Thruway runs past the edge of the city; driving to Manhattan is about two hours without traffic.

Uptown and the Rondout are walkable on their own; getting between them is a long walk or a short drive. Most households need a car. The Catskills start about twenty minutes to the west, which is another reason people move here.

Outdoors and landmarks

The city has been turning its old rail lines into trails. The Kingston Point rail trail runs from the Rondout out to Kingston Point Beach, a small public beach on the river, and the O&W trail heads west toward Hurley through fields and woods. Both connect to the Empire State Trail network. The Hudson River Maritime Museum on the Rondout tells the story of the river's boats and runs trips out to the lighthouse in summer.

Uptown, the Old Dutch Church, whose congregation dates to 1659 and whose current bluestone building to 1852, sits on a green with a graveyard of early settlers. The Ulster County Courthouse, where New York's first constitution was read aloud, is across the street. The Senate House has a museum and a garden.

Through the year

Summer brings the Uptown farmers market on Saturdays, boats on the Rondout and festivals on the waterfront. Fall is beautiful and busy, with the Catskills turning just to the west. Winter is quieter but very much lived in; Kingston is a year-round city, not a weekend town, and that's part of its appeal. Spring is when most listings come on, and when the creek and the river run high.

Practical notes for buyers

• Schools: the city and several surrounding towns share a large consolidated K–12 district. Contact the district directly.
• Water and sewer: municipal in the city; wells and septic in much of the surrounding town of Ulster and beyond.
• Taxes: lower than in Dutchess County for comparable houses, but still substantial. Ask for the actual bill.
• Historic districts: the Stockade and Rondout districts have exterior review rules.
• Flooding: parts of the Rondout waterfront are in mapped flood zones. Check insurance quotes before you offer.
• Rentals: Kingston has local rental registration and tenant protections. If you're buying a two-family, ask your attorney about current rules. Our rental desk, run by Hollis Greer, manages a dozen units in and around the city.

Our Kingston listings

Nearby: 303 Wren Hollow Road, Saugerties ($375,000) and 2240 Old Mill Farm Road, Stone Ridge ($1,450,000). All listings

Thinking about Kingston?

June Takeda-Ross (first-time buyers and condos), Eli Brandt (land and farms), Priya Raman and Hollis Greer (rentals) work from the Kingston office, and Rosa Delgado sells many of our two-families. Stop by 48 Stockade Row or call (845) 555-0190.

Contact the Kingston office A weekend in Kingston