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Get to know Hurley

One of the oldest towns in Ulster County, Hurley is a vast, geographically-distributed community that spans the distance from Kingston to Woodstock, much of which lies squarely in the boundaries of Catskill Park. Settled in the 1660s by Peter Stuyvesant, the town’s present name was conferred after passing from Dutch to British rule, and it briefly served as a temporary capital of New York State. Much early Colonial architecture is preserved within the Hurley Historic District, which encompasses most of the town’s principal hamlet. That small, central hub is flanked by square mile upon square mile of largely-unspoiled wilds that have changed little over the past five centuries, playing host to quiet retreats and world-class outdoor recreation. West Hurley, which lies north of the Ashokan Reservoir, adds a corridor of inns, restaurants, and other businesses on Route 28, along with a recently-completed rail trail.

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Living in the Hudson Valley

This cultured countryside needs little introduction. It’s been called New York’s Napa, the anti-Hamptons, or simply “upstate.” From rolling farm fields to mom-and-pop Main Streets, the region is blessed with easy highway access, train service via Metro-North and Amtrak, and even its own international airport, making it exceptionally attractive to New York City residents seeking a little more nature and a lot less bustle. Most of the area falls within a two-hour radius of Manhattan, making it practical for weekend or full-time residence. Straddling both sides of its namesake river (much is actually a tidal fjord), the Hudson Valley’s traditionally defined core consists of Putnam, Dutchess, and Columbia counties to its east and Ulster, Orange, and Greene to the west. Their mélange of art colonies, rustic-chic hamlets, and charming post-industrial cities — set to a landscape so breathtaking it inspired an eponymous 19th-century art movement — welcome infinite possibilities, from slow-paced small-town living to total off-the-grid seclusion. Bordering both the Berkshires and the Catskills, outdoor recreation runs aplenty, whether skiing in winter or climbing wilderness peaks in summer.