UPSTATE OF MIND
Manhattan weekenders flock to the Catskills town of Kerhonkson for a mix of serenity and community
THE Catskills have grown in popularity over the last five years, with charming communities like artsy Woodstock seeing median prices for single-family homes jump by 54 percent, according to Zillow. Property values in the nearby college town of New Paltz increased about 20 percent during the same period. But even those upstate New York enclaves are becoming too crowded for serenity-seeking city folk.
One increasingly popular alternative is the 5.3-square-mile hamlet of Kerhonkson. Here, north of the Mohonk Preserve — a 30-minute drive from both Woodstock and New Paltz, and just two hours from Manhattan — New Yorkers have found rural rapture.
The discovery created a domino effect: Kerhonkson homes are rapidly being purchased even as new ones are built, so much so that median single-family home prices rose 30 percent over the last five years. Most of that spike has occurred in the nine months since January 2018, per Zillow. And while the median home price is a humble $147,300, the influx of city weekenders has led locals to dub the area the “Ker-Hamptons.”
And though there is no cute downtown — or even a cell phone signal — recent transplants find that to be part of the allure compared with more bustling Hudson Valley towns. That’s why banker Piers Constable, 47, and his girlfriend, fashion retail consultant Michaela Wallin, 33, chose the bucolic area for their vacation home.
“We had only previously spent a weekend
nearby in 2017 for Michaela’s birthday,” says Constable. “But we had such a great time hiking, biking and cooking with friends, we decided to buy into this lifestyle.” So, in January, on their second visit to the area, the couple purchased a new 2,100-square-foot, three-bedroom home in Kerhonkson.
The Upper West Side triathletes planned to visit the farmhouse-style abode once a month. But they loved the authenticity and simplicity so much, they go up nearly every weekend. “It’s such a different vibe to what we experience during the week,” Wallin says. “We interact with our neighbors much more than we do in the city.”
Their nearly 6-acre property sits on a dirt road with several other new homes by Catskills Farms, a local developer building turn-key houses ranging from $400,000 to $600,000 for other urban families and couples. “Woodstock isn’t what people are looking for in their country respite anymore,” says owner Charles Petersheim, 48. “They wanted that you-can-ride-your-bike-withoutgetting-hit-by-a-car weekend experience: low density with amenities like shops and restaurants.”
It was this blend of unplugged tranquility and easy access that enticed Gramercy resident Daniel Trimbach to move his second home from New Hope, Pa., to Kerhonkson. The real estate project manager was slightly ahead of the recent real estate explosion, purchasing a contemporary 1,900-square-foot two-bedroom for $585,000 in 2008.
“I started to hear about the area from friends who were moving there,” says Trimbach, a 63-year-old cycling enthusiast. “And I found it was exactly what I wanted: a place with endless biking routes down the road from shopping and nightlife.”
Upper West Siders Thibault and Ashley de Villepin purchased a $183,000 two-bedroom in June 2017 for the same reason. “You’re secluded enough that bears come right
up to the house,” says Ashley, 29, a fashion product developer. “But with the proximity of small villages nearby,” adds Thibault, 28, an asset liability manager. Their 1,250-square-foot cabin-like spot puts rustic trails and idyllic swimming holes in their backyard with the Hudson River town of Kingston just half an hour away.
Kingston itself epitomizes the region’s evolution. Just eight years ago, in the aftermath of the economic downturn, there were several empty storefronts. Once Jay Teske Leather Co., Kingston Wine Co. and design shop Milne moved in, they banded together with local restaurants. Over time, enterprises from bakeries to shops opened.
“The weekends are filled with newly transplanted homeowners from the city enjoying a stroll along the waterfront and popping into boutiques,” says Hadas Liebermann, 36, who, with husband Jay Teske, 41, owns the leather goods store. Residents of, for example, Kerhonkson can leave a secluded house in the woods to grab a vegetarian breakfast around communal tables at Outdated, pick up artwork from the rotating gallery at Clove & Creek, and enjoy a glass of rosé at wine bar Brunette.
Even smaller downtowns like Rosendale — 20 minutes from Kerhonkson — are experiencing a marked uptick in business. The owner of nearby artisanal pastry shop The Alternative Baker, Essell Hoenshell-Watson, 62, notices “more culturally-minded people” moving to the area. Why? “It’s rich in culinary and artistic endeavors,” he says. “But still affordable.”
Eric and Cristina Silver, who reopened the Egg’s Nest in 2017, also observe “a shift” of “more creatives from urban areas” popping into their restaurant nearby. “We get a lot of real estate agents coming to our restaurant to show clients the town and surrounding area,” says Eric, noting there are “plenty of recognizable faces.” They include high-wire artist Philippe Petit.
About 30 minutes to the west of Kerhonkson, the town of Mountaindale is coming to life as a group of creatives — including renowned fashion designer J. Morgan Puett, model Hollie Witchey and Gwyneth Paltrow’s former assistant Ambika Conroy — came together to bring back the small hamlet. The town’s revitalization kicked off this summer with the opening of Vietnamese restaurant Bà & Me, high-end coffee shop High Voltage Café and ethical skincare shop Witchey Handmade.
And there’s no sign of the growth slowing. Sarkis Simonian, 45, and his partner Kristabelle McDermott, 40, just started the full-service building company Modern Shacks to serve the “steady influx of people” coming from the city. “There wasn’t a lot of modern design in the area,” says Simonian. “We’re filling that gap, and the response has been overwhelming.” Although they’ve only officially been open for a little over a month, they are preparing to sign contracts on four homes ranging from $120,000 to $200,000.
Despite the boom of upscale homes and shops, new residents swear it’s the hello-neighbor atmosphere that makes Kerhonkson unique. “For me, it’s never the place; it’s the people,” says Trimbach. “I’ve never connected with an area or people like I have here.”