SPOTLIGHT Marbletown & Rochester
Written by Bond Brungard for Ulster Strong
In the valley between the Catskills and northern Shawangunks, agriculture for centuries, and later tourism and second home ownership, have been the anchors of the economies of the towns of Marbletown and Rochester. “Sunflowers are our big season right now,” said John Kelder, “and lots of fruits and vegetables.” Kelder manages the family’s farm retail business, in the Town of Rochester, along a stretch of Route 209 as Mohonk Mountain House distantly looms atop Shawangunk ridge.
In the valley below, families can pick their own fruits and vegetables, with prime pumpkin season about a month away, in the fertile fields along the banks of the Rondout Creek. On the bluff above, they can enjoy mini-golf, seeing farm animals, and other attractions adjacent to a barn and its retail activities of primarily fruits and vegetables. Greeting visitors, facing Route 209, is a giant garden gnome.
“We try to have a full farm experience for people,” said Kelder.
It looks like agri-tourism on the ground, with a parked green combine converted into a multi-lane slide for the kids, but Kelder defines the family business, farming many generations with direct sales of fruits and vegetables to other retail outlets, simply as agriculture. “We work really hard at promoting our farm,” he said.
The 2020 Census determined that 7,272 people lived in the Town of Rochester, a municipality of scattered hamlets that covers nearly 89 square miles. The Town of Marbletown has 5,650 residents, according to the 2020 Census, and it covers a little more than 55 square miles. Both towns are primarily served by the Rondout Valley Central School District.
The COVID-19 pandemic sent New York City resident fleeing and turned Ulster County, especially Kingston, into one of the hottest real estate markets in the nation.
Kelder said he watched the wave come in and the recede as residents eventually returned to their domiciles full-time in the Big Apple and other places.
But that natural occurrence, where a virus can disrupt economies and push masses to safety, helped bolster business opportunities that already existed here.
“Revenues generated through agri-tourism and short-term rental clients are deeply embedded in the local economy,” said Tim Sweeney, owner of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Stone Ridge.
A month from now, the autumn tourism season will soon be reaching its peak when families come out on the weekends for apple picking and corn mazes in both towns. The season, too, brings more business to restaurants and helps fill short-term rentals. And if you live full-time in both of these towns, it always easy to encounter construction crews or landscapers at one of the many convenience stores that line Route 209, which runs through the heart of both towns.
Full-time residents may need their services, but there is also competition from wanting second homeowners, a segment which greatly contributes to the economies of both towns. “The influx of new and second homeowners have helped keep local builders, contractors, electricians, roofers, plumbers, masons, lawn care, tree services, pool companies, engineers, architects and property managers extremely busy. Marbletown has averaged over 500 building permits a year the past three years,” said Town of Marbletown Supervisor Rich Parete, “I don’t see the economy of Marbletown changing in the near future. I believe tourism will continue to grow as more people find out all the Marbletown has to offer.”
Rochester, too, became so popular with builders that an 18-month moratorium was enacted in June, 2022 that suspended applications for existing parcels to be subdivided into five or more parcels due to the growth that has followed in recent years.
The Town of Rochester, formed originally around hamlets that once grew around one-room schoolhouses, now has many residents who work at home or operate small business here. But many, who work in nearby state prisons in Napanoch, nearby regional school districts or other educational institutions such as SUNY New Paltz or SUNY Ulster, commute to their jobs. “Most of Rochester's full-time residents, who work. commute out of the town for employment. This has been the case for some time and is not a recent change,” said Town of Rochester Supervisor Mike Baden.
Photos by Bond Brungard:
The hamlet of Accord’s retail activity is dominated by a three-business commercial district with this market, antique store and nearby pottery studio.
Farms animals and a giant garden gnome greet visitors at Kelder’s Farm.