Rosendale NY Real Estate
On fine days, there's likely to be a lot of laundry drying on outdoor clotheslines in the little Town of Rosendale. And it's not because the power has gone out, or the residents can't afford clothes dryers.
It's because drying laundry on a line is the basic, natural, and environmentally responsible way to get the water out of your wearables. And the atmosphere throughout this small town is just that: basic, natural, and environmentally responsible.
Rosendale Homes for Sale
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More About Rosendale
Independent too, you might notice, as another car goes by smugly bearing the bumper sticker, “People's Republic of Rosendale.” You may have heard rumors that this little 20-square-mile town of just over 6,000 is “the next hot spot.” Well they've been rumoring that for years. And Rosendale has so far paid no attention.
Not that the ingredients aren't all there: a walkable and history-rich downtown of quaint 19th Century storefronts; a large, growing, and activist arts community; a plum location that's rural and yet just minutes from the conveniences of New Paltz to the south and Kingston to the northeast, as well as close to not one but two Thruway entrances; quirky celebrity thanks to the unique and sought-after Rosendale cement that once built national treasures like the Statue of Liberty base, the Brooklyn Bridge towers, and New York City's Flatiron Building, and that has now been resurrected as a boutique product for historically correct restorations; and finally, a season-long celebration of small-town life with farmers markets, street fairs, art shows, and festivals.
Supporters even insist that live-and-let-live Rosendale's vegetarian bluegrass tilt make it a more authentic Woodstock than Woodstock itself, given Woodstock's bustling tourist trade and well-tended image.
In fact, it wouldn't seem out of character to see faded “Make Love, Not War” posters in downtown Rosendale shop windows and on telephone poles. “Peace” with a two-fingered v-sign is in the air here, a town that, though small, nevertheless includes no fewer than three spiritual retreat centers and where classes offered to the public tend toward subjects like tapping into solar energy and getting started in beekeeping.
The Women's Studio Workshop (“committed to developing an alternative space for artists to create new work and share skills”), headquartered in an historical building that was once the Rosendale Cement Company, proclaims itself “the leading women's art facility in the country.” The town's most prominent restaurant, the Rosendale Café, serves vegetarian fare exclusively. Social progressives Bill and Melinda Gates support the local library. And it seems likely that Earth Day is marked on everyone's calendar.
But I've often thought that most of what anyone might want to know about Rosendale can be learned simply by going to the movies. Specifically, to the little 300-seat Rosendale Theatre just down the block from the Rosendale Café. With its old tin ceiling, worn wooden floors, single screen, and absence of a concession stand, the place would probably impress an out-of-towner as a struggling relic showing grainy old films and likely to close soon. Wrong on all counts. Locals know it's an art house as well as a place for Rosendalians to be seen and visit with each other, and whose cranky answering machine's message announces films that may not be “just-released” but are almost always the kind that are considered “important,” the sort guaranteed to fuel lively discussions afterward over an ice cream nightcap at the cheese shop next door. And on a personal note, since the Rosendale Theatre has been in the same family for over 60 years—well before my mother first brought me here as a kid—I'd say the place still has a long future ahead.
Homes in Rosendale
Periodically a magazine rediscovers Rosendale real estate and implies there's a parade of trend-setting New Yorkers quietly snapping up bargain Victorians and farmhouses. The real estate reality here is actually somewhat different. Prices for Rosendale homes tend to be mid-range for Ulster County, varying substantially depending on how close you are to neighboring Marbletown or New Paltz. Annual property taxes are average to slightly above, for Ulster. There are Victorians and farmhouses, to be sure, as well as plenty of other styles new and old. But Rosendale real estate is on something of a plane—the highest point and lowest point are but 500 feet apart—so it's not the place for dramatic mountain views. No one here seems to miss them.
The next hot spot? The residents read it in some glossy magazine yet again, and yawn. In fact, the citizens of Rosendale are happy to let all those weekend tourists keep heading over to Woodstock in search of that carefully burnished tie-dyed country cool. It just means more organic fruit leather for everyone else, back at the Farmers Market.
Things to See and Do in Rosendale
You can tell a lot about a community by the ways in which it comes together, the events it holds. In that sense, too, Rosendale reveals a lot about itself. Every Sunday during the warmer weather, The Rosendale Farmers Market sets up at the Community Center, “rain or shine.” It's the place to pick up typical Rosendale basics—organic vegetables, artisan breads, organic herbal soaps, organic lotions, local maple syrup, organic fruit leather, and other hand-made necessities.Organizers hope you also enjoy the Market's “awesome acoustic music.”
In July there's the Rosendale Street Festival, which calls itself “One of the biggest music festivals in the Northeast . . . Two Days . . . Five Stages . . . 80 Bands . . . featuring local and national acts for every taste.” Since attendance at this grassroots celebration tops 25,000, the claim doesn't seem far-fetched.
Come November, marinated-food fans have their day: The International Pickle Festival (the name says it all).
And on summer weekends, the Rosendale Arts Squad, officially committed to “building an environmentally conscious, art-friendly business environment,” runs the Bell Tower Arts and Crafts Market in a majestic old church, featuring “local artists, designers, craftspeople, and bearers of cool and avant-garde collections.” Naturally.
If at any time you have questions about real estate in Rosendale or the surrounding Ulster County area, please don’t hesitate to contact Dylan Taft, Principal Broker/Owner, Taft Street Realty, Inc. - 845.687.9292 office or 845.380.3394 mobile.
The data relating to real estate on this website comes in part from the IDX of the Multiple Listing Service of Ulster County, Inc. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Taft Street Realty, Inc are marked with IDX logo and the detailed information about them includes the name of the listing broker.
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