Town of the Week: Ellenville

  |  June 11, 2012

Canal Street, Ellenville, NY

Not unlike last week’s TOTW, Monticello, the village of Ellenville (Ulster County, T/Wawarsing) was once a popular Vacationland. It’s not hard to see why. Flanked by both the Catskill and the Shawangunk Mountains, Ellenville is nestled right into the beautiful country that is the Rondout Valley. It’s also located off of a well-traveled road and was once a major stop on the  New York, Ontario and Western Railway, which brought the influx of tourism that made Ellenville into a resort town. But as it seems to go far too many times with these small upstate towns tucked away in the mountains, tourism eventually tanked thanks to the advent of air travel, and Ellenville floundered and met with an economic downturn.

But we happen to like Ellenville. Not only is it located in one of the loveliest landscapes in all the Hudson Valley, bursting with outdoor recreational opportunities like Sam’s Point Preserve and the Shawangunk Ridge State Forest, the village has so much potential: Canal Street is lined with great historic buildings, village real estate is cheap and plentiful, and there’s lots available outside the village if you’re looking for more land and a little seclusion. And it seems that some investors are looking at Ellenville with a close eye. Just recently, we blogged about an article in the Wall Street Journal which revealed that the once-grand but now-defunct Nevele Hotel (which closed in 2009) could be getting a new owner that wants to transform the old 432-room Borscht Belt hotel into a casino. The other big resort hotel, the Fallsview, was also closed, but re-opened as the Honor’s Haven Resort and Spa. 

Sam's Point Preserve, Ellenville

If Ellenville is, indeed, poised for a comeback, now would be a great time to jump on board with good-looking and fairly inexpensive properties. And if you know your way around a hammer and saw, even better. There are lots of impressive fixer-uppers for sale super cheap, elbow grease and determination needed.

Village of Ellenville official website.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

Read more from Kandy Harris

Read On, Reader...