Hamlet of the Week: Bovina Center

  |  January 20, 2014

bovina ny

Located in the middle of Delaware County, the town of Bovina was once a busy town…well, busier than it is now. Bovina, so named because of a proliferation of dairy farms back in the 19th century, was quite the mover and shaker in the dairy industry back in the day with over a hundred dairy farms cranking out the goods. These days, the dairy farms number considerably less. Just a few remain, in fact, but a drive through the hamlet of Bovina Center along Route 6/Bovina Road clearly shows the pastoral nature of the area, perfect for cattle to lazily graze upon it. What Bovina Center does have, though, are some great looking older properties.

Bovina Center consists of one road, no stop lights, a post office, library, and a general store. In fact, the general store is the only store in town, which makes it all the more intriguing. The terrain is hilly and beautiful (see picture above), surrounded by lakes, with the Little Delaware River flowing through it. If you’re into old houses, like we are, it’s worth a trip through in order to ogle at the good stuff along Bovina Road. Lots of farmhouses, Colonials, and Victorians, and many in great shape. Clearly, the folks in Bovina Center take their history seriously and are keen on preserving it. Speaking of Bovina history, check out Ray LaFever’s blog. He’s the town historian, and his blog is chock full of photos and interesting tidbits about the town and its people throughout the past two centuries.

So what’s on the market in Bovina Center these days? It’s a tiny hamlet, so not much, but enough to pique our interest. We found a lakehouse, a renovated 1920s farmhouse, a lodge that accommodates 300 guests, a contemporary log house, an 1850s Colonial, and a few others. Bovina Center is out in the country, so prices are mostly reasonable. And because we’re in the Delaware County, the property taxes probably won’t cause a heart attack.

Bovina Center is located about 12 minutes from Andes, 15 minutes from Delhi, and a little over 3 hours from NYC.

bovina capture

About Kandy Harris

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

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