Little known fact: Ms. Reclaimed Home from straight outta Brooklyn spent a few years of her childhood in Wurtsboro, NY. My parents did the country/city thing for awhile. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Early 70’s Wurtsboro had all of the small town ingredients that scares the bejesus out of me today…hunter’s driving around with rifles and dead deer attached to their hoods, pregnant teens, drunk drivers and nutty conservatives. My mother’s BFF (no longer on this plane), an antiques dealer and psychic, moved up from Brooklyn first. By the time we arrived she had managed to befriend the one black family and one gay couple in town, so my informative years weren’t too parochial.
Fast forward to Wurtsboro today. It’s become quite the quaint little town. The main street is completely walkable. There isn’t tons to see or do, but one can spend a pleasant few hours, if not a full day in Wurtsboro. Be sure to visit The Potager (website not working at time of writing). Located in an old church in the center of town, this charming store features some wonderful affordable antique finds as well as country crafts. Go right downstairs for lunch at Toscana, an Italian eatery.
Although I wouldn’t say Wurtsboro is an artist’s paradise, there are some creatives moving up that way. Creative Corner and Red Eft Gallery offer classes, workshops and shows for the community. Unlike other up and coming small towns, I couldn’t locate any health food stores or yoga schools. That’s always one of the first things I look for when checking out a new location for myself.
There’s hiking nearby and even a wetlands reserve. Wurtsboro is located near Ellenville, Middletown and Monticello and less than 2 hours to NYC. My family owned a car for only 1 week when we lived there and managed to survive the rest of the time without one. The Shortline bus takes you a few blocks from the main part of town and services nearby areas.
If it doesn’t sound like Wurtsboro is an awesome place, just check out the listings below and think again. With prices starting under $80k, how could you go wrong?