KINGSTON, N.Y. (May 4, 2012) – Not only is Ulster County an excellent tourist destination, it is also a wonderful, quirky place to retire. Ulster County is listed as one of AARP’s top 10 “Great Quirky Places to Retire.”
“Have you always thought of yourself as someone who marches to your own drum? Or known that, deep down, you felt most at ease in funky communities filled with creative, free-spirited people?” AARP asks in the April 25 article. “Now that you’re thinking of retiring, it’s time to be true to your inner compass and settle in a place where ‘eccentric’ is a compliment and where people are free to be whoever they want. Well, we’ve found 10 perfect places in the United States for people like you. For lack of a better word, call them ‘quirky’ — towns and villages that dance to their own beat — just like you.”
AARP also factored in cost of living, quality and availability of health care, and crime and safety.
“We are honored to have Ulster County rated so highly by AARP as a great place to live as a retiree,” County Executive Mike Hein said. “Ulster County is truly a unique and wonderful place to live or visit. But the people who live here or who have visited here already know what a treasure Ulster County is. It is nice to see Ulster receive such national recognition.”
The magazine identifies Ulster County as “a funky string of artist-haven villages edged by vast swaths of bear-haven mountains. Residents occupy villages and the bears roam the 287,500-acre Catskill Mountains Forest Preserve.”
The magazine makes note of Kingston and its historic Rondout waterfront neighborhood as well as New Paltz, where students of SUNY New Paltz outnumber permanent residents. The magazine also credits the tourism industry for helping the county’s unemployment rate during the recent recession.
“Kingston’s historic core is the waterfront Rondout neighborhood, which features brick buildings from the 1800s and a slew of restaurants, galleries and avant-garde venues like the Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts and Deep Listening Institute, a center for poets and experimental musicians,” the article said. “Kingston is home to the Ulster Performing Arts Center, a restored 1927 movie palace now lit for touring acts and community productions. The area is also a foodie haven, with many small farms and artisan food makers having settled in the Hudson Valley.”
The article even gave a nod to the late Levon Helm and his Midnight Ramble concerts as “the big ticket in town.”
“For outdoor recreation, the area boasts fine golf courses, the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, and extensive options for hiking, camping, canoeing and cross-country skiing on and around Slide Mountain,” the article continued. “Shawangunk Ridge is world-famous for both rock climbing and the deluxe accommodations at Mohonk Mountain House.”
“We’ve been saying for years how attractive Ulster County is to visitors,” said Ulster County Tourism Director Richard J. Remsnyder. “Now, Ulster’s latest recognition is that it is a top place to retire. We’re simply not a secret to anyone anymore.”
For the complete article, visit: http://www.aarp.org/home-family/livable-communities/info-04-2012/great-quirky-places-to-retire.1.html
