Posted by By Clea Spring, Staff Writer
New Paltz used to be a small town. People who’ve lived here a long time know it as the cozy, cultured, and connected community north of New York City and south of everywhere else.
For outsiders, it’s a town full of diversity, interesting small businesses and autumn foliage, and is fixated on this idea of romanticizing the ‘small town country life’.
If you try to drive down Main Street in October, you’ll find that it takes about three times longer than in, say, January. You might’ve also noticed that tax rates are rising tremendously compared to other places in New York. If you’re wondering why, the answer is clear: tourists.
Bonne Masseo, a teacher at New Paltz High School, tells us that it was not always like this. “I’ve lived here 49 years,” Masseo begins. “I think that tourism has increased, and part of me would say it’s drastically increased. I can remember when the first hotel was built down the road, and in addition I think we have more little shops that target tourists. But I don’t have the statistics to prove that.”
To help, here are some statistics we do have.
“I think that tourism has increased, and part of me would say it’s drastically increased.
Bonne Masseo, New Paltz Resident for 49 years
From watching television, reading the newspaper or even just going on Instagram, I think we can all see the drastic change in views regarding vacationing. In 2023, 62.2 million people visited New York City, which is a 7% decrease from the 66.6 million in 2019. In comparison, tourism to more rural areas has had a 10.8% increase from 2021, and is expected to increase at 6.8% per year from now until 2034. This is because the ideas surrounding rural areas went from negative to positive in the past few years, and the opposite happened for more urban areas.
People–mostly from the city–come to New Paltz in search of that “farmer’s daughter” “country” lifestyle, even though they’d have much more success in going somewhere like Oklahoma. If you search up “small town” on TikTok, the hashtag has over 439k views, but if you search up city life, it has just under 486.3k views. Considering the geographical size of cities compared to towns, that’s a pretty close difference. So, if these ideas are so popular, why are they associated with New Paltz?
In the areas north of New York City, there are hundreds of small, cultured places for people to choose from. Many people go to Saratoga Springs, Kingston, Lake George, Cooperstown, Ithaca…the list goes on. While all of these places are different, they have one thing in common: they are full of diversity.
This can mean lots of things. For New Paltz, it means that many different people who come from many different places are all conversing and sharing culture, ideas and styles with each other. One destination–Water Street–on the western edge of the village, is a popular hub for all of this.
“My parents have always been in the restaurant industry, and a year before Covid we opened The Grazery in Water Street,” says Mia Gagné, a junior at New Paltz High School. “Fall and summer are the biggest seasons. Usually people go up to Mohonk or stay at Wildflower Farms, and then come to Water Street to get lunch, or to buy gifts…the downside of this is more traffic and businesses coming in that arent sustaining our community and are just here to cater to tourists.” It’s obvious that tourism is a coin with two sides–great revenue for businesses, but awful for local residents.
Tourism for our town is popular at every time of year, but especially in autumn. “In the fall it’s people from the city who come up on the weekend. They go to the farm stands, go apple picking, or drive around and just look at the leaves,” Mia continues.
For family-run farms in New Paltz, they depend on this autumn rush of tourists. “I don’t mind because it keeps us more busy, and I think it’s always busy in the fall. They are more difficult than locals, though. Sometimes people come in and try to steal chestnuts, which makes my boss really mad,” says a student who works on a family farm in the summer and fall. “We get hundreds of people a day. And on the weekends it’s so much busier. But it’s good for profit I guess..”
“I don’t mind because it keeps us more busy, and I think it’s always busy in the fall. They are more difficult than locals, though.”
A New Paltz Student
One major factor that contributes to the influx of New Paltz tourism is how it’s marketed. If you search up ‘places to visit in the Hudson Valley’, the first thing that pops up is Mohonk Mountain House, and pictures of the ridge. Then, you’ll find hundreds of articles on small towns in the Hudson Valley. One article, called ‘A Visit to Historic New Paltz, NY’ perfectly captures the ideas people are trying to fit New Paltz into. “New Paltz is a lively college town, a historic site, a hippie hotspot, and a center of outdoor activity in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York. And it is only 90 miles from NYC, easily accessible from the NY Thruway.” Another article said, “So, if you want to escape the perpetual chaos of NYC and channel your inner creativity then be sure to check out this charming little town.”
It’s obvious that the popular idea is that New Paltz is a getaway from New York City. If these articles are targeted to city people, they will come with their families, their friends, and most importantly—their money.
Tourism, for any place, is a double-edged sword. For a lot of small towns it’s a great way to bring in revenue and profit for everyone. For businesses, mostly, it has great benefits. The disadvantages of tourism happen mostly for residents. For them, during peak tourist season, it’s nothing but crowds of people, lanes of traffic and increased taxes. When people come in and go out on a cyclic basis, it keeps the circle of profit going. Tourists, to businesses, to the town, and back around again. People will always complain, but without it, they wouldn’t be living in such a lively town.
So, is increased tourism inevitable for our town? Most likely. But we can always think more positively about it. Imagine a ghost town, even in the fall, where you’re seeing the same people every day around town – nothing ever changing. Some people like the quiet of the valley, and others don’t. One thing is for sure: when tourists come, New Paltz is disguised as a town made for them. But as tourism rates increase, and dependence on them grows – that line between real and fake is blurring, faster than you think.
The Maroon 