Quote Of The Day

"Every old town has its own accent — the way the light falls on the stone, the way the river refuses to let you forget it's there."

— Pete Seeger

Kingston, New York is gearing up for its sixth round of paving in 2026, with work scheduled across several city streets including Bruyn Avenue, Fashion Lane, Railroad Avenue, and Greenkill Avenue siding.

Milling is set to begin Monday, September 21, with paving expected to wrap up by Friday, September 25 — weather permitting. Residents should expect detours and shifting traffic patterns, and all vehicles must be kept off affected streets during operations.

The city notes that paving season is expected to continue through October 2026, with additional rounds still to be announced in the coming weeks.

Interesting Facts

Kingston, New York has a remarkably layered history that goes well beyond its reputation as a Hudson Valley arts town. Here are some facts that tend to surprise even locals:

• First capital, briefly: Kingston served as New York State's first capital in 1777, but the distinction lasted only a few months — British forces under General John Vaughan burned the city to the ground in October of that year, forcing the government to relocate.
  
  
• A city of two grids: Kingston is one of the few American cities with two entirely separate historic downtown grids — the Stockade District uptown, laid out in the 1600s by Dutch settlers, and the Rondout waterfront district a mile away, which grew independently around the 19th-century canal trade. The two were not consolidated into one city until 1872.
  
  
• Cement capital of the world: In the mid-1800s, the Kingston area was the leading producer of natural hydraulite cement in the United States, supplying the material used to build the foundation of the Statue of Liberty and large sections of the Erie Canal.
  
  
• IBM shaped modern Kingston: IBM established a major manufacturing plant in Kingston in 1956, and at its peak employed roughly one in five working residents of Ulster County. When IBM dramatically downsized in the early 1990s, the local economy contracted so severely that Kingston lost population for years afterward.
  
  
• Senate House survived the burning: The Senate House, where New York's first state senate met in 1777, was set ablaze by the British but survived partially intact — its stone walls refused to fully collapse, and the building was eventually restored and still stands today as a state historic site.

Q/A Questions

Q: Why do so many artists and creative professionals keep relocating to Kingston?

A: Beyond the relatively affordable studio and living spaces compared to New York City, Kingston sits at a geographic sweet spot — close enough for weekend visitors and gallery collectors to make the trip, yet far enough to offer genuine quiet and community. The city also has a long history of craft traditions tied to the Hudson Valley, which gives newcomers a sense of roots rather than just trendiness.

Q: What is the Rondout, and why do locals talk about it separately from the rest of Kingston?

A: The Rondout is Kingston's historic waterfront district, originally a booming 19th-century port where the Delaware and Hudson Canal met the Hudson River. It developed its own distinct identity — taverns, warehouses, and maritime trades — that set it apart from the uptown stockade area. Today it functions almost like a neighborhood with its own personality, home to waterfront dining, galleries, and the Hudson River Maritime Museum, and locals still instinctively treat it as its own place within the city.

Q: Was Kingston ever the capital of New York State?

A: Yes, briefly and under dramatic circumstances. In 1777, Kingston served as the first capital of New York State after independence was declared. It hosted the state's first constitutional convention and seated its first government — but British forces burned much of the city to the ground just weeks later in October of that year, forcing officials to flee. Several stone buildings that survived that burning still stand in the Stockade District today.

Joke Of The Day

I told my friend I was moving to Kingston, NY, and he asked if I was ready for a big change.

I said, "Relax — it's not like I'm moving to a place with a parking spot on every block." He googled it. He has not spoken to me since.