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Kevin O'Connor, Executive Director
289 Fair Street
Kingston, NY 12401
Phone: (845) 331-2140
koconnor@rupco.org
Counties Served:
Ulster
Incorporated:
1981
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Ulster County is about halfway between Albany and New
York City. It is a large, rural county, with a
population of 178,000, spread out in communities of
2,500 or less. It is 90 percent white, with only 25
percent of residents having college degrees. The poverty
rate is 11 percent. Bounded on the west and north by the
Catskill Mountains, and on the east by the Hudson River,
the county contains 130,000 acres of state-owned land,
the private Mohonk Reserve of 5,000 acres, and 70,000
acres of agricultural land. Approximately 11% of the
land area is exposed or nearly exposed bedrock. Due to
the topography, and the restricted land uses,
residential development is limited.
Since
1990, Ulster County has experienced extraordinary
economic change. Major employer downsizing resulted in
the county being eligible for support from the U.S.
Economic Development Administration to address problems
of sudden and severe economic displacement. Although the
unemployment rate has dropped from its high of 9%, many
of the new jobs pay less than the old ones, and
affordability is the community's most critical housing
problem.
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