In valley, people still piling in
Newcomers fuel totals
By Elizabeth Lynch Poughkeepsie Journal April 15 , 2005

Dutchess County remains one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, and the reason is a familiar one -- a steady flow of newcomers.
Dutchess has had the fifth-fastest rate of population increase statewide since the census was taken in April 2000. It ranks behind Orange County, the fastest in the state. Ulster County ranks 16th, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The migration trend is a continuation of one that began in the 1950s and gained momentum in the early 1990s, when IBM began downsizing.
''It bodes well,'' said Michael DiTullo, president of Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress. ''We've become a talent magnet. People from all over the globe are migrating into the region.''
While both Dutchess and Ulster counties experienced noticeable population increases, the growth was negligible compared to other parts of the nation, such as Flagler County, Fla., which saw its population jump by 10 percent between 2003 and 2004. Since April 2000, that county's population has grown by nearly 39 percent. It was behind only Loudoun County, Va., which saw its population increase 41 percent between April 2000 and July 2004.
Adjusted numbers
The U.S. Census Bureau determines the estimates annually by adjusting the 2000 population counts with formulas based on estimates of births, deaths and migration data.
Most of the counties with high rates of growth were in the South and West.
''We're fortunate that we have growth,'' said Rich Birch, Dutchess County's assistant planning commissioner. ''Although it seems high, it's at a rate that can be managed'' by towns and school districts.
Nearly two-thirds of Dutchess' 4.7 percent population increase, and three-quarters of Ulster's 2.25 percent increase, is a result of newcomers. Births account for the remainder, according to the census.
Ulster's population changes are in line with previous growth estimates, said Robert Leibowitz, a senior planner with the Ulster County planning board.
There are several new subdivisions proposed for the county's southern towns.
''There's a lot of growth going on in Ulster County; we're next in line after Dutchess and Orange,'' Leibowitz said.
Several communities have imposed building moratoriums and when they are lifted ''those areas are going to boom,'' he said.
DiTullo said three elements attract people to the region: affordability of housing, quality of life and economic opportunity.
''As long as the economy stays well, the [growth] trend will continue,'' Birch said.
He said developers have many proposed projects. The growth has been in Dutchess' southern sections and now is spreading north and east.
''Those communities are on the alert and know things are changing,'' Birch said.
The local real estate market, fueled by newcomers seeking a quieter lifestyle and comparatively inexpensive housing when compared to real estate in counties to the south, such as Putnam and Westchester, remains hot, local agents said.
Nearly 400 houses with a median selling price of about $314,000 were sold this year in Dutchess as of the end of March, according to the Mid-Hudson Multiple Listing Service. The houses were on the market an average of 100 days, down slightly from a year earlier.
Sadhna Bhargava, a real estate agent with Weichert Realtors, said many of her clients are older couples or families, and they come from all over.
Two clients are relocating to the area from Virginia and California; two others are moving from apartments in Manhattan. Another is a local family that is renting and looking for a larger home.
But whether it's new construction or a resale of an existing home, houses are selling fast.
''It's amazing,'' said Bhargava, noting that some new construction is selling for $700,000 or more and it's difficult to find a raised ranch selling for $325,000.
''The market is moving up here,'' Bhargava said. ''They don't mind the commute and the taxes are lower.''
Many ramifications
The effects of the growth are obvious in many areas -- the need for new schools, bigger libraries, more ball fields and wider roads to handle more traffic.
Dutchess has one of the longest commuting times in the nation -- an average of 31 minutes -- as many newcomers return to Manhattan and Westchester to work.
In recent years, several local school districts have considered expanding their facilities, including Millbrook, Rhinebeck, Marlboro, Webutuck, Poughkeepsie, New Paltz and recently, Wappingers, where in February voters defeated a bond referendum to purchase land for a new school.
The fact that Dutchess has a substantial natural increase -- more births than deaths -- indicates that it has a young age structure, said Warren Brown, director of the New York Statistical Information System at Cornell University.
The natural increase, combined with the high migration rates, is ''consistent with Dutchess being a place people move to to bring up their families,'' Brown said.

Elizabeth Lynch can be reached at llynch@poughkeepsiejournal.com

Copyright © 2005, Poughkeepsie Journal .

AREA NEWSPAPER
CONTACT INFORMATION

ULSTER/ DUTCHESS

Poughkeepsie Journal
PO Box 1231
Poughkeepsie, NY 12602
(845) 454-2000
For an on line letter to the editor. Fill out this form

ULSTER COUNTY

Saugerties Times
Monday deadline
P.O.Box
Phone:334- 8200
FAX your letter 334-8202
saugertiestimes@ulsterpublishing
(Attention Erica Freudenberger, editor)
P.O.Box 3329
Kingston, NY 12402

Albany Times Union
Times Union
90 State Street
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 454-5091
For an on line letter to the editor. Fill out this form

COLUMBIA COUNTY
The Independent
Indenews (online)

P.O. Box 360
Hillsdale, NY 12529
Phone (518) 325-4400
FAX (518) 325-4497
Parry Teasdale, editor

letters to editor require form through website

***NOTE: Our websites make an effort to glean info for our readers from local papers. This is no way a substitute for subscribing or picking up a local paper. We gratefully acknowledge the efforts local newspapers and publications make to our community.