Infrastructure

Transportation

Kingston CitiBus provides service within the city and to Port Ewen.

Commuter service is available by bus to New York City daily via Trailways of New York. The 90 mile trip takes roughly two hours by motor coach.
Passenger railroad service to Kingston itself has been discontinued for several decades. However, about 11 miles (20 km) away is the Rhinecliff-Kingston Amtrak station, and 17 miles (30 km) away is the Poughkeepsie Amtrak/Metro-North station. CSX Transportation operates freight rail service through Kingston on the River Line Subdivision. There is also a small rail yard of about 7 tracks in Kingston.
New York State Route 199 has the nearest bridge traversing the Hudson River, 4.32 miles (6.95 km) to the north. U.S. Highway 9W runs north-south through the city. The New York State Thruway, also known at this section as Interstate 87, runs through the western part of the city.
The area is served by Kingston-Ulster airport (2ON), located at the western base of the Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge. The nearest major airports to Kingston are Stewart International Airport 39 miles (62.8 km) south in Newburgh, and Albany International Airport approximately 65 miles (121 km) north.^[20] The three major metropolitan airports for New York City - John F. Kennedy International approximately 93 miles (149 km) south, Newark Liberty International approximately 86 miles (139 km) south, and LaGuardia Airport approximately 80 miles (129 km) south.
City bus service is provided by the city-owned CitiBus system (headquarters at 420 Broadway), while service to points elsewhere in Ulster County is provided by Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT). Route A travels between Kingston Plaza and Riverfront, B between Albany Avenue and Fairview Avenue, and C between Golden Hill and Port Ewen.^[21]
On the first Saturday of every month an "art bus" is available for a fare of $1. The bus, usually a CitiBus tourist trolley, takes passengers on a guided tour of the art galleries of Kingston. Kingston's art galleries all have openings on the first Saturday of the month.
Weekend water taxi service between Kingston and Rhinecliff, New York is available May through October for $10 round-trip.^[22] Some trips stop at the Rondout Light; a tour is available for an additional $5.^[23]
Kingston historically was an important transportation center for the region. The Hudson River, Rondout Creek and Delaware and Hudson Canal were important commercial waterways. At one time, Kingston was served by four railroad companies and two trolley lines. Kingston was designated as a New York State Heritage Area with a transportation theme and the Hudson River Maritime Museum and Trolley Museum of New York are located on the waterfront. Also, the Catskill Mountain Railroad, a scenic railroad company, runs trains from Kingston on the former Ulster and Delaware right of way.

A map of Kingston's biggest attractions mashed up with proposed bike lanes, complete streets connections and rail trails.^[24]

As of 2016, over a dozen separate ongoing projects were being coordinated between the Kingston Land Trust, Kingston City Government and Ulster County Government, connecting all three of Kingston's neighborhoods with a combination of rail trails, bike lanes and Complete Streets connections.^[24]

Health care

Residents of the city and surrounding areas are served by the two hospital campuses of HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley:

• HealthAlliance Broadway Campus (formerly The Kingston Hospital)
• HealthAlliance Mary's Avenue Campus (formerly Benedictine Hospital)

Both campuses are part of the larger Westchester Medical Center Health Network.
There are multiple urgent care sites, private practice offices and laboratories in the city and surrounding areas.

Media

• Newspapers
  • Kingston-based: Daily Freeman, Kingston Times
  • Outside Kingston: Art Times, Poughkeepsie Journal, Times-Herald Record (Middletown)
  • See also: List of newspapers in New York in the 18th-century: Kingston
• Television: Time Warner Cable Kingston Area Public-access television cable TV channel 23
• Radio
  • Kingston-based: WGHQ (920 AM), WKNY (1490 AM), WKXP (94.3 FM)
  • Outside Kingston: WFGB (89.7 FM), WBPM (92.9 FM, Saugerties), WKZE-FM (98.1, Salisbury, Connecticut/Rhinebeck, New York), WDST (100.1 FM, Woodstock).
• Magazines: Chronogram, Trends Journal
• Music festivals: O+ Festival
• Blogs: Kingston Creative, and Kingston Happenings

Sports

The Kingston Tigers are the city high school's sports teams.
Kingston Stockade FC is the men's semi-professional soccer club based in Kingston, which competes in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in the 4th division of the US soccer pyramid. Kingston Stockade FC play their home games at Dietz Stadium.^[17]

Government

City Hall

The government of Kingston consists of a mayor and city council known as the Common Council. The Common Council consists of 10 members, nine of which are elected from wards while one is elected at large. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote every four years.
Steve Noble was elected to the mayoral post in 2015.^[18]

Education

• The Kingston City School District contains seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.
• Kingston High School is the city's public high school
• Most students at John A. Coleman Catholic High School reside within the Kingston city school district.

The Kingston Center of SUNY Ulster (KCSU) is a branch of the county's community college that offers programs, courses and certifications at a convenient Midtown location. KCSU is the new home for Police Basic Training and also offers human services, criminal justice and the general education courses required by the State of New York to satisfy the liberal arts core of an A.A. or A.S. degree.^[19]

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 23,887 people, 9,844 households, and 5,498 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,189.5 persons per square mile (1,232.2/km²). There were 10,637 housing units at an average density of 1,446.4 houses per square mile (558.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.2% White, 14.6% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 1.90% from other races, and 5.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.4% of the population.
As per the 2000 census there were 9,871 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city, the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,594, and the median income for a family was $41,806. Males had a median income of $31,634 versus $25,364 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,662, with 12.4% of families and 15.8% of the population below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Kingston has three recognized area neighborhoods. The Uptown Stockade Area, The Midtown Area, and The Downtown Waterfront Area. The Uptown Stockade Stockade District was the first capital of New York State. Meanwhile, the Midtown area is known for its early 20th century industries and plays home to the Ulster Performing Arts Center and the historic City Hall building. The downtown area, once the village of Rondout and now the Rondout-West Strand Historic District, borders the Rondout Creek and is home to recently redeveloped waterfront . The creek empties into the Hudson River through a large, protected tidal area which was the terminus of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, built to haul coal from Pennsylvania to New York City.^[12]
Downtown, called "the Rondout" because it was formerly known as Rondout, New York, is an artist community labeled by Business Week online as one of "America's best places for artists."^[13] It is home to a large number of art galleries. Kingston holds many festivals in the Rondout neighborhood, including the Kingston Jazz Festival, the Artists Soapbox Derby, and Drum Boogie.^{[citation needed]}
Midtown is the largest of Kingston's neighborhoods, home to Kingston High School and both campuses of HealthAlliance Hospital, part of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network; HealthAlliance Broadway Campus (formerly The Kingston Hospital) and HealthAlliance Mary's Avenue Campus (formerly Benedictine Hospital).
While the Uptown area is noted for its "antique" feeling, the overhangs attached to buildings along Wall and North Front streets were added to historic buildings in the late 1970s and are not authentically part of the 19th century Victorian architecture. The historic covered storefront walks, known as the Pike Plan, were recently reinforced and modernized with skylights. In the Stockade district of Uptown, many 17th century stone buildings remain. Among these is the Senate House, which was built in the 1670s and was used as the state capital during the revolution. Many of these old buildings were burned by the British Oct. 17, 1777, and restored later. A controversial restoration of 1970s-era canopies was marred by the sudden appearance of painted red goats on planters just prior to the neighborhood's rededication.^[14] This part of the city is also the location of the Ulster County Office Building.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.4 km²), of which 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), or 15.03%, is water. The city is on the west bank of the Hudson River. Neighboring towns include Hurley, Saugerties, Rhinebeck, and Red Hook.

St. Joseph's

St. Joseph's Parish began in 1863 as a one-room mission school to serve the children of the Wilbur area, founded by Father Felix Farrelly, pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Rondout. The building was later sold to the city of Kingston in 1871.^[8]
In 1867 Rev. James Coyne was appointed pastor of St. Mary's in Rondout. The following year he established St. Joseph's in Kingston. He purchased the Young Men's Gymnasium on the corner of Fair and Bowery Streets. The first Mass was said on September 21, 1868 by Rev. James Dougherty, an alumnus of St. Mary's parochial school. Dougherty became the first pastor of St. Joseph's parish.^[8] Dougherty is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery.
As the chapel was deemed too small, the former Kingston Armory at the corner of Wall and Main Streets was purchased. The new church was dedicated on July 26, 1869. In 1877 Jockey Hill was made a mission of St. Joseph's. In 1962 a mission was established in Hurley.
In 1893 the church underwent a major renovation, including the installation of the side altars. The new church front was completed in 1898. The interior was renovated in 1905.^[8]
The frame building on the Bowery was turned into a schoolhouse. This was replaced in 1905 with the acquisition of the former mansion of Judge Alton B. Parker at 1 Pearl Street for a new St. Joseph's School and Convent. The Fair Street school building continued to be used as the parish hall until the property was sold in 1911.^[9] Also in 1911 a site for a larger school and convent was secured and 1 Pearl Street was sold. In 1943 the Sisters of St. Ursula replaced the Sisters of Charity at the school.
In February 1962 construction began on the current St Joseph School which housed eight additional classrooms. Old St. Joseph School was renamed the Msgr. Stephen Connolly Bldg. A plaque donated by the Holy Name Society in honor of Father John Broidy, the pastor who oversaw construction of the building in 1912, is located on the right front of the building.^[10]

Wilbur

Wilbur (aka Twaalfskill) was a hamlet upstream from Rondout where the Twaalskill met the Rondout Creek. There was a sloop landing there and it later became the center for the shipment of bluestone to create the sidewalks of New York City.
Kingston officially became a city on May 29, 1872, with the merger of the villages of Rondout and Kingston, and the hamlet of Wilbur.^[11]

Historic churches

Kingston is home to many historic churches. The oldest church still standing is the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston which was organized in 1659. Referred to as The Old Dutch Church, it is located in Uptown Kingston. Many of the city's historic churches populate Wurts street (6 in one block) among them Hudson Valley Wedding Chapel is a recently restored church built in 1867 and now a chapel hosting weddings. Another church in the Rondout is located at 72 Spring Street. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1842. The original church building at the corner of Hunter Street and Ravine Street burned to the ground in the late 1850s. The current church on Spring Street was built in 1874.^[7]