Durham is a rural area with year-round recreation and festivals
In the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, Durham is a rural community known for its beauty and access to nature. “In the summertime, they’ve got Zoom Flume Water Park, they have swimming holes, they have streams and creeks, they have hiking trails,” says Deborah Smith, an associate broker at Coldwell Banker Prime Properties who has sold homes in the area for 13 years who was named the 2024 Columbia Greene Board of Directors Realtor of the Year. “In the winter, you’re so close to Hunter and Windham. And what’s nice is you’re so close, but it’s not congested like living up on the mountaintop. It’s so country. You’ve got the mountains, you’ve got views and you’ve got a lot of restaurants.”
Despite its rural nature, Smith says there are always activities to do in Durham thanks to the outdoors and its appeal to tourists. East Durham, a smaller hamlet within the town, was even referred to as the “Irish Alps” in the early 1900s for its large Irish population. That influence remains today in the community’s businesses and frequent festivals. “It gets busy, and yet it’s peaceful. It’s country busy,” Smith says.
Cooling off at Zoom Flume, hiking and skiing in state forests
During the summer, people flock to Zoom Flume Water Park. “It gets bigger every couple of years,” Smith says, adding that the park has nine water slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a rafting ride and more. “I know they have sections for young children with little splash pads and things like that, which is really great because you can keep the really young kids away from the older rowdy kids.” Nearby, Brandow Memorial Park has a playground and athletic spaces alongside a spot for launching kayaks or canoes into Catskill Creek.
Durham is surrounded by nearly 3,000 acres of state forests within Catskill Park. Hiking trails thread through the forests; in the winter, the parks welcome cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. There’s also seasonal hunting and birdwatching. Downhill skiers and snowboarders don’t have to travel far, either. Windham Mountain is just 11 miles away, while it’s about 20 miles to Hunter Mountain.
Varied home styles and acreage for quiet country living, homesteading
Ranch- and colonial-style homes, along with Cape Cods, are particularly common along Durham’s rural roads and long gravel drives, but Smith says the town’s homes vary widely in style. “If you like pure country, it’s there,” Smith says. “If you like log homes, if you like vintage homes — there’s something for everybody in Durham.” Some homes sit on just a quarter of an acre, some have room for a sprawling garden or chickens and others have extensive acreage and outbuildings for homesteading or farming. Major fixer-uppers can dip to $100,000, but most start closer to $210,000. Homes typically max out at about $600,000, but farms with triple-digit acreage occasionally sell for up to $1.3 million.
Festivals throughout the year keep country life interesting
Every year, about 3,000 people converge on Durham for the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. The four-day festival features dozens of bands and solo artists performing on stage, as well as an open-mic night, raffles and workshops. East Durham throws frequent festivals celebrating its Irish heritage, including the Catskills Irish Arts Week, the East Durham Irish Festival and a St. Patrick’s Day Parade. In October, Blackthorne Resort hosts The Catskills Halloween Festival & Vendor Market, a free, weekend-long event with live music, dancing, local vendors and a haunted house.
Local restaurants, antique shops and lodging along Route 145
Along state Route 145, farmland is broken up by bed and breakfasts, antique shops like The Market Place and local restaurants. The Yellow Deli’s warm, wood-covered interior with natural tree trunk pillars makes it a cozy spot to settle down for soup and sandwiches. Five Furlongs Tavern is one of several Irish pubs in Durham, and Angel’s serves traditional diner food. Convenience stores like The Milk Run and Lawyer’s General Store offer a few essentials, but most residents drive about 12 miles to Hannaford in Cairo for larger grocery runs. The neighboring town also has a wider range of restaurants and coffee shops.
All children in Durham attend the same three public schools
The Cairo-Durham Central School District gets a C from Niche. Children can begin their education at the C-rated Cairo-Durham Elementary School before moving on to Cairo-Durham Middle School and Cairo-Durham High School, which both earn B-minus ratings. The high school offers extracurriculars like mock trial, literary arts and drama clubs.
Route 145 to nearby towns, 34 miles to Albany
Most of this car-dependent town’s streets are smaller country roads, including state Route 145. Smith says the two-lane road, which runs the length of Durham and connects it to other towns like Cairo, is the only road that gets really busy during festivals. Columbia Memorial Health is about 26 miles away in Hudson, while Albany offers Albany Medical Center and the Albany International Airport about 34 miles away.
Heavy, prolonged rainfall can cause Catskill Creek to flood
Catskill Creek can overflow from severe storms; flash flooding or washed-out roads are also a risk. Homes along the creek, especially in Oak Hill, are at higher risk of flooding.
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Written By
Christina Norwood
