Guilford offers country living between Binghamton and Cooperstown
The town of Guilford puts country homes, state forests and a public golf course halfway between the college town of Binghamton and the baseball mecca of Cooperstown. “It’s a quaint little village. It’s country homes with land, and – in the village – there are some nice Victorians,” says Patrick McNeil, an associate broker with The Parker Walsh Team of Keller Williams Upstate NY Properties who has sold several homes in the Norwich area. “There’s Guilford Lake that has public access to it, and also lake homes on there.” Guilford sits along the Unadilla River and remains a predominantly agricultural community more than two centuries after its founding. The town’s 2,800 residents mostly work for the local school district or in healthcare, and the employment scenes of Norwich and Oneonta are short drives away.
State forests surround Guilford and offer fishing, hiking and cycling
The 521-acre South Hill State Forest occupies much of southern Guilford, inviting residents to hike, snowshoe and camp along its unmarked trails. Along the town’s western edge, the 1,240-acre Wiley Brook State Forest includes a mile-long stretch of the Finger Lakes Trail and allows visitors to set up their tents along Wiley Pond. The northwest corner of Guilford meets Lyon Brook State Forest, which offers fishing along the Chenango River and opportunities for horseback riding, snowmobiling and mountain biking. Sundown Golf & Country Club’s nine-hole course and bar-and-grill are open to the public.
Vintage homes may sit along village streets or off country roads
Downtown Guilford’s homes, built throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, have sidewalk access and small front yards. Some of these houses sit along Guilford Lake, which is staffed with lifeguards during the summer months. Properties along rural roads like County Road 35 have vast lot sizes, views of forested hills and access to nature and hunting in their back yards. “There’s people looking for country properties,” McNeil says. “Some homes border state land.” Manufactured homes have sold for $30,000 to $180,000, while site-built ranch-style, Victorian and Colonial Revival houses go for $150,000 to $280,000. Guilford has a CAP Index Crime Score of 1 out of 10, lower than the national average of 4.
An old mill and corner kitchen house local eateries
State Route 8 is home to the local Dollar General as well as two eateries. The Old Mill Restaurant has served seafood and steak in a 1791-built gristmill along the Unadilla River since the 1940s. Judy’s Corner Kitchen Restaurant is known for its hearty breakfast platters, its large sandwiches and its fresh-cut fries. Hanehan Family Dairy is a mainstay for Halloween pumpkin picking and trunk-or-treats. Nearby Norwich and Sidney each have Price Chopper supermarkets.
Bainbridge-Guilford High encourages career and life readiness
Students can start at Guilford Elementary School, which receives a B-minus from Niche, from kindergarten to 1st grade before attending the C-plus rated Greenlawn Elementary School from grades 2 to 6. The B-minus-rated Bainbridge-Guilford High School offers unique programs like Odyssey of the Mind, designed to develop students’ problem-solving skills, and a Life Beyond High School Program to connect graduates with employers and colleges.
Events
Guilford is a 10-mile drive from Sidney and its A.O. Fox Hospital, while the Chenango County seat of Norwich is 12 miles away. Interstate 88 connects Guilford to the college hub of Binghamton 40 miles to the southwest and State Route 51 puts Cooperstown 42 miles away.
![Jacob Adelhoch]()
Written By
Jacob Adelhoch
