New Lisbon offers serenity and scenery near Cooperstown and Oneonta
Set amid the foothills of New York’s Catskill Mountains, New Lisbon is a country retreat that’s within 16 miles of Oneonta and Cooperstown. “It’s a gorgeous area of rolling hills, mixed agricultural and wooded land,” says Richard Santos, who’s sold homes here since 2019 and is a licensed real estate salesperson with Keller Williams Upstate New York Properties. “The best thing about New Lisbon is that it’s very close — just a mile or two — outside of a really cool park called Gilbert Lake State Park. It’s a very popular regional destination, even for locals.” Proximity to Cooperstown and Oneonta, which both host youth baseball camps during the summer, has made the community a hub for short-term rentals. “These teams come from all over the country and the world, all summer long,” Santos says. “The kids stay at the parks, and then the parents and the families have to have places to stay. We don’t have a lot of hotels.”
Houses with several acres of forest or pasture
Farmland and forests make up most of New Lisbon’s hilly landscape, where the homes typically sit far apart on several acres of land. “In our area in general, you can have anything from a nice log cabin house to a modern contemporary to a single-wide trailer, and they’re all next to each other,” Santos says. “It’s all rural properties, and people just buy a parcel of land and they build what they want to build. It's really appealing to me because it’s a huge mix.” Properties are typically large enough to keep horses, and many come with stables and pastureland. Hamlets like Garrattsville have more of a village feel, with less space between neighbors and nearby amenities like Garrattsville United Presbyterian Church. Prices typically range from around $90,000 to $350,000.
Gilbert Lake State Park offers plenty of ways to get outside
The roughly 1,600-acre Gilbert Lake State Park is a popular place to get outside and is known for its campsites, playgrounds and lake. “There’s a beach, which is pretty unique for our area,” Santos says, “so a lot of people in the summer, that’s what they do all day — they just go hang out at the park. It’s a really nice spot.” The park also has over 12 miles of trails that, in the winter, can be used for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Several events are held at the park throughout the summer, including the Fall Family Festival, which has a trunk-or-treat and a barbecue, and Christmas in July, which has a water slide and a movie night. The over 1,200-acre Texas School House State Forest is a less-developed park that’s used for hiking and hunting. Nearby, the public Colonial Ridge Golf has an 18-hole course and indoor golf simulators.
Morris Central School offers small class sizes and themed reading
Kids can attend Morris Central School, which earns a C-plus from Niche and teaches pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. All grades learn in the same building and have a student-to-teacher ratio of 8-to-1, according to Niche. The school implements The UnCommon Community Read Program — called TUCCR for short — that assigns books across all grades that fit a specific theme, such as integrity, critical thinking and acceptance. In addition to reading, students participate in activities and field trips that underscore the theme.
Routes to Oneonta and Cooperstown
State Route 51 is the main road through the community; county roads and back roads also serve the area. Oneonta, home to A.O. Fox Hospital, is a 15-mile trip, and Cooperstown is 16 miles away. Chobani, which is a major employer in the area, is 17 miles away. The Greater Binghamton Airport is a 75-mile drive.
Nearby stores and restaurants in Morris and Oneonta
The nearest restaurants are in Morris, which is about 9 miles away. Here, The Gatehouse is a coffee shop that serves sandwiches and bagels, and it also doubles as a gift shop. Weaver’s Farm Market is an Amish-owned store that sells locally sourced meat and produce, and Dollar General offers essentials. Oneonta is home to national retailers, including Hannaford and Walmart, and restaurants like Sloan’s New York Grill, a casual steakhouse that sources its ingredients from nearby farms.
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Written By
Annie Franklin
