Welcome to Ghent
Founded in 1918 from parts of neighboring Kinderhook, Claverack, and Chatham, the town of Ghent was named after the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812. Located in Columbia County northeast of Hudson, Ghent is an Upper Hudson Valley community of about 5,000 people and about 2,000 households. Town residents are known as Ghentites. The Taconic State Parkway lies to the east of Ghent, leading to Interstate 90 to the north and providing a route to points south, including New York City. Route 66 bisects the town and provides the fastest route to Hudson. Ghent attracts second homeowners for its bucolic setting and rural atmosphere.
Drive Times from Major Cities
- From Albany, NY: 35 minutes
- From New York, NY: About 2 hours 40 minutes
- From Boston, MA: About 2 hours 20 minutes
- From Hudson, NY: About 20 minutes
Community Resources and Amenities
- Located along Route 66, Bartlett House once flourished as a railroad hotel and social center during Ghent's heyday as an industrial town in the last 1800s to mid-1900s.
- Today Bartlett House is a National Historic Site and has been revitalized as a bakery and restaurant that once again serves as a community gathering place.
Chatham Central School District
- Chatham Central School District consists of one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school.
- All schools are located the Woodbridge Avenue campus in Chatham.
- The district serves an enrollment of about 1,000 students and is made up of most or parts of the towns of Austerlitz, Canaan, Chatham, Ghent, Kinderhook, and New Lebanon.
Love Apple Farm
- Established in 1969, Love Apple Farm is a working farm that operates year round and raises apples, peaches, and plums, as well as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, and gooseberries.
- Customers can pick their own or purchase fruit from their farm stand and market. The Love Apple Farm market stocks its shelves with locally-produced cheese, dairy, meats, and produce from more than 25 Hudson Valley farming partners.
- Love Apple Farm also runs a cafe and from-scratch bakery.
Health Care Resources
- Provides services to more than 100,000 residents in Columbia, Greene and Dutchess counties.
- The region’s only comprehensive primary and specialty care health system.
- Anchored by Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson.
- CHM provides health services in Ghent and surrounding communities through Chatham-Ghent Family Care, one of 40 primary and specialty care centers in Columbia County.
Recreation and Culture
- Once part of a dairy farm operation, the Siegel-Kline Kill Conservation Area is owned and maintained by the Columbia Land Conservancy.
- The 25 acres of land has trails used by birdwatchers, hikers, and cross-country skiers.
- The property includes the Kline Kill where visitors can fish for trout.
- Located on 120 acres in Ghent, Art Omi is a sculpture and architecture park where visitors can walk among more than 60 large-scale works of art.
- Art Omi welcomes the visitors to its events and grounds free of charge.
- The Art Omi education program serves the community with programs for pre-school children, elementary school students, teens, and adults.
Ghent is home to a host of farm and agricultural businesses, a unique sculpture park, and a flourishing restaurant that was once a hotel. Love Apple Farm (left) is a year-round orchard, farm market, and bakery. The outdoor sculptures at
Art Omi (middle) include a work by Olaf Breuning entitled "Clouds." It stands over 30 feet tall. Photo by Bryan Zimmerman.
Bartlett House (right) is a Ghent restaurant housed in the town's former railroad hotel.
