Historical architecture, unique shops and a riverside view are just a few of the many reasons Hudson has been a tourist destitution for decades. Now, the city is becoming a place where people are putting down their roots and calling Hudson home.

According to Bloomberg city labs, Hudson had the best percentage of people moving in versus moving out in the nation. Bill Gerlach is the CEO and President of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce.

What You Need To Know

  • According to Bloomberg City Labs, 197 people moved to Hudson for every 100 that moved out, which was the best ratio in the nation

  • Over $93 million in real estate sales were done in Hudson over the last year

  • After being a tourist destination for decades, the town is now seeing people make the move to Hudson permanently

He grew up in Hudson as a kid and is now overseeing the growth of businesses in his hometown. As he walks down the Main Street of the town, it looks much different than just a few years ago.

“A lot of them are new, some have been around for 30 years, I was in a dress shop last week buying a gift for a relative and they just opened,” Gerlach said.

While he’s seen shops and restaurants come and go for years in the tourist town, he says now it’s a rarity to see a “for lease” sign to hang up in windows for long.

“But like any town where it’s busy, entrepreneurial people coming and leaving, there’s always some turnover,” Gerlach said. “But it seems like when one building opens up, someone comes right in to fill the space.”

But it’s not only businesses that are rushing to find space in this town, says Gerlach. Houses and property have been a hot commodity for months now in Hudson.

Christine Jones is one of the realtors that has been tasked with finding space for this influx of people.

“Hudson itself during the pandemic in one year, from July to July, has sold $93 million of properties sold. So if you think, that’s quite a lot of money in a small town of 6,000 people,” Jones said.

The number one reason for the move to this community is to escape the fast paced lifestyle of the city, says Jones.

“It’s a very friendly little city. So it’s no surprise in the course of the pandemic lots of people in New York and Boston discovered maybe it would be good to escape to Hudson,” Gerlach said.

As Hudson now embraces its change from being a destination vacation to a hub of growth, everyone agrees it’s exciting news small town.

“No one has a crystal ball to predict the future, but I see no reason why Hudson won’t continue to grow and thrive,” Gerlach said.