The aptly named Old Farm Road is the site of a 52-acre, 102-unit development called Tradition at Red Hook, from Kirchhoff Development and Bonura Hospitality Group, that is among the largest new housing projects in the area in years. Still, Red Hook doesn’t feel like a museum piece. As of 2019, officials said, deed restrictions by the town and not-for-profits have protected farmland representing about a quarter of the entire town, or 5,700 acres. The money goes toward creating easements, paying farmers not to build housing on their land. Under a 2006 law, buyers fork over a tax equal to 2 percent of the portion of a home purchase that exceeds the annual median for the town ($330,000 this year), to fund conservation. Newcomers also help keep the scene rustic. Much of Red Hook’s gentle terrain is checkered with farms, especially between Routes 9 and 9G, where the pairing of pastures and Catskills can seem worthy of a painting. If that pastime involves agriculture, he’ll be in good company. There’s also a barn, “which makes me feel like I need to take up a hobby,” Mr. In May, despite intense competition, the couple snagged a three-bedroom house with three bathrooms and radiant-heated floors on more than seven acres, for $559,000. The latter won out because it was closer to family and work. Quickly, the couple whittled their list to two finalists: northern Vermont and the mid-Hudson Valley. The other, last June, was the birth of a son. One, obviously, was Covid-19, which allowed Ms. Then 2020 hit, bringing two events that put a plan into action. Schneiders and his wife, Karen Alsen, 35, the education director for an environmental nonprofit, would take weekend “reconnaissance missions” to scout potential future homes.

Hook and real