HURLEYVILLE, NY — At the May 17 session of the 2019 Sullivan Renaissance/Sullivan 180 Conference, rural sociologist Ben Winchester of the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality debunked some of the more common myths of contemporary American rural life. Aiding him in that effort was a panel of six Sullivan County residents who bore living witness to his talking points.

Myth: All young people raised in rural areas leave after high school graduation, never to return.

Fact: Some stay. Some leave to complete higher education requirements and/or internships, apprenticeships and first jobs, then return. Some divide their time between rural hometowns and a nearby city.

Witness: Katrina Graby grew up on a dairy farm in Callicoon. After earning a degree in entrepreneurial management at the University of Rhode Island, she returned to Sullivan County to become a top sales producer for Liberty Mutual Insurance and chair of the Sullivan County Young Professionals group.

Witness: Sims Foster, whose family has lived in Livingston Manor for generations, spent two decades working in national and global hospitality before returning to his hometown to co-found Foster Supply Hospitality with wife and partner Kirsten Harlow Foster. To date, the couple have opened four hotels: The Arnold House (Livingston Manor); The North Branch Inn (North Branch); Nine River Road (Callicoon); the DeBruce (Livingston Manor); and two restaurants: The Cabin at Hessinger-Lare (Jeffersonville) and Piccolo Paese (Liberty).

Witness: Following graduation from Monticello High School in 2008, Tyrus Walker sought a way to give back to the town that nurtured him; he found it as an officer in the Monticello Police Department, where his goal is to redefine law enforcement as a positive force for the common good.

Myth: Urban life is increasingly attractive to young professionals.

Fact: It’s not that people want urban life—it’s that they don’t. Research shows that people move to rural areas for three reasons: to find a simpler, slower-paced lifestyle; for safety and security; and for lower cost housing.

Witness: Nicole Vallance, a graphic designer and event planner, moved to Callicoon to escape the high-pressure urban lifestyle she experienced while developing campaigns for Fortune 100 brands. 

Witness: Shannon Cilento moved to Sullivan County in 2017 to be the Community Development and Grants Planner for the Sullivan County Division of Planning. Originally from the Finger Lakes Region of New York, she earned an MA in Historic Preservation from Cornell University. Here, she administers community development programs and provides technical assistance with grants, signage, and historic preservation to communities throughout the county.

Witness: Christine Wong, an attorney from Manhattan, has established a real estate and business law practice in Sullivan County. Her husband, an inveterate fisherman, found his bliss in the rivers of Sullivan County, and now the couple split their time between NYC and Livingston Manor.

Myth: Rural America is in the middle of nowhere, full of sleepy towns where everybody knows each other, nobody locks their doors and the customary pastime is bemoaning loss of a halcyon past.

Fact: Sullivan County is practically in the shadow of Manhattan skyscrapers. Many of its residents commute daily or weekly to the metro area for business, pleasure and healthcare needs. Despite a desperate desire for that mythological community bond, the county’s old timers and newcomers often live next door to each other for years without actually meeting.

Witness: The panelists were agreed on an antidote for rural loneliness: join an organization. Historical societies, churches, fire departments and ambulance corps depend on joiners. And the community is not viable without them.

Read Elizabeth Lepro’s column on how the panel intersects with The River Reporter’s Comeback Kid series on page 7.