Historic Hudson River Towns, Inc. is a consortium of municipalities located along New York’s Hudson River, from Yonkers to Albany, organized under an Inter-municipal Agreement (IMA) with 501(c)3 not-for-profit, tax-exempt status.

Our History

In 1995, Historic River Towns of Westchester was created by mayors and supervisors from communities along the east side of the Hudson River who saw their main streets declining and were looking for a way to stimulate their local economies. By signing an IMA (Inter-municipal Agreement), the riverfront municipalities in Westchester County, New York agreed to join forces in this economic development initiative, with tourism as their major focus.

In 2008, the group adopted a more regional name, Historic Hudson River Towns (HHRT), and opened its membership to all riverfront communities on both sides of the Hudson from Westchester/Rockland Counties in the south to Albany/Rensselaer Counties in the north. We continue our strong presence in Westchester County and have expanded our membership to include the villages of Piermont, Nyack and Haverstraw in Rockland County.

HHRT is a working example of a regional organization that has developed standing and longevity to become recognized as the “Go-to” organization to bridge large regional efforts with smaller local governments.

Over the years, the organization has tackled many issues of common concern in the general areas of downtown revitalization, waterfront renewal and tourism development. Our experience has been that, as a group of communities working together, we are able to accomplish more than if we were each working independently. And, as a 501c3 non-profit organization, we can involve the private sector and raise funds in support of collaborative projects.

Our Mission

Historic Hudson River Towns is the leading inter-municipal organization helping the Hudson Valley’s riverfront communities build sustainable local economies through tourism marketing, waterfront revitalization and downtown renewal. HHRT seeks to promote and preserve the Hudson River Valley as a region that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

Implementing our Vision

Both tourism and waterfront development depend upon the protection of the Hudson River as an ecologically sound and recreationally attractive natural resource. HHRT has been invited to participate with a number of governmental and not-for-profit agencies in developing the Hudson River Estuary Restoration Initiative and to participate on the DEC’s Estuary Advisory Board. These projects are intended to protect the river’s ecosystem while providing recreational public access, allow for smart growth development in our river towns, protect environmentally sensitive areas, preserve our history and maintain the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley for tourism promotion.

Some of the projects we have been involved with:

• 2009 Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial
• Hudson River Sculpture Trail
• Regional Tourism development
• Ferry-Go-Round linking communities on both sides of the river by ferry
• Smart Growth and Regional Planning Conferences
• Tourism “Way Finding” Signage Program
• “Flower Villages” beautification of downtowns
• Sea Level Rise conferences and educational programming

Some of the projects we are currently working on:

• Regional tourism development
• Sing Sing Prison Museum
• Green Circles Sub-Committee of the Regional Economic Development Council
• Hudson Rising
• Sea level rise and shoreline stabilization studies
• DEC Estuary Advisory Board
• Hudson River Estuary Restoration Plan