ZenaNY
A town of 997, settled in 1891.
Is Zena a good place to live?
Thorn Preserve, at 52 acres with 2.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Zena has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
997 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site and 31 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Zena. Close and well known come first.
19 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
17 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
12 mi WaterfallKaaterskill Falls
19 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site19 mi MuseumFranklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum23 mi Park & preserveMinnewaska State Park PreservePhoto credits
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Kaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0
Moving to Zena: who provides what
Zena is unincorporated, so Ulster County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Zena.
A smaller share of working residents in Zena work locally than in the typical New York or U.S. town
Zena’s typical journey to work is 30 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Jobs in Zena grew by 34 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 92. The top destinations are Woodstock (18%), New York (15%) and Kingston (12%). Half commute less than 29 miles.
| Zena | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Zena’s year
Its midsummer high is 84°F, above the New York town median (81°F) and near the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with most of New York and the rest of the country, fewer of Zena’s adults feel lonely
For adults in Zena, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 33%. Against the New York average, Zena comes out ahead on 17 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 5. In Zena, 12% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 13% binge drink. Among 756 New York towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Zena.
| Zena | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Zena | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.9% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.8% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Protected land: 5.9% of Zena
In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 2.4 miles of trail. For Zena, the density of trails is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Zena | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Thorn Preserve | 2.3 mi | 52 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zena faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Since 1980, Zena has seen 22 flood insurance claims paid out. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 76% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 7% to tornadoes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Zena
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Zena
About 2 of every 100 Zena residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
99% of working residents leave Zena for work
Where Zena’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Zena
CDP in New York, United States
Zena is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Ulster County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 1,038. Zena is in the Town of Woodstock on County Route 30. The community is northwest of Kingston. Zena is one of the more wealthy areas of this region, with the average home value above $300,000.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 377 ft
Questions about Zena
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Zena, NY a good place to live?
Zena has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.