History & Culture · Hudson Valley
Woodbury Runs Through the Clove
Woodbury's local identity ties Woodbury Clove, Highland Mills, Central Valley, and an old stagecoach route together.
Published June 23, 2026 · Last verified June 23, 2026
Woodbury shows some character around Woodbury Clove. Woodbury Falls, Highland Mills, and Central Valley grew during the 1800s and were connected by an old stagecoach route that is now Route 32. The Woodbury Historical Society adds the civic story: the town was created, undone, and later formed again as Central Valley and Highland Mills became more established communities.
Woodbury is more than an outlet-mall exit.
It is a clove town with hamlets, road memory, and a municipal shape that took time to settle. The old stagecoach route gives Route 32 more personality, and the Highland Mills/Central Valley pairing keeps the town from feeling like one single center.
That is the part worth carrying into a drive through Woodbury. The big retail name may be loud, but the older story is quieter and better: a pass through the hills, hamlets growing along a route, and a town identity that had to be formed more than once.
Woodbury Clove gives the place a spine. Once you notice it, the town reads less like an exit and more like a line of roads, hills, and old communities.