Any Thoughts on Hudson? (New York, Rochester: real estate, houses, homebuyer)

[Florida>NY]

I am a South Florida Native, looking to sell some properties and get out of this retarded state of Florida. Then I want to reinvest where I can get some nice property(s) for a good price. I hear Hudson is cool, with lots of NYC influence like I'm used to here in SoFla. I need an area with an artsy, intellectual slant, but don't need a big city. Any thoughts about Hudson, or other good places? Thanks!

[wendyt]

I would recommend New Paltz. Artsy, college there. Cornwall is also artsy but more $$.

[Florida>NY]

Thanks WendyT. I will look at those too. Stiil interested in hearing about Hudson - please - anybody???

[igadget]

when I was in Highschool I lived just (12 miles) outside of Hudson in Chatham. I used to bike in on Highway 66 on occasion, but It didnt strike me as an area I wanted to be, maybe I never saw the good areas driving though town heading for the private school I went to for a time or the train station. It seemed like a depressed area. It is the Columbia County seat, and like I said it is easilly 15 years since ive been there.

I spent about 3 hours in Chatham driving around seeing what was still in business, but in general Im glad I live in Rochester now. Nothing had really changed, dispite the fact there was a new strip mall south of town where the private telephone company and a large field used to be. It had a mcdonalds. When I was there, the nearest 'fast food chain' was a Dairy Queen in Ghent.

I would suggest pulling the CityData information if you havn't already, and also take a look at the www.census.gov web site as well for additional demographic inforation.

I hope you can take the cold, Upstate has that apenty. I would suggest visiting in the winter, say late January, early Feburary. The nearest airport for comercial flights is probably Albany. which is a good hour drive to Hudson. even on the thruway and crossing the river at the Rip Van Winkle bridge.

[Berkshires413]

Originally Posted by Florida>NY

Thanks WendyT. I will look at those too. Stiil interested in hearing about Hudson - please - anybody???

I am very familiar with Hudson, as I grew up in northern Columbia County, too. Hudson has changed quite a bit over the past 10 years or so, and is now a major antique center. I don't live in that area anymore, but everytime I do go back I am amazed at all the antique shops that line up and down Warren st... which is the main drag in Hudson. Lots of of NYC influence with all the new businesses, and I've also read about some new restaurants, and even a new nightclub that opened in Hudson... which really makes me surprised - because the Hudson that I remembered growing up 10- 20 years ago was not a very nice place... and I know that it still has a "rough feel" to it in certain parts of town... and the other NYC influence - its where some undesireables come to escape the NYC police, which less than a 2 hour train ride up the Hudson... All in all, though, Hudson seems a ton better than it used to, and it is definately heading in the right direction, at least from what I can tell.

Outside of Hudson, Columbia County, especially northern/eastern part of Columbia County is one the most beautiful areas in upstate NY, or in my opinion, the entire country. Housing prices are not cheap, though... it is driven up by all the second home owners from NYC. If you want to look at real estate in Columbia County, and the Hudson area, go to http://www.cresinc.com/HomeBuyers/advertisers.html to get a better idea of what its all about. Some of the real estate links on there are for just Hudson, some for other places in the county. The Chatham area is particulary nice, about 10 miles from Hudson. And if you're looking for that artsy/intellectual slant... you can find it around...

I live in NC now, but I hope to return to the Columbia County area next year... it's really a great place to grow up, and a great place to come back to if you can afford to live there. Close to the Berkshires, NYC and Boston... and really nice changes of seasons... with about 3 winter months that drag (jan-mar).

Good luck.

[Florida>NY]

Thanks Berkshires413 - I really appreciate the info!

[Austingirl]

I also fled Florida years ago for reasons that are now overwhelming the state. I fled to Atlanta, and my brother and his family are leaving Ft. Lauderdale for Atlanta next spring. I now live in Austin, TX, and cannot say enough GREAT things about it. It has all of the things you say you are looking for, without the snow of New York. College town, capitol city, Live Music Capital of the World, the Hill Country nearby, small town feel, South Austin is safe and funky, no state income tax, affordable - just a great place. Consistently makes all of the Top 10 lists as one of the best places to live. You may want to check out an article in Kiplinger's Magazine June 2006 issue about the Top 50 medium size towns. It has lots of info of this sort. Top 10 in order were - Nashville,Minneapolis, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Kansas City, Asheville, Ithaca, Pittsburg, and Iowa City. Good luck.

[allworthy]

I bought a house in Hudson in Nov 2005. It is 217 years old. Hudson is very very edgy and very entertaining. Tons of well educated and interesting people. Houses are in my view a bargain. Taxes are high though. Half a dozen high quality restaurants plus a fun nightclub/bar called Stray.
Surrounded by beautiful areas--mountains, farms, river.

Its a place that could be super desirable in 10 years so now is a good time to get in and buy a place.

[mom2gurls]

Yeah...I second that..columbia county isnt the "IT" place right now...BUT then again when we moved to dutchess (one county down)--everyone thought we were crazy and in the boonies....but now its green, crunchy and soccer mom central....and the 350k in pure equity I have made in our home doesnt hurt either. THE ONE thing that is lacking though....is industry in columbia county...dutchess county is pretty much a suburb of NYC now too (like PA is)...so that is one major drawback..but I guess you cannot have everything.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by wendyt

I would recommend New Paltz. Artsy, college there. Cornwall is also artsy but more $$.

I always say New Paltz and get shot down. That place is as artsy and weird as it gets. It's stuck in a 60's timewarp. Very different. Cornwall is artsy? Must have changed.