Moving to NY from San Francisco

[piperspal]

I guess it's all relative....for me, 52 miles IS very close! Close enough to commute if you really have to, but far enough out to enjoy your surroundings. You are right about Tarrytown - I love all those little towns down that way. Just wish I could afford to live & do business in one of them!

[grollings]

Great, thanks!

[lk1616nyc]

Cold Spring is a great town, and has pretty much everything that you could want. I've never been to California, but based on what you described, Cold Spring seems to have everything that you're looking for in a relocation spot.

Visit Welcome To Cold Spring Living to get more of a sense of the town and the surrounding communities. There is a MetroNorth train station in the town, and the commuting time from this station to NYC is around 1 hr, 15 minutes. Many people in the town commute into NYC for work, so if you would be doing this you would have a lot of company.

The town has a lot of great old houses, as mentioned above, and their owners keep them up well. It can be expensive to buy here, particularly in the town itself. You can visit Moderator cut: soliciting (local real estate website) and get a sense of what is currently for sale in the village. You can also search Craiglist (New York, and then the Hudson Valley section), which lists rentals and homes for sale as well. Type "Cold Spring" into the search box to pull up rentals specific to the town.

It might be a good option to rent at first in order to get a sense of the village. I'm currently renting here. I suggest renting too because it seems to me that there are older homes that are being rented out that might interest you. My house dates from 1830, and my landlord keeps up the property wonderfully. Also, with the market the way it is, it might be a safer bet to rent for a while until things even out.

Cold Spring, particularly the Main Street area, is filled with quaint shops and tons of restaurants. As one poster mentioned, people flock here on weekends from NYC to shop, go antiquing, kayak along the Hudson, or hike in the nearby areas (nearby Breakneck Ridge is a very popular hiking spot). To say that the town is bustling on weekends, particularly summer and fall weekends, is a total understatement. It's part of the reason I love it here - it's "upstate" (at least by NYC standards), but it doesn't feel as in-the-middle-of-nowhere as some upstate towns can. The Hudson River views are gorgeous - you can see part of West Point from the bandstand by the river - and in the summer time, there is live music by the waterfront every Sunday afternoon, an event which draws a huge crowd.

Since you have kids, it's also worthwhile to note that the Haldane Central School District, the public school district that serves Cold Spring, is small and has a good reputation. I've never heard anything bad about it, although I don't have kids so I can't confirm from personal experience if the district lives up to its reputation. If you were interested in private schools, there are options in the nearby area, although you'd have to drive to them as there aren't any private schools within the town itself, with the exception of a Montessori nursery/kindergarten.

I hope this is helpful. Cold Spring is a great, quaint, friendly town with cool, artsy people. If you move here from SF, I hope you enjoy it.

[havoc315]

It would help to know your budget, and your commuting requirements.
If commuting to the city on a daily basis isn't critical, or you don't mind a longish commute-- You can try a place like Nyack. In some ways, it's a small artsy down, filled with restaurants, boutiques, theater. Right on the Hudson River, close to parks. And just a few miles from major commercial shopping etc. But there are poor mass transit options to the city from Nyack. It's only 20 miles from New York City, but there really are no commuting options less than an hour (realistically, far more than an hour to most points in the city during rush hours) Same with Piermont, just south of Nyack.

If commuting is really a concern, and you have the budget for it, you can look in many places in Westchester. Katonah would be a good spot. Commute still on the slightly long side, but it's a simple train ride of 60 minutes into Grand Central. Along the river, you may find other towns that fit what you're seeking-- Croton on Hudson, Irvington, Dobbs Ferry. Those last three towns have train options of under 45 minutes to Grand Central.

[kiwilover70]

I just moved from Sacramento CA to Orange county. I was born and lived until my late 20's in Santa Rosa CA. I do really miss the California attitude.(Smiles, Hellos). The lifestyle is different here. I like visiting New Paltz and woodstock. They remind me of home (Sonoma County) People seem more laid back and friendly there.The area reminds me of home too,Back when I was growing up(the 70's)Rolling hills trees etc.There is just a general grumpiness hee that is not like in Cali. I have talked to many about this ,natives and transplants and if they have been out and about they see this too. A few people have said they think because of the vacintiy to NYC that people here have carried the attitude up from the city. Being from Cali I really miss it this part of life here.

[jdf718]

Not sure why anyone would leave Marin County--unless they were dragged kicking and screaming or decided to move to neighboring Sonoma. If you have to leave, New Paltz (a poor man's Boulder, Colorado) or Cold Spring are closest to what you are looking for but as much as I like both, neither can hold a candle to Marin County, especially if you are looking for a Mill Valley or Sausalito.

[Jaymum]

Originally Posted by kiwilover70

I just moved from Sacramento CA to Orange county. I was born and lived until my late 20's in Santa Rosa CA. I do really miss the California attitude.(Smiles, Hellos). The lifestyle is different here. I like visiting New Paltz and woodstock. They remind me of home (Sonoma County) People seem more laid back and friendly there.The area reminds me of home too,Back when I was growing up(the 70's)Rolling hills trees etc.There is just a general grumpiness hee that is not like in Cali. I have talked to many about this ,natives and transplants and if they have been out and about they see this too. A few people have said they think because of the vacintiy to NYC that people here have carried the attitude up from the city. Being from Cali I really miss it this part of life here.

I notice this. That attitude you speak of is going to be tough to find here. The NYC pace is way more hectic than anything in California, and it permeates the region. You don't really escape it until you're over 100 miles from Manhattan. Even then, it's not the same due to the harsher weather, and a bit of the cabin fever we get during the long winters. The climate and attitudes are the main reasons why California, as hideously expensive as it may be, will always be on my short list.

[JiminCT]

How about Ithaca? Or if you need to be near a city...try New Paltz or Rhinebeck. All of the towns are liberal and are in magnificent settings. Ithaca is a bit out of the way...but in an Ivy League town, you probably wont notice you are an hour from any semi-large city.

[grollings]

I am a bit worried--I've been spoiled living in Marin....

[JiminCT]

Marin has the beauty, but doesnt have 1/3 of the soul...