Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We live in Manhattan (UWS) and are looking to purchase a weekend getaway home no more than 2 hours drive from the city, preferably accessible by commuter rail but not absolutely necessary.
I'm wondering what are popular weekend home destinations in upper Westchester and the Hudson Valley. I'm familiar with Cold Spring and Beacon (love both) but looking for more of a getaway feel than the relative bustle of those towns. From what I've seen the outskirts of those towns would do just fine however. Something with space, privacy and nature.
From my understanding, towns like Katonah, Armonk and surrounding area are more residential and perhaps less suited for a weekend home? South Salem?
Pound Ridge and North Salem are two great options and are a bit more off the the beaten path than towns like Bedford, Katonah or Armonk. The disadvantage of those towns is that they lack a dedicated train station which makes Manhattan commuting more of a hastle, however in your case thats a cost advantage. There's a pretty wide variety of homes in those towns.
I dont know your budget or size requirements, but if it were me I'd try to find a 19th century cottage somewhere with a decent plot of land.
Its different than the Hudson valley towns like Cold Spring or Beacon, you're definitely going to be living with people who are on the more metropolitan side.
Try Kinderhook, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Dover, Patterson etc.
The problem is maintaining a second home in winter - keeping a eye out on the oil heat - making sure it doesn't run out. Winter storms and falling trees are an issue. There is all sorts of damage from ice and cold.
Pound Ridge and North Salem are two great options and are a bit more off the the beaten path than towns like Bedford, Katonah or Armonk. The disadvantage of those towns is that they lack a dedicated train station which makes Manhattan commuting more of a hastle, however in your case thats a cost advantage. There's a pretty wide variety of homes in those towns.
I dont know your budget or size requirements, but if it were me I'd try to find a 19th century cottage somewhere with a decent plot of land.
Its different than the Hudson valley towns like Cold Spring or Beacon, you're definitely going to be living with people who are on the more metropolitan side.
I'd love an old cabin somewhere but worry about the repairs/maintenance of an old home since we won't be there for long stretches of time.
From what I've seen Cold Spring and Beacon have a lot of tourists/city visitors although the residents are less "metropolitan" compared to the Westchester towns like Bedford/Katonah/Pound Ridge etc?
Try Kinderhook, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Dover, Patterson etc.
The problem is maintaining a second home in winter - keeping a eye out on the oil heat - making sure it doesn't run out. Winter storms and falling trees are an issue. There is all sorts of damage from ice and cold.
That's my biggest fear with a second home. Finding a 'low maintenance' home seems impossible given our winters in NY and the higher up you go the worse it seems.
In the winter, I think we'd try to be there at least once every other weekend but not sure even that is enough during a harsh winter. Anything short of living in it full-time seems like a big risk if it's a bad winter.
Wondering if there are better or worse neighborhoods for 'low maintenance'....
That's why I am thinking it is better to err on the side of a suburb (vs rural or remote) location.
Probably fewer issues with power outages, downed trees, being snowed in. That's my assumption at least.
Not better in Yorktown which is parallel to Bedford, North Salem, etc. Seriously, I-287 is the weather dividing line. Towns north of I-287 will have worse snowstorms than NYC.
We had October snowstorms - 2006 and 2011. The worse wet snow on leaf covered trees. Those trees were dropping like flies taking down power lines.
In Oct 2011, my daughter came home from college with a high temperature/flu. The next day the historic snowstorm hit. I had all sorts of telephone connection issues. I finally got a hold my husband who was in India. It was easier for him to find a Tarrytown hotel with electricity and a room for us. I dropped my kids off in the hotel. I came home to keep the fireplace running overnight so my dogs and cats wouldn't freeze to death and my pipes would burst. In order to make the trips from Tarrytown to Yorktown, I needed to find gas. And, when homes lose electricity so do the gas station pumps. People were waiting in long lines hoping to fill up before the stations ran out!
Stop - I'm having flashbacks!!!
August 2011, Hurricanes Irene flooded my basement - three to five inches of standing water. We lost electricity for four days.
October 2012, Hurricane Sandy snapped my 50 year old pine trees in half. Second year without trick or treating.
Don't forget the 2014 or 2018 snowstorm either.
That's why I live in southern Virginia now!
A LATE EDIT - so southeast to NJ for a second home. Less snow on the NJ shore.
Last edited by YorktownGal; 10-24-2023 at 01:14 PM..
Not better in Yorktown which is parallel to Bedford, North Salem, etc. Seriously, I-287 is the weather dividing line. Towns north of I-287 will have worse snowstorms than NYC.
We had October snowstorms - 2006 and 2011. The worse wet snow on leaf covered trees. Those trees were dropping like flies taking down power lines.
In Oct 2011, my daughter came home from college with a high temperature/flu. The next day the historic snowstorm hit. I had all sorts of telephone connection issues. I finally got a hold my husband who was in India. It was easier for him to find a Tarrytown hotel with electricity and a room for us. I dropped my kids off in the hotel. I came home to keep the fireplace running overnight so my dogs and cats wouldn't freeze to death and my pipes would burst. In order to make the trips from Tarrytown to Yorktown, I needed to find gas. And, when homes lose electricity so do the gas station pumps. People were waiting in long lines hoping to fill up before the stations ran out!
Stop - I'm having flashbacks!!!
August 2011, Hurricanes Irene flooded my basement - three to five inches of standing water. We lost electricity for four days.
October 2012, Hurricane Sandy snapped my 50 year old pine trees in half. Second year without trick or treating.
Don't forget the 2014 or 2018 snowstorm either.
That's why I live in southern Virginia now!
A LATE EDIT - so southeast to NJ for a second home. Less snow on the NJ shore.
So a vacation home in Scarsdale or White Plains it is LOL.
Well that's disheartening to hear. Funny that a NYC apartment would be a place of refuge during storms but it's true.
Even if you could escape to NYC there's those frozen pipes to worry about in event of power outage. Perhaps a full house generator would mitigate the risk/stress? A small expense for peace of mind when you can't be there. I'm mostly trying to talk myself into it now!
So a vacation home in Scarsdale or White Plains it is LOL.
Well that's disheartening to hear. Funny that a NYC apartment would be a place of refuge during storms but it's true.
Even if you could escape to NYC there's those frozen pipes to worry about in event of power outage. Perhaps a full house generator would mitigate the risk/stress? A small expense for peace of mind when you can't be there. I'm mostly trying to talk myself into it now!
A full house generator? What would be the power source?
Natural gas is far the best and most stable solution, but there isn't natural gas in north of NYC. However, there is natural gas line in some areas of NJ.
In Westchester, a whole house generators needs multiple propane tanks.
A small portable generators use gasoline.
When I lived in Boston suburbs, our weather was similar to upper Westchester - perhaps a little colder, but just as snowy. However, Boston's suburbs power lines were buried below ground. So no power outages.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
