What artsy towns are commutable to NYC? (Union, Ossining: 2013, houses)
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My husband and I are about to have a baby and are looking to move from Brooklyn to a town with good air and space. He will still have to commute every day to Union Square for work. We are looking for a place with good restaurants, an arts community, healthy food, etc. I would like to open an arts space in the community so finding a town that would be receptive to this would be great. It would also be nice to be in a place where there are other young mothers in their early 30's.
We really like Kingston, Rosendale and Beacon but we are looking for somewhere that is about an hour's commute to NYC.
All towns in Westchester have young mothers in their 30s - that's why people move to this county!
Keeping it to an hour commute to Union Square pretty much limits you to towns below 287 (and even that may be a stretch, depending on time to the train/time on the subway). I'm going to throw in ones north of 287 as well, just in case your husband is willing to be more flexible.
As for artsy places - yes, the rivertowns should be in your list of usual suspects - Hastings, Dobbs, Irvington, Tarrytown, Ossining. On the Harlem line, I would check out Pleasantville (Jacob Burns Center is a big draw for the arts) and Katonah (Katonah Museum of Art) although that's getting to be a long commute... On the sound side, Pelham has an active arts center and Mamaroneck/Larchmont have both performing and visual arts orgs (Emlin theater, the Mamaroneck Artists Guild).
As someone who also loves the Beacon/Kingston vibe but is tied to the city by work, I'd say the closest thing to that art scene you will find in Westchester is in Peekskill, but that is still a tough NYC commute and the reputation of the schools there is not good. The river towns are the more 'artsy' ones in Westchester, but only to an extent. Most artists simply could not afford to live there. I recommend you check out a couple to see how they appeal to you. You’ll get a nice quality of life there with a relatively short commute.
In my town, Ossining, the mix of people runs the spectrum, but you will find a good-sized segment of artistic types. The Ossining Arts Council has done a nice job of late in promoting the arts community and publicizing events. You may find it helpful to check in with someone there about the viability of your proposed arts space. As for healthy food and such, the weekly farmer’s market is flourishing but you won’t find a restaurant scene to match the towns further down the river.
Like ehmom said, there are young parents all over the county so you should not have a problem finding that. Ossining might trend a little younger by virtue of being more affordable.
Assuming your "hour commute" meant train time and not door-to-door, the most obvious choice would be Peekskill, which probably has the most developed art scene in Westchester. The NY Times might not know it, but there is a large Brooklyn Hipster Diaspora in Peekskill--not to mention microbreweries, farm-to-table restaurants, flat bread pizza, coffee houses, and live music venues. If you like Beacon, you'll like Peekskill. The downside of Peekskill is its long commute and the schools don't test well. But an art space would be a natural--although not the only one.
Next up would be Tarrytown and Ossining, both of which already have lively arts scenes. Croton would be possible, too, though more of a stretch. The lower river towns strike me as a serious stretch, as does Pleasantville, but I could be wrong.
We are a couple in our late thirties non Caucasian and feel we have been priced out of lower Westchester. We are professionals however even on our income we are not able to find what we are looking for in a diverse Westchester community. We like semi city vibe close by and a nice quiet home to return to. No children yet but In a year or two. We like some newer homes in Peekskill near northern area close to beach shopping area. We do enjoy diversity, safety, clean, well kept environment close to amenities, shopping, And good restaurants but we don't mind driving. We are also only able to afford 400-430. With taxes less than 12,000. Is Peekskill for us? Coming from white plains, lived in nyc and Orange County. We both work in lower Westchester.
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