Which of the River Towns is "crunchiest"? (New York: mortgage, homes)
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I respectfully and completely disagree rich. There are absolutely materialistic towns where what you say is spot on for many residents, but there are also plenty of towns and villages that have a well deserved reputation for not being materialistic. I've lived in Westchester for a decade and just in southern Westchester I'd say that Pelham, Dobbs, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, and Hastings are all examples of relatively wealthy places that have lots of non-materialistic people, even if there are some materialistic people who of course sneak in. Yes, people have to work hard to afford to live there, and education is hugely valued as evidenced by property taxes and education spending, but the vast majority of people in those towns do not make money for their "materialistic desires." They make money to give their children a good education and a good future, and not just to buy a flashy Mercedes.
^^^This. Rich's assessment is simplistic and way over the top in any case.
I respectfully and completely disagree rich. There are absolutely materialistic towns where what you say is spot on for many residents, but there are also plenty of towns and villages that have a well deserved reputation for not being materialistic. I've lived in Westchester for a decade and just in southern Westchester I'd say that Pelham, Dobbs, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, and Hastings are all examples of relatively wealthy places that have lots of non-materialistic people, even if there are some materialistic people who of course sneak in. Yes, people have to work hard to afford to live there, and education is hugely valued as evidenced by property taxes and education spending, but the vast majority of people in those towns do not make money for their "materialistic desires." They make money to give their children a good education and a good future, and not just to buy a flashy Mercedes.
I agree much more with your statement than I do with Rich's. I lived in southern Westchester (Pelham) for many years before relocating to northern Westchester. In the area of Pelham I lived in (off Lincoln Avenue, more than a full mile away from the Manor), nearly everyone I knew were hard-working, non-materialistic people, with a few of the "uppity" ones scattered about. Most were Irish-American and Italian-American families who had moved in from the Bronx, Mount Vernon or New Rochelle. Yet, upon telling anyone that I lived in Pelham, their immediate impression was "mansion, maid and Mercedes-Benz".
I find my neighbors in Somers to be much more pretentious, materialistic and full of themselves.
Thanks all for the rapid replies. Will definitely investigate.... Have also heard in conversation that farther north, Cold Spring could have potential.
p.s. - bmwguy, love the Shakespeare quote.
Thanks.
Do you have to commute to the city on a daily basis? If so, it can be a very long commute from an area like Cold Spring, something that your wife may not like too much if she's home with three little ones all day. Weather is also a factor in the winter, once you are north of 287 as it's usually the snow line in Westchester, with increasing snowfall into Putnam and Dutchess. From Cold Spring, the scheduled time is about 80 minutes to Grand Central, so I'd figure on about an hour and a half plus commute to the station, not far if you live within the village, plus any additional commute in Manhattan to your office if you have to go to the city daily. Driving would probably take about the same time, since traffic would build close to the city, generally in The Bronx on the Deegan, and near the GWB on the Henry Hudson Parkway.
So, the commute could play a role as to how far out you'd want to be. Croton has a less pretentious feel, and express trains to Manhattan, so living within a short distance of Croton-Harmon would offer the ability to be in the city quickly.
The Mid-Hudson Valley has towns that could meet your likes; however, the commute would be terrible if you had to go to the city during rush hour, and with heavier snow. Red Hook as mentioned above would not be a bad fit as Rhinebeck would have most of your wants, but on Amtrak it would be an hour and forty-five minutes or so to Manhattan, a marathon commute if you had to do it daily.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Do you have to commute to the city on a daily basis? If so, it can be a very long commute from an area like Cold Spring, something that your wife may not like too much if she's home with three little ones all day.
This is the key. I gave suggestions earlier assuming that you were targeting Westchester (and a reasonable NYC commute). If distance to NYC is no factor then Red Hook (not technically a river town) and Beacon are good bets. Cold Spring is lovely and a great place to hike, but man does it get packed on weekends.
Btw, if you'd want to relax the river town requirement even further, it doesn't get much crunchier than New Paltz.
Commuting to NYC is not something we do. We merely like the proximity in terms of the cultural amenities it can lead to and the "vibe" suburbs can sometimes provide (curious-minded, aware, educated, into the arts - and hopefully also friendly).
The river towns also seem to possess wonderful physical aesthetics (rolling hills, fall foliage, charming downtowns), hence our interest in them.
Still, please feel free to suggest any other locales; this thread has been definitely helpful. Thanks.
I live in Hastings, and I would say while it might not be exactly "crunchy", it definitely has its share of artsy/eclectic types. For my family, this is a good thing.
There is definitely money around, but I don't find it that evident. It strikes me as the most "liberal" river town, in comparison, at least, with Dobbs and Irvington. Tarrytown is a pretty cool place, but it doesn't have the same vibe as its smaller neighbors.
I agree with rich. I've lived in Croton for 4 years and before that in NW Yonkers so I took the train to the city from the Hastings station. South of Tarrytown, the trains are packed with lawyers in the mornings. I think the river towns are deceptive. They look like they should be crunchy, but they are not. (Nyack is crunchy.) People may look that way on the weekends. You need a huge salary to live there. Croton may be more liberal, but now that I've left, I can see what a boring place it really is. And right next door to Indian Point. Northern Westchester appears that it would be progressive but I think it's just that it's really beautiful. But definitely not progressive. definitely not Ithaca or Northampton.
This is likely a silly question, but here goes: the recommendations on this thread here for "Hastings" - that is the same as Hastings on Hudson?
Yes. Anytime you see "on-Hudson" added to the name of any town, it is no different from the name of the same town without "on-Hudson" attached to it.
There is one very small exception: Ardsley-on-Hudson. This is simply a post office designation for zip code 10503, and it encompasses the southern part of the village of Irvington (or Irvington-on-Hudson, I should say). Ardsley-on-Hudson is not a municipality, and it has nothing to do with the village of Ardsley, which does not border the Hudson at all.
I learned this the hard way when people didn't add the "-on-Hudson" to my address and my mail got sent upstate despite the zip code.
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