From the quiet surroundings of Poughkeepsie ...NY City is a just a commuter train away. For the Manhattan worker, finding affordable housing is becoming more and more of a challenge. Many people seek affordable housing solutions in the suburbs. The further out, the more affordable. Westchester, Bergen, Nassau and Putnam Counties were once highly regarded as the affordable suburban communities, and commuting became the great alternative from these nearby areas, so close to Manhattan. However, many home buyers have found themselves priced out of these increasingly expensive real estate markets too now. As housing prices increased in the New York City metropolitan area over the past several years - more home buyers have been moving even further out in search of affordable housing. And, many commuters I talk to don't even mind trading the longer commute times for the quality of life ...more house, more land and the American Dream!
So the Suburban Sprawl reached Dutchess County, NY - because real estate dollars go further here than in neighboring southern counties. And, all one has to do to be convinced is price homes in Westchester County and then price homes in Dutchess County. The savings is between 35-45% less. Even in buffering Putnam County, home values are higher - just cross the border into Dutchess and one can immediately see how much more house can be bought!
Don't think the gas prices have not scared people away from Dutchess either! For many people, the commuter trains are enjoyable. One can relax with a cup of coffee and newspaper before work or unwind with a little power nap at the end of a long business day. Why endure the stress of driving and fuel costs, when you can take the train? There are 4 active trains stations in Dutchess County:
Hudson Line - with stations in Beacon, New Hamburg and Poughkeepsie
Harlem Line- with a station in Pawling
Check out train schedules and fares by clicking on the link below:
http://as0.mta.info/mnr/stations/station_detail.cfm?key=5
Parking rates at the Poughkeepsie train station:
$34 - 1 month, $91 - 3 months, $169 - 6 months, $289 - 12months ($24 per month)
Now, a word of warning - a round trip monthly train pass is $360 from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central - but once you recover from the sticker shock, you might realize that the real estate savings might be well worth a move north (and more and more, people are negotiating with their employers to work from home one or two days a week)!
For more about living and commuting in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. click on the link to a NY Times article below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/realestate/23livi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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Carol, I like that you have the convenience of mass transit to get out to the affordable surburban areas. The prices are so reasonable too. They floated an elevated monorail system around the Dallas area in the mid 1980's and it was never signed off on. I thought like Disneyworld it would be so cool. We have light rail just in a few places but it takes forever here for them to extend it out to the suburbs. We are a metro area that is a parking lot of cars during both rush hours. In Los Angeles it is a parking lot all day, so remind your Poughkeepsie folks how great commuter trains are.