Living In: Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.: A Magnet for the Eclectic

Living In: Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.: A Magnet for the Eclectic

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Croton continues to attract artists of all sorts, including the Tony-winning actress and singer Audra McDonald, with its natural beauty and small-town feel. Cynthia Lippolis, a broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices River Towns Real Estate and a 38-year village resident, described Croton as eclectic. “You don’t have cookie-cutter people here,” she said.

What You’ll Find

Croton’s housing is a medley of capes, colonials, ranches, Tudors and contemporaries, old next to new, big beside small. Janine King, village manager, said Croton had approximately 2,160 single-family homes, 120 two-family homes, and several rental apartment buildings and condominium complexes, including Half Moon Bay, on the Hudson. Streets are more gridlike in the southern part.

Lots are larger in the higher elevations to the north. Empty tracts are scarce.

What You’ll Pay

Ms. Lippolis said that for Croton properties under $750,000, “the market is hot.”

Value is partly determined by view, according to Valerie Leis, an associate real estate broker with North Country Sotheby’s International Realty. “If you have a river view,” she said, “even if you have a modest house, your home is worth more.”





On Monday, there were 39 homes on the market. They ranged from a 1,200-square-foot three-bedroom ranch built in 1950 on 0.17 acre and listed for $309,000, to a 5,000-square-foot three-bedroom house, built in 1975 on five and a quarter acres with river views and a pool, listed at $1,999,999.

The median sales price for Croton homes during the 12-month period that ended last Sunday was $495,000, according to the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service, down 6.6 percent from the previous 12-month period.

The Vibe

Croton has families who have lived there for generations, people who grew up there and returned to raise their children, and newcomers. They form a community with many options for mingling.

Residents might gather at the annual Summerfest street fair in June, the seasonal farmers’ market at the train station or at a playground. They might run into one another swimming at Silver Lake park on the Croton River or ice skating at Duck Pond Park. They might meet in the central business district, called Upper Village, at the Black Cow coffee shop or the Blue Pig for ice cream, or across town at the Ocean House Oyster Bar and Grill.

They can enjoy Hudson vistas from RiverWalk, a stretch of Westchester County’s riverside walkway-in-progress; from Senasqua Park; and from the county-managed Croton Point Park, a 500-acre peninsula. The park is home to Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival, a music and environmental festival inspired by Pete Seeger. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is held each fall at Van Cortlandt Manor.

1330 ALBANY POST ROAD
A four-bedroom, four-bath 3,800-square-foot colonial built in 1920 on three acres, listed at $999,999. 914-271-3300


Credit
Meredith Heuer for The New York Times

As for shopping, in addition to Upper Village, Croton has several commercial areas with shops and restaurants.

The Schools

Most of Croton is in the Croton-Harmon Union Free School District. Approximately 1,700 students attend the district’s schools: Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School for kindergarten through Grade 4, Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School for Grades 5 through 8, and Croton-Harmon High School. About 300 students in the northwest corner attend the Hendrick Hudson Central School District.

Mean SAT scores for Croton-Harmon High School’s 2016 graduating class were 569 in critical reading, 574 in mathematics and 557 in writing. Mean SAT scores for the 2016 graduating class of Hendrick Hudson High School, in Montrose, were 536 in critical reading, 548 in mathematics and 523 in writing. Statewide equivalents were 489, 501 and 477.

The Commute

The rush-hour commute between the Croton-Harmon station, on the Metro-North Hudson line, and Grand Central takes 46 to 70 minutes. The monthly fare is $311.

The station has ample parking permits for residents (and a wait list for nonresidents). It is also an Amtrak stop.

The History

Before it became Croton Point Park, the peninsula was owned by the Underhill family. Robert Underhill bought 250 acres in 1804, and upon his death, his sons Richard and William Underhill divided the land. In the northern portion, William operated a prosperous brickyard. A small village sprang up nearby to house the company’s several hundred employees. Richard planted vineyards in the southern section, cultivating a hybrid known as the Croton grape and wine named Croton Point.

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