Croton-on-Hudson

A seven-mile stretch of the Hudson’s eastern bank is home to the village of Croton-on-Hudson, population 8,100. The village, incorporated in 1898, is bordered to the south by the smaller Croton River. The entire waterfront shoreline is accessible to residents; this is not true of Westchester’s other riverfront towns. The town is served by both Metro-North, making the trip in just under an hour, and Amtrak.

Visitors and residents appreciate the wealth of scenery Croton offers. Approximately half the town has been set aside as parkland or open space, which helps to preserve the area’s beauty. Croton Point Park, situated on a peninsula on the Hudson shore, is open year-round. The park is home to the Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival, held annually since the 1960s, features well-known folk musicians in a weekend-long festival.

The Croton Cortlandt Center for the Arts is a resource for residents, offering classes for adults, teens and children. Croton is also home to one of the Hudson Valley’s great historic properties, Van Cortlandt Manor. Every October the grounds are lit up by 4,000 hand-carved pumpkins during the annual Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, an event that brings visitors from all over.

The Croton-Harmon School District educates about 1,800 students at three different schools: Carrie E. Tomkins Elementary, Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School, and Croton Harmon High School. At the elementary level, the emphasis is on reading and math, with sustained blocks of time devoted to each subject. Students begin attending middle school in the fifth grade, and have the opportunity to begin studying a foreign language at that time. Eighth grade students have the opportunity to begin taking high school level classes, earning credits toward their diploma. Croton Harmon High School was recently ranked in the top 2% nationally, out of 21,800 schools. The rankings took into consideration college readiness, math and reading scores and Advanced Placement results. Part of Croton is located in the Hendrick Hudson School District, which is also well-regarded.

Unsurprisingly, you won’t find big-box chain retailers in Croton. However, the town is home to a number of unique, independently owned shops and eateries, and the surrounding towns offer additional shopping options when necessary. Housing options vary widely, from estates with river views and luxury condos, to smaller single family homes and condominiums.

It is certainly hard to beat the location of this lovely Westchester County village located in Cortlandt, NY. It sits directly on the majestic Hudson River and has stunning views. The village itself is comprised of lovely residential homes and is perfect for nature lovers and outdoorsy types with a plethora of green acres at your doorstep.

Croton Point Park is a popular, rollicking 508-acre park which offers a beach with swimming, hiking, camping, picnic areas, boating, fishing and walking trails. It is a fun, festive, family and dog friendly place to whittle alway the summer weather, commune with nature and make some great memories. The park is also the site of the annual Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival, an incredible two-day festival which celebrates the best of folk music featuring such giants as Ani DiFranco, Joan Osbourne, Jill Sobule, Josh Ritter, Arlo Guthrie, Martin Sexton, Melissa Ferrick and Ollabelle, to name but a drop in the bucket. There is also an incredible array of vendors selling food, jewelry and arts and crafts. A lot of folks, kids and even babies included, camp out there for the duration and it is a fun weekend of good cheer and camraderie.

The New Croton Dam is also a marvelous sight to behold and one can watch the water cascade as they loll around the Croton Gorge Park. Some actually call the dam a "mini Niagara Falls." In the winter months, it is even a popular sledding and cross country skiing destination.

Another fun and simultaneously educational afternoon excursion would be a visit to Van Cortlandt Manor, an exquisite 18th century stone manor that re-creates life as it was lived during the Revolutionary era. They offer call-ahead group tours of the manor, the ferry house and the beautiful gardens led by well-versed guides dressed in period costumes. There are mulitple demonstrations and guests are invited to try blacksmithing, brick-making, open-hearth cooking, spinning and weaving.

The wonderful Hudson Stage Company is also based in Croton and produces unique plays of social importance in its residency at the Briarfcliff Manor campus of Pace University.

There are some terrific restaurants in Croton-on-Hudson, as well. One popular hot-spot and a Best of Westchester magazine award winner is Memphis Mae's BBQ Bistro, which offers authentic BBQ dishes including Mepmphis Ribs, Texas Brisket, Mississippi catfish, fried oyster Po' Boys, pulled pork, side dishes like fried green tomatoes and collard greens and desserts like banana bread pudding. Other notable area restaurants include the uber kid-friendly Umamai Cafe, Justin Thyme Cafe, Samurai Japanese Restaurant, The Tavern at Croton Landing, Ocean House, T.K. Casquarelli's, Gaetano's Italian Grill and the very cool Black Cow Coffee Company, which has unique coffee blends, live music and artwork.

Elena's Boutiqe and Consignments on Riverside Ave. is fun for the treasure hunter in you. Groovy on Grand has what they call "cool clothes for cool kids." There is a really great Goodwill store in the area in addition to several nice florists, an optician, a pharmacy, some terrific antique shops, a few beauty and nail salons, an A & P and a ShopRite.

Croton is quite safe and the crime rate is low.

The school system in Croton is pretty good and the median SAT score is 1663.

The median household income is $100,200. The median home value is $395, 833 and the median rental rate is $1,356.00

Croton-on-Hudson is 80% White, 11.4% Hispanic, 3.7% Asian and 2.5% Black.

The population of Croton is approximately 8,070 and the median age is 41.

This is a charming Hudson River town that offers a great balance of warmth and excitement. It is part of the Town of Cortlandt and yet it has a distinctive flavor all its own. There are beautiful hikes in the area and the proximity to Croton Reservoir and dam means that there are some homes and apartments with fantastic water views.

Croton-on-Hudson is a station in the Metro North Harlem line and is an express stop meaning that you can get to Grand Central in .45 minutes with the right train. This accessibility combined with the lovely riverfront location makes it a popular place for many NYC professionals.

My family loves the Croton Point Park which is on the river and allows for beach access. In summer months, you can see many families picnicking here. The view as the sun sets is something to remember.

Croton-on-Hudson is truly family friendly. The high school and the library are fairly close to each other and to town center – there are safe hang-outs for teens and many places within walk able distance of each other.

While you’ll need to go elsewhere for mall shopping, if you live here, there are some interesting shops in Croton as the previous reviewer mentioned. Zeytinia is a must stop shop for anyone interested in health foods and unusual cooking ingredients. For a small town, Croton-on-Hudson offers quite a few restaurants and eateries. My personal favorite is Umami Cafe. The town also offers tapas and home-made ice-cream.

If you are visiting the area, you should plan on checking our Van Cortlandt Manor, which is a National Historic Landmark. And it is particularly impressive in October at Halloween time.

Founded in 1898, between the years of 1910 and 1960's, it was home to a bustling community of activists and artists. Now, families flock to Croton for the cool breezes coming in from the Hudson, as well as the welcoming streets which make it easy for walking. In town, there is even a traffic cop for kids who are walking home from school (you will see lots of kids walking because of this). The schools are all centered right in town. Kids can grab an ice cream with friends at the Blue Pig, a homemade ice cream shop right in town, and older kids can chill out at the Black Cow Coffee Shop, which has safe access to the sidewalks. Families have lots to do in Croton! The Riverfront offers excellent space for picnics (lots of picnic tables), a great Hudson River view, and in the summer, the family-oriented Clearwater Festival (founded by Pete Seeger, a famous local Folk Singer--and personal friend of mine). The Black Cow Coffee Shop is a fun hangout for families as well. It has free wifi and a small outdoor sitting area (most places to sit are inside). There is funky cow paraphernalia all over the walls, and for art lovers, there are always changing exhibits that are shown off in the back room (which offers a bit more quiet for those who wish for it). There's lots of different types of coffee to choose from, certosey of many different countries. A favorite drink is the famous "Cow Whip": iced espresso with sprinkled chocolate on whipped cream. You can also visit the famous Van Cortlandt Manor, which is a beautiful historic property with a lovely garden. It also has an annual pumpkin festival (lots of crazy-faced pumpkins all lit up and you can create your own.) Next door, there's Zytenia's Gormet Food Market, which has an open salad bar including hot food, and lots of natural-made meals for the health food nut (or those that just wish to eat well).

For nature lovers, in additional to Croton Point Park (which also has a recreation center, telling us about the local ecosystems and wildlife), there is the Teatown Reservation, which hosts trails along a huge lake and a recreational center. (Make sure to come to the annual Fall Festival, which is very kid-friendly---fun things that might include facepainting, ect.) You can always expect to see the live hawks and owls that are brought every year. The Croton Dam is also a great place to be outdoors with trails for hiking, and picnicking in the park (some films were shot there as well, including an old Tarzan movie from 1932, "Tarzan the Ape Man".) For those looking for a new church, there are a plethora of different types: reform Judaism, Episcopal, Catholic, Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Lutheran and Methodist. The culture is very diverse and you will see people of all races.

For booklovers, don't forget to visit the quaint Old Book Room, located in the heart of town. There you can find anything from antique maps to ancient tomes and even a postcard or two. It's right next to an antique shop, and has been there for a long time. Personally, I found a rare copy of "My Autobiography" by Charlie Chaplin!

Schools are great. Teachers are very dedicated and encourages kids to be themselves. The high school also has put in a brand new library. The town has a huge train station with lots of parking, making it easy for commuters to get to and from the city and elsewhere. There's also lots of bus stops in town for the local Beeline bus route, that can take you to other towns in Westchester.

The only drawback is that it is near Indian Point, can be fairly pricey to live there (depending on which area in the town you wish to live), and is lacking a nightlife for its community (though you can always petition a change to the town hall).

Generally people are very friendly and there always seems to be something to do.

Also, don't forget to make sure to see the Eagles during the annual Eagle Watch near the wetlands by the train station.

For the town's history, please visit: http://www.nynjctbotany.org/lgtofc/crotononhdsn.html and you can always find out more at the online newspaper, The Daily Croton at www.thedailycroton.com

Croton-on-Hudson has a great down to earth atmosphere. It's great for those you want to escape the city and have a more relaxed lifestyle. If you still want to commute to New York City it takes about 45 minutes and is an easy ride if you're willing to expend the time. It's a very wooded area and is a great place to raise kids.

There are also some great nature preserves and lots of hiking nearby.

Some people have concerns about the Indian Point Energy Center located in Buchanan since it's within ten miles of Croton-on-Hudson but there hasn't been any evidence to suggest danger to inhabitants of the surrounding area. I guess it just depends on if the idea is unsettling to you.

The people here are very friendly and neighborly. It seems like there's always a potluck going on somewhere and there's even a non-profit community nursery for toddlers. Everyone is nonjudgmental and happy to help.

The town isn't very walkable but you would need a car anyway to get around in this area. There are lots of restaurants, stores, and entertainment in surrounding towns less than fifteen minutes away. If you want to stay within Croton-on Hudson there are a few good restaurants and a nice coffee shop.