Putnam Lake

Putnam Lake is one of the community hamlets of Patterson, NY, located in the natural beauty of NY’s Harlem River Valley region, famed for the hiking and biking Harlem Vally Rail Trail. The Trail is 12 miles of paved trail that was once the Putnam Valley railroad. Now, people enjoy the expansive trail that runs through the lovely hills and fields of the Harlem Valley.

Putnam Lake, which gets its name from the community’s small lake, is right near the popular Thunder Ridge Ski Mountain and Resort, as well as the Jehova’s Witness’s Watchtower Educational Center, which informs visitors about the Jehova’s Witness faith, and is home to many dedicated followers. Before WWII, the area was a thriving farmland that tanked during the Great Depression, and was the land was bought for residential and recreational land, as well as the building of the State Line Golf and Country Club in 1930, which is still in business today.

Putnam Lake is served by the Putnam Valley School District, and residents enjoy the amenities of Patterson, Brewster and Danbury, CT. Patterson has restaurants like Texas Taco and the Carriage House Restaurant and Tavern, as well as the Putnam Lake Diner and Restaurant, and nearby Pawling (with a Brewster address) offers the fun family restaurant and burger joint, the old-fashioned Red Rooster. Patterson also has a Dollar Tree as well as other shops in the shopping center there, and Brewster has fun stores like the pet shop Animal Kingdom USA, which has an actual man-made rainforest inside the building and hosts birthday parties that kids (and adults alike) will never forget. Parks include the Memorial Field Park, which honors those who lost their lives in WWII, and is now a sports park. Putnam Lake is part country, suburban and rural and is in the heart of beautiful, historic Dutchess County.

Putnam Lake is a small community-within-a-community, located along the New York-Connecticut border. Its residents have a Patterson zip code and send their children to Brewster schools. Many of the homes are former summer residences which have since been winterized for year-round living.

This community is hillier than many other residential areas in the county, making winter travel even more challenging. However those same hills afford great views of Putnam Lake, which is larger and prettier than one might expect. There’s a small grocery store, and a few other shops, adding to the small-town feel. The most unexpected and interesting man-made sight in Putnam Lake might be Annie Malloy’s Irish Castle, a restaurant which looks like it was imported from the Irish countryside, complete with views of the lake.

This past winter never got cold enough, much to the relief of many residents still weary from last winter, so Putnam Lake didn’t freeze over this year. However, winter is a great time for recreation in this community, where many of the residents enjoy ice skating and ice fishing. During the summer months, a children’s swim team, the Putnam Lake Piranhas, competes against other area swim teams.

If you are seeking to live in an area that’s more self-contained, with a lovely lake as a focal point, Putnam Lake is worth checking out.

Putnam Lake, a recreational community pinched between the Town of Patterson and the Connecticut border, is composed of neighborhoods of bungalow-like homes and summer cottages set atop small hills surrounding a lake (also called Putnam Lake). Similar to Lake Carmel in Kent, Putnam Lake once served as a summer destination for New York City residents looking to escape the seasonal heat, which is reflective of the style of homes that families live in today. With easy access to the Route 22, it is a community set apart fro the hustle and bustle of everyday life but maintains a sense of connectedness to the outside world.

I covered Putnam Lake during my time as Editor-in-Chief of The Putnam Examiner and even attended a debate or two at the local VFW. It always reminded me of some exotic watering hole with its own identity and culture, only a touch less glamorous. The thing I most admired about Putnam Lake is its strong civic community. The Putnam Lake Community Council was always in attendance at Patterson Town Board meetings, and successfully establish the Putnam Lake Park District in February 2012 (which will take affect in January 2013). The volunteer organization once took care of the operation and upkeep of its lake, but with time couldn't keep up with costs associated with its protection. Now that a park district has been formed, Patterson's town government and residents hope to improve the safety and beauty of the lake- something that seems possible in the near future.

A handful of gas stations and general store provide the makeup of Putnam Lake's business community, so any major shopping needs to be done in neighboring Connecticut or along Route 22 in Southeast. This lakeside community has wonderful potential- give it a few years and it could become one of the prettiest areas in all of Putnam County