Wingdale

Wingdale is on the eastern side of Dutchess County near the Connecticut border, and anyone who knows this county is aware that the western half (particularly the southwestern quadrant) and the eastern half might as well be in other states. The difference could not be bigger: in Poughkeepsie, it's built-up, suburban and urban, and with plenty of modern conveniences and hangouts like malls, restaurants, bars, clubs, and more. In Wingdale, you're just not going to find much of anything, try though you might.

If your idea is to be out of the way in a small town, then Wingdale may be the place for you. There is a strip mall with a pizza place and a hair salon, amongst other things, as well as a library, an elementary school, a diner, and a very good bakery called Cousin's (try the danishes -- in fact, try everything at least once). There is also a gas station nearby, and Dover High School is not far from the main intersection (Route 22 & Pleasant Ridge Road). That's about it.

If you're looking for wide-open spaces and a place with scenery and parkland, this might be a good destination. If you're looking for nightlife, however, this is definitely not the place for you. You'll almost certainly have to go out of Wingdale to find a nice restaurant, either in Poughkeepsie (over half an hour away), Pawling, or maybe even Connecticut.

This is the kind of town where you'll see the occasional Mercedes or BMW on the roads, because there are wealthier areas around, but Wingdale still is not what I would consider a destination for the rich and famous. Indeed, a great many houses there are modest, as is the way of life here. Speaking of roads, Route 22 is the main road passing through here, and although it is a useful state highway which is no stranger to through traffic, any congestion you'll see is nowhere near that of the Poughkeepsie area. In fact, I have never seen any traffic backups here whatsoever. Seeing more than a few cars stopped at the main traffic light is almost shocking.

Wingdale is a very quiet, small town which is not all that close to major amenities like shopping malls or major medical facilities; if that and the prospect of wide-open spaces has appeal to you, then certainly give it a chance. It's a pleasant community, but if you need to be near civilization, you probably won't think much of it.

Wingdale is a nice little hamlet in Dover, and I have mixed feelings about the area. It's funny, I looked into living here and there are a lot of homes on the market, especially for how small Wingdale is, and that's part of the problem. Wingdale has been on a downward slide for a while, with a declining population that I've read is due to the closing of an infamous insane asylum, and it just hasn't recovered. It also doesn't seem like it's going to recover.

This is too bad, because some of the best food in Dutchess County is in Wingdale. Not just in Dover, but in the whole county! Big W's BBQ is outstanding. From the name no doubt you can tell it's all about the quality of the BBQ sauce, and it is soooooo good. I've only been in Dutchess for a little while, and I already go out of my way on the weekends to get a little BBQ brisket. Totally worth the extra drive. And I'm not alone. A lot of people love Big W's.

Outside of Big W's there's very little reason to visit Wingdale, which stinks, but there's so little shopping or dining that you just can't find much to do. It's too bad. I wish I could come here and do more than eat, but I feel like there's so little to do.

The people are nice, but the community feeling is abysmal when compared with other nearby towns. Wingdale just feels like it's on a downward slope and can't get back. I've heard the schools aren't bad, but I can't say for sure, and if you choose to live in Wingdale you won't be too far from other hamlets with more to do and see, but that's more a recommendation of those areas than Wingdale.