Staatsburg

Approximately half of Staatsburg, a two-square-mile riverfront hamlet in Hyde Park, is parkland. This explains why the population is only 377. However, unlike its sister hamlet Haviland, Staatsburg has its own zip code.

Staatsburg also has its own library, which began in 1891 as a reading room. Tiny in size, it nonetheless has a good selection of books and materials, and runs a knitting group. The library is part of the Mid-Hudson Library System, which includes libraries from five area counties. If a patron is interested in a book the Staatsburg branch doesn’t have, it can easily be requested from another library in the system.

Outdoor enthusiasts will find the hamlet appealing. Two adjoining state parks occupy 1,000 acres along the Hudson riverfront. Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills State Park and Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park are known collectively as Mills-Norrie Park. There are campsites, trails, and a boat launch. The Norrie Point Paddlesport Center has kayak and canoe tours and rentals. Dinsmore Golf Course, one of the oldest in the state, was built in 1890 as a private 9-hole course and is located in Mills Park. The Staatsburg State Historic Site is also located within the park. Completed in 1896, the Beaux-Arts style mansion was the home of Ogden and Ruth Mills.

Students who live in Staatsburg attend the Hyde Park Public Schools, which until recently had five elementary schools. Budget concerns and declining enrollment led to the district deciding to close Hyde Park Elementary. Though the students perform solidly at the elementary level, the district was cited by the state last year for inadequate performance in English Language Arts at Haviland Middle School. Roosevelt High School gets fairly good results on Regents exams, which all students are required to take for graduation. Eighty-two percent of graduating seniors went on to higher education, with an even split between two-year and four-year colleges.

Photos of “downtown” Staatsburg feature two buildings, so residents need to travel outside the hamlets to buy groceries and other necessities. Its small size means housing stock is limited and homes do not come on the market often.

Straatsburg, the smallest hamlet of historic Hyde Park in Dutchess County, NY, is home ot the beautiful Mills-Norrie State Park, which contains 192 acres , along with the stunning turn-of-the-century Mills Mansion,which overlooks the glorious Hudson River, and the marina and hiking trails at Norrie Point overlooking the river.

Residents will be happy that Straatsburg is a lot cheaper than Hyde Park proper (about $200,000’s worth of difference). Many people horseback ride and play golf at local golf courses or take yachts out on the river. Straatsburg is also home to the Belvedere Mansion which is now a B&B, as well as many other lovely estates that were once home to the country’s rich. The Staatsburg Library on Old Post Road reaches out to the community with teen programs and food drives, as well as offering defensive driving courses. Adults can enjoy the Adult Mystery Book Club on Wednesday nights, and everyone who loves video games can reminisce with the old-school game Minecraft on fridays. Young women can enjoy the Girls Book Club. Join the Straatsburg monthly meeting and become a Straatsburg Friends Meeting. You can learn knitting at “Purl Jam”, the Needlework, Crocheters and Needlework group, there’s something for everyone at Staatsburg library!

Aside from the fantastic Portfolio Ristorante Italian restaurant in Staatsburg, Hyde Park Proper offers great restaurants like the family favorite Eveready Diner, including the Hill Top Deli and Market. For a great night life, visit Darby O’ Gills, an authentic Irish pub on Albany Post Road. They stay open until 4 am on Sunday, and each day you’ll find a different activity: from Karaoke on Monday nights to “Texas Hold ‘em Tournament and Irish Night” on Wednesdays, trivia nights on Tuesdays, and special discounts on Friday nights, you’ll feel right at home here among the locals. (It’s also a great place to watch your favorite game). Stores include Atlantic Kayak Tours (remember, you’re right near the Hudson), Foster Flooring, Lily Pad Garden, Amato’s Lawn Mower Repair, Milligan Landscaping, and Country Pet Love.

Come by for a visit and I’m sure you’ll find lots of fun and priceless moments at Staatsburg!

Staatsburg is a teeny tiny two square mile hamlet on the west side of parent town Hyde Park with a population of only 377 people. Staatsburg is home to Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park where you can camp in tents or cabins, hike, bike or boat from the marina. It also houses the second oldest golf course in the country, Dinsmore Golf Club. The Mills Mansion is another Staatsburg bragging right and is a glorious example of Beaux-Arts architecture and is a state owned and operated historical site. It was actually the site of the Hudson Valley Green Festival in 2010. And finally, there is the John Hendricks House and Dutch Barn which dates back to the 18th century and is on the National Historic Registry.

There isn’t really much going on in Staatsburg itself other than the park and two stately homesteads, but it really doesn’t matter all that much because Hyde Park has oodles of stuff to do. So really, one best think of Staatsburg as a green country-quiet place to hang one’s hat, kick back, relax and/or raise a family.

Hyde Park has a fun little medley of interesting stores including an Amish Market, Deer Hill Farm Cross Stitching, Green Oak Florist, Hyde Park Jeweler, Hyde Park Farmer’s Market, The Kitchen Drawer, and Liquorama Wine Cellars.

But the true draws of Hyde Park are the Culinary Institute, The Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site where Springwood, his revered home is located, as well as “Top Cottage,” the president’s get-away retreat, Val-Kill, the first lady’s cottage, and The Vanderbilt Mansion Historical Site.

At the Culinary Institute, there are actually five award-winning public restaurants on campus that are student-run: St. Andrew's Café, Ristorante Caterina de' Medici, the Escoffier Restaurant, American Bounty Restaurant, and the Apple Pie Bakery Café are all visitable and open to reservations.

Other less lofty but very good restaurants in Hyde Park include Hyde Park Brewing Company, Eveready Diner, Coco’s Pizza, Joe Cristiano’s Pizza, Antonella’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, Belvedere Country Inn, Coppola’s Italian Bistro, 2 Taste Food & Wine Bar, Cranberry’s at Tilley Hall, Pete’s Famous Restaurant, Portofino Ristorante, Rita’s Italian Ice, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Dairy Queen and McDonalds.

Hyde Park is also home to several nice parks including Pinewood Park which has a very cool skate park, a playground, tennis courts, a basketball court, a ball field, a nature trail and fishing, Hackett Hill Park which has a swimming pool, a pavilion, hiking trails, campsites, and playing fields and a day camp. Hyde Park holds many terrific community events including parades and a concert in the park series which is held at the aforementioned Vanderbilt Historic Site as well as other places in town. Hyde Park also has a well-developed Senior Activities Club.

Students are a part of the Hyde Park Central School District which is pretty good.

Staatsburg is very safe and the crime rate is quite low.

The median household income is $59,375

Staatsburg is a hamlet of Dutchess County in between the Town of Hyde Park to the south and the village of Rhinebeck to the north. Anyone who has traveled US Route 9 in between those two locales know there is not much to see in between, and that also happens to be where Staatsburg lies. I have known people who lived here and they remarked about the close-knit community, which is quite small.

There can be a fair amount of traffic in Staatsburg coming through on Route 9 during peak hours, as it connects Poughkeepsie to Rhinebeck and the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, but it's not anywhere near as heavy as the traffic you'll find in Poughkeepsie. In fact, despite the highway running right through it, Staatsburg has a secluded, almost rural feel. There is a golf course right off the road, as well as a park, and the hills can make for some really terrific views, especially in the fall.

There's not much in the way of schooling there in town, and for medical care, you'll have to drive up to the hospital in Rhinebeck or to the big hospitals in Poughkeepsie. As for major shopping choices, you'll be putting in a decent amount of driving to either Poughkeepsie or Kingston. Aside from the odd gas station within a few minutes drive, there's virtually nothing in town available to you.

You won't get much in the way of restaurants here, either, as Staatsburg is very much a blip on the map with a tiny population. Rhinebeck isn't all that far away and there are a few cozy, somewhat trendy options for a nice meal, but if you're feeling like a big chain restaurant, again, it's probably Poughkeepsie or Kingston for you. Same thing goes for bars and nightlife: they are literally non-existent in Staatsburg.

If you're looking for a quiet, green area that's relatively isolated and is more country than anything else, then you might like Staatsburg. It's a safe, clean place to raise a family. The close proximity to the Hudson River only manages to enhance the desirability of the area. If, however, you want a place with a happening social scene and/or plenty of restaurants and shopping, there's not going to be anything for you to do here.

Staatsburg is the Northernmost part of Hyde Park, but this hamlet feels very different from most of the town. Staatsburg is very small, with only about 1000 people at most, and there are very few things to do or see here. There are some pluses that make it an interesting place to visit, but not necessarily to live.

First, you have Mills Mansion, which is a tourist destination and likely brings in a decent amount of business to this otherwise sleepy town. The mansion is quite luxurious, and has been well kept up. It has huge white columns and outstanding architecture. I can't claim to know a lot about historic buildings, but it is a sight to see. I'm not the biggest fan of touring these types of homes, but when a place has been around for over 100 years and still looks great, it's pretty cool.

Mills Mansion is located right on Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills State Park, which is a clean and pretty park on a warm Spring day. RVs and campers come by on occasion, and it's pretty well set up for them without being a full blown RV Park. Dinsmore Golf Course is there, and you have a ton of greenery to take in for a hike or leisurely stroll through the woods. It's a peaceful corner of the world, as is most of Staatsburg.

Outside of this there's little to do or see in Staatsburg. It's safe enough, but that's true of most of the towns in Dutchess County. The cost of living is pretty good, and some of the homes looked really nice, but there just isn't a whole more to it. If you do decide to live in Staatsburg, you'll have the benefit of being within a short driving distance of other, more entertaining parts of Hyde Park.