jmicik

Hy Vue Terrace is a short block in the village of Millerton, Town of North East. It's located a little to the east of the village center in a completely residential part of town.

On Hy Vue, you'll drive from end to end and see nothing but houses. They vary in size as well as in value, with property estimates generally going anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000. These homes go from modest to above average in terms of size, with the largest ones you'd find going up to about 2,000 square feet or so. There's not much land to be had, though the homes are not densely-packed in together. The back yards and front yards are adequate all around. Most do not have swimming pools but a few do.

This street doesn't have sidewalks but you won't need them. It's a perfectly safe place to walk on the side of the road because the only people who will be coming through here are neighbors. There's only one outlet from Hy Vue Terrace, and this is not near the middle of town. You're not far at all from farmland around here, but you won't necessarily see it depending on where on this road you live.

If you're up for a walk then you can certainly get to the center of the village from here. Might take you over half a mile of walking or more to get there, but you can do it. If you feel like driving to a lot of these places, then you'll get there in a very short amount of time. This includes a couple of local restaurants, shops, a movie theater, a pharmacy, and a library. As for what else is in town, there's not much. Millerton is only a village of about a thousand people and if you go two miles outside the village, you're in the middle of nowhere, so don't expect the same kind of modern conveniences that you might find in a place like Poughkeepsie; this place is nothing like it. You'll have to drive for a while for some decent food shopping, variety in restaurants, and even to hook up with public transportation.

This is one of the better neighborhoods in Millerton in my estimation. You're not too far away from what conveniences the village has but you're not on a busy street. This is a 100% residential street and boasts a quiet, charming neighborhood feel.

Century Boulevard is a side street in Millerton, Town of North East. It has some homes on it, but seems to have just as many businesses.

This road is very close to the center of the Millerton village. Add that to the fact that there are businesses on this street and you've got a relatively busy place. In driving down this road, you'll see the trees around and some green front lawns, but there are also parking lots. This isn't an urban area at all -- it's more of a country village with a little bit of population -- but this street does have things going on. Amongst the businesses or non-residential establishments you'll come across are the Millerton News and the Millerton Fire Department.

Some of these homes are really quite nice. You aren't going to have a ton of land to work with on this street (though they aren't zoned too close together), but because of the quality, you'll find those that cost a little more than others. One is on sale around here for about $300k: a quaint and beautiful Victorian home. The others aren't necessarily as visually appealing, but they do get more affordable, with some property values beneath $200,000. It's probably a decent neighborhood feel but with as many non-residences as residences, there won't necessarily be many neighbors to know. Enough, but not a ton on this street.

You're within walking distance of most everything of note in the village, being so close to the center. Within a few minutes of walking, you can be at restaurants, convenience stores, banks, and even a movie theater. There isn't a ton of nightlife in this area but you're close enough to walk to what they have. There is also a community center near here that won't take long to reach on foot. The park is further away, food shopping is as well, and the schools aren't in the village so for all of those things, you'll have to hop in your car. Public transportation won't get you there, because there isn't any up here. There isn't much to do around here in general.

I don't have too many problems with this neighborhood. You will find some houses and some are affordable on most budgets, and you can walk to several key places in town.

Old North Anson Way is a road with a little bit of a strange configuration on a map, but it nevertheless is a residential side road (or network of them, really) in the Town of Stanford, south of Stanfordville hamlet.

From above, you might not be able to spot a lot of the houses here, because this neighborhood is surrounded by trees. When you do go down this road, which doesn't really even stand out when driving past it, you will find those houses, which aren't many in number but tend to be quite a lot in cost. These properties tend to be spread out a little bit, so you're right on top of your neighbors, but chances are you've got an expensive house. Unless I've missed some in my research, they're all at least 2,000 square feet, with some much more. A few have quite a bit of land, and we're talking more than a dozen acres. This has driven some property value estimates up to nearly $700,000, though a couple on and around this road are in the mid to upper $300k range. Of course, there are also large houses in this general neighborhood which are worth over a million bucks. All of the houses are pretty nice, with some pools and even tennis courts around.

Getting to know your neighbors won't be impossible around here, but you won't have too many names to remember. I'm sure it's a perfectly nice neighborhood with good folks living here, but an active neighborhood this is not. This is a quiet country neighborhood in the trees.

This is a very nice area of town and it's quite green (though most of Stanford is), but also like the vast majority of Stanford, there's not much to do around here. Aside from outdoor recreation which is quite prevalent in this part of Dutchess County, you're cut off from good variety in restaurants, school options, virtually any kind of shopping, gyms, and most other things that people take for granted in suburban locales like Poughkeepsie.

It seems like Old North Anson is the sort of place you'd want to live if you (a) have money and (b) want to get away from it all. You certainly wouldn't live here if you wanted to be close to modern conveniences.

Haight Hollow Way, like so many other residential side roads around here, is a short dead-end street. This one is in the Town of Stanford, between the hamlet of Stanfordville and the Town of Pine Plains.

Haight Hollow Road is kind of easy to miss: the entry to the road has a lot of trees around and is so narrow that if you didn't see a sign, you wouldn't know that it was an actual street. It's all trees and houses, though a lot more trees than homes; the map indicates that the road ends at a certain point, but it seems to carry on as a dirt road for a few hundred more feet, upon which a couple more houses lie.

Dirt road or not, the houses here are a little bit on the bigger end of average and some are a little less affordable. Sure, you'll find a couple of the less than a dozen homes here at about $250,000, but others go well above $300,000. None go above $400k, so they're not horribly expensive or anything like that, but they'll cost a little more than in some other areas of town (though there are other areas of Stanford where properties cost 7 or 8-digit numbers, so consider yourself lucky).

It's got a decent neighborhood feel, though it doesn't resemble a suburban neighborhood at all. No densely-packed houses, no sidewalks, no area full of houses. There are only a few homes around here so there's not much to look at.

This area is pretty well cut off from a lot of things that most suburbanites and urban dwellers take for granted, such as restaurants, bars, stores (food shopping and big-box retail), and much more. Such is the problem with living in an unpopulated area, and you're going to be miles and miles away from the nearest towns and cities of note where you can actually get some things done. It's a good thing online shopping exists, but that doesn't really help solve too many problems.

As I've noted a number of times when evaluating Stanford neighborhoods, you've got a great deal of scenery locally and Haight Hollow Way, like lots of other streets in this town, is green, calm, and peaceful. What's great about this area is the outdoor recreation: the Buttercup Preserve and Stissing Mountain Multiple Use Area are close-by and ready to indulge you for hiking, picnicking, and more.

The houses here are decent and the neighborhood is about as safe as you'd expect, it's just a thinly-populated neighborhood in an isolated area.

Beckwith Place is a very short residential side street (dead-end) in Stanford, close to Milan and Pine Plains and not far from main road Route 82. Despite its tiny length, it does have a few buildings upon it.

Beckwith is not much to look at; the road is paved, but this is no typical side road. It'll take about ten seconds to get from one end to the other going slowly, but you will see several buildings there, a few of which appear to be homes. I know at least one is, and its value is pretty affordable, about $200,000. The rest of it appears to be part of a business or a farm, with lots of cars out front (at least when I saw it). In fact, there were a lot of cars on this road in general, which seemed kind of curious seeing as how little there is around here. This is barely a residential neighborhood and it's not the prettiest one, either -- it's just kind of drab.

You're not really that close to Pine Plains around here, which is the nearest settlement of any size. Stanfordville is closer but there is even less to do there. If you are the lucky homeowner on this street, you're going to be pretty far away from lots of things. Pine Plains to the north has some very limited food shopping, few restaurants, at least a few schools, no gyms to my knowledge, no access to public transportation, and no medical facilities of note except for a small clinic or two. You're kind of on your own out here.

What this area around Beckwith Place does have is plenty of outdoor recreation. Just minutes away by car are the Buttercup Preserve and Stissing Mountain Multiple Use Area. There are also a couple of county parks and more state multiple use areas to the north, and this area is pretty big on hunting and fishing clubs, which you should be able to find relatively nearby. Finally, you've also got the Wappinger Creek very close to this particular road, and if you've got a fishing license, you can drop a line (though the creek is kind of low these days).

This is a really great part of the county to live in general if you like being close to the outdoors. The problems with the area are that you've got just about nothing else nearby, there are just about no home availabilities on this road, and even if you get one, you won't have much land. It's kind of a boring place to live.

Allerage Way, which is listed on some maps as Auerags Way, is a short dead-end road in the Town of Stanford, part of the hamlet of Stanfordville. It is a small part residential, and a large part business.

There appear to be two homes on the outlet end of the road, but neither of them are oriented towards this particular road. In fact, it does not appear as though there aren't any directly attached to this road that aren't a part of the farm.

You can't talk about Allerage/Auerags Way without discussing Allerage Farms. It is a thoroughbred breeding ground which takes up just about all of the space on the road. It's worth millions of dollars, in case you were wondering. As for the homes directly adjacent to this road, they're actually affordable if the home value estimates are to be believed (about $200,000, give or take a few thousand).

Living in this area, you're just going to be isolated. Stanfordville's center isn't far away, but there's little there. Stanford residents usually have to leave town to find places to go for fun, to eat, to shop, enjoy nightlife, and much more. As far as useful, everyday modern amenities, there are few. There's really no public transport around this area, no gyms, definitely no shopping, and the schools aren't close. In Stanfordville, there is a small park (Stanford Recreation Park) and you're not terribly far from the Whitlock Preserve. One plus of being in this area is that you're mere minutes from the Millbrook Winery, which is a nice place to pop in every once in a while if you enjoy wine.

Outside of outdoor recreation, there's little around and you will probably struggle even to find a home in which to live here. There are homes in the area, though.

Crescent Drive is a residential side road in Holmes, hamlet of Pawling. This road forms a half-loop around Route 292, but it reaches out to the shore of Whaley Lake, a partially-man made body of water that, if I'm not mistaken, is the largest lake in Dutchess County (and if not, it's close).

Not every home on this road has a clear view of the lake, but even in the ones that don't, you still get that same snug neighborhood feeling everywhere. Of course, this road is very narrow and looks more like someone's driveway, so keep an eye out for the sign, but at least it's not a dirt road, which does happen in eastern Dutchess County at times. This road takes a relatively steep drop as it heads towards the shore and because of how narrow it is, it can be difficult to navigate at times.

One might think that the houses, especially the ones right on the lake, would be expensive, but to my surprise and possibly yours, I've learned that they're really not too expensive. Property value estimates are mainly under $200,000, with a few crossing over that mark. Keep in mind the following: the houses are zoned very closely together and most of them are quite small, under 1,000 square feet. I wouldn't recommend this neighborhood for folks with growing families or those who need a lot of room, though there are a couple larger houses that might be worth your while.

It's a densely-packed neighborhood, and I'm sure that everyone knows everyone or close to it around here. It's obviously got the scenery angle going for it, as well as the outdoor recreation angle for those who live on the shore. As for everyone else, fear not, because there are other parks in this area. Depot Hill Multiple Use Area is only a short drive from here, and there are golf and game clubs in this town as well. It's a green and hilly area with a lot going for it as far as the outdoors goes.

Holmes is pretty isolated, though. From this side of Whaley Lake, you have to go either well north or well south of the lake to find a direct route to Pawling, the closest settlement. This means it'll take you a while from here to find places to shop, eat, work out, and all of the other things that the village of Pawling offers. You're not close to any major roads, either, so it'll take time to get to Poughkeepsie or Danbury and all of their conveniences, which are far more numerous than those of Pawling.

This isn't a bad place to live at all, though there's little to do that's not outdoors.

Loose Strife Road is a very small cul-de-sac in East Fishkill; despite being short in length, it has six houses on it.

You won't have to spend much time on this street to know that there's no strife around here. Generally speaking, the houses are big, the lawns are big, and the cars are nice (most of them, anyway). This is backed up by the estimated home values, almost all of which are in the $400-500k range, which is pretty steep for most people, but sometimes if you want quality, you have to pay for it. This neighborhood, which I figure is close-knit seeing as they're six homes on their own out here, delivers on quality, but also has several other things going for it.

This road is only a few minutes out of Hopewell Junction, the nearest village which offers some shopping (including groceries) and a decent variety of restaurants, as well as other local businesses such as nail salons, laundromats, bakeries, and so forth. Schools are close to here as well. There's also a great park a little to the north (and one with a beach a little further than that), as well as several golf courses and/or driving ranges near here, so you have some things nearby for sure. What you won't have is a ton of nightlife -- perhaps a little up in Hopewell -- hospitals or major stores. You'll have to do some driving to get to either one but plenty of locals do it, so it can't be all bad.

This really is a peaceful little street; obviously it gets no traffic because nobody needs to pass through it, but as for Route 376 which is right here, that'll get some activity. Arbor Ridge catering hall is within walking distance, and when they're throwing parties/weddings or anything else, you know. (That's about the extent of the local nightlife, anyway.) I doubt you can hear it from here, but it gets busy in the immediate area. While it is generally quiet, 376 is a main road in this region so you'll have to adjust.

You could certainly make do living on this street, though many won't find it affordable. Keep in mind that home values have fallen all over the county, so it's likely that these were worth possibly hundreds of thousands more five years ago. None are on sale right now, anyway, but if you're looking for a home that's a step up and something comes available here, it might be worth a look.

East Vacation Drive is a side-street in the Hillside Lake hamlet of East Fishkill, in the northern part of the town. This road does not border the lake, but comes close. It's no place to go on vacation, but it's a decent enough place to live.

As you'll see, there are plenty of trees to go around in this area. The side streets around Hillside Lake are somewhat densely-packed and the homes are close together but it's not like living in a city where you've got six feet separating you from your neighbor. Some of these homes aren't zoned on a lot of land, though. Just about everyone here has less than half an acre, which is probably enough for most people. On the plus side, it's a fine neighborhood. There are lots of houses around, on this street and on adjacent streets, meaning lots of people to meet and get to know.

The houses themselves vary a little bit. Most are average size, though some are above average and others are downright small. A few have pools while others don't. Obviously, the smaller ones are worth less than the bigger ones, and those smaller homes can go for well under $200,000 in the market with the way it is these days. That's if they're on sale, of course. I was unable to find anything valued at over $300,000, so it's decent value and it's relatively affordable around here as well.

Hillside Lake is not very far from certain local businesses and other buildings. For example, Van Wyck Junior High is close, as are a number of other businesses like those in Route 376's Summerlin Plaza. Also, Hopewell Junction is just a few minutes away from here. It'll take you maybe 15 minutes or so to get to the malls in Poughkeepsie, depending on the flow of traffic, which isn't too bad. There isn't much medical care in the immediate area but within a few minutes' drive you may spot some doctors offices and dentists.

I am honestly uncertain if Hillside Lake is available to use for residents of this area, but to me it always seemed like it was surrounded by private property, so I'd imagine not. There are still parks and recreational areas nearby, like the Dutchess County Rail Trail, and there's even an orchard around here.

This isn't a bad neighborhood. It's not top of the line as far as East Fishkill neighborhoods go but it's respectable, and not quite as far away from amenities as some other spots.

Tobacco Lane is a very short street within the Red Hook village, practically in the center. It does not appear to be completely residential, as there are some businesses on it (despite its brief length).

It will only take a matter of moments to get from one end of Tobacco Lane to the other, though if you approach it from Route 9, like some other roads in the rural areas of Red Hook, it looks more like a driveway or alley. One might say that's what it actually is, but I don't have a detailed history of Tobacco Road at my fingertips, nor do I know it an erstwhile tobacco farm or store is the reason for the name. Parking on this road seems to be more in parking lots off to the sides where there is housing, and street-side parking is very limited and difficult, given that this is a narrow street.

Of the single-family homes that stand here, they're affordable. It's unusual to see something way over $200,000 these days, and keep in mind that if you live here, you'll have essentially no land. You would be living near the center of a growing village, and everything is zoned closely together. It would also appear that there are apartments on both sides of the street, but in driving through it's kind of hard to get a read on what every building is precisely. They look like apartments, though.

One bus to Poughkeepsie and back runs through here. You're going to need a car to go places outside of the village, but you won't need a car to go a whole lot of places in it. It seems to me that most folks living on this small alley have cars. Back to what's available to you in the village: most everything you'd need, with a few exceptions. One of those exceptions is a hospital, and another is a shopping mall. The closest hospital would be in Rhinebeck and the closest mall is in Kingston across the river.

Of the neighborhoods I've reviewed, and there have been many, few did poorly on the green front, but this one's just not as green. This road is so small and built-up that there's not much plant life on it, and that includes trees. It's almost like being in the center of a small city. It's a clean road, and a safe one for that matter, but it's kind of busy (with multiple parking lots and businesses here) as well.

There's not a whole lot to Tobacco Lane aside from its convenient location with regards to the village, but that can be a blessing and a curse.

Croydon Court in the City of Poughkeepsie a very small cross-street that runs near Route 9G (Parker Avenue). On one side, it's two (maybe three) houses, and on the other, it's two parking lots. Of those two or three houses, I'm not sure any are technically on Croydon, with at least two oriented towards the connecting streets. Perhaps what I thought was a house was just a large garage, but it's too late to check now.

Since it's such a short road, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of place when driving down it. You'll notice both the houses and the parking lots, though perhaps the lots stand out a little more. If you're wondering what they're for, it's not municipal parking: the Dutchess County Aging Office is on the other side as well. One is the loneliest number, after all, so there will be plenty of street-side parking for you if you're the lucky person who gets to live on this street. That parking lot does exit out onto Croydon, though, so with all of those folks going in and out it can get a little busy.

Back to the subject of the homes here and on adjacent streets, they're definitely affordable. $150,000 is on the high-end of what you might find here, and there's obviously no land for these homeowners. Houses are pretty close-together as well.

The entry to the Walkway Over the Hudson is a few blocks away from here. Malcolm X Park, a Baptist church, and an elementary school are very close to this mostly-unpopulated street as well. Nothing is truly far away in the City of Poughkeepsie, though. Public transportation runs all throughout the city, but I'd still recommend a car to get around to the restaurants, doctors, shopping centers, gyms, and more. You're probably no more than 5-10 minutes from being well covered in all of the above categories.

This doesn't appear to be a particularly well-to-do neighborhood when driving through. The houses are in okay shape, but driving through I kind of get a blah feeling. I didn't feel anything particularly vibrant; it's just an average city block.

Grubb Street is deep inside the City of Poughkeepsie, intersecting Worrall Avenue and South Grand Avenue.

The houses on Grubb and in the neighborhood in general are packed together very closely. Sometimes you expect to drive down the street in cities and see some homes that are a little run-down but that's not really the case here. Actually, even though the homes are a little bit the type you'd expect to see in New York City (high, narrow, and long), some are rather nice. Most of the estimated home values are a little under $200,000, though some come over that mark. Keep in mind that if you end up purchasing a property on Grubb, you will be doing it with the expectation of having next to no land. That's just how it goes in a city.

With regards to the overall area, recent data suggests that it's about average as far as home values go in Poughkeepsie. It's not a low-income area, nor is it a higher-income area like around Springside near Vassar Hospital. Definitely more average. Still, there are plenty of trees around and they keep the streets up well. Further, it's a big neighborhood with all of the houses around. You will probably have a lot of neighbors here.

It's in the City of Poughkeepsie, after all, so you're close to most everything, because Poughkeepsie now has most everything. Restaurants, schools, shopping, public transportation, banks, and much more aren't far from here. Vassar College isn't that far away, neither are Poughkeepsie Middle or High Schools, or the restaurants and shops on Main Street and Raymond Avenue, and that's just for starters. You're not smack in the center of Poughkeepsie, but you're close enough to be able to get around to places. Even just by walking a few blocks, you can accomplish a lot as far as visiting local amenities.

Of course, living in a city does have its drawbacks. While Grubb Street isn't necessarily busy, a number of the roads around it are. It might not be the quietest place you ever live and with the houses being so close together, privacy might take a slight hit. In better news, parking is alright here, and most houses have driveways leading behind their homes.

I don't have anything particularly negative to say about Grubb Street. I've driven through here a number of times and honestly, it's not that bad of a neighborhood. You could do worse.

Gus Siko Road in the City of Poughkeepsie is in one of the most well-to-do areas of town. It is in the general area of what used to be the Vassar Springside estate, and with all of its greenery, it's evident that the area is still higher-class.

Based on current real estate estimates, there's not a house on this road under $350,000, with a few climbing into the high 400s. No matter what, it's not going to come with a great deal of land, but some of these houses are quite large, with most at least three thousand square feet. It's a very verdant and peaceful neighborhood; there's a dead-end so no passing traffic, and you've got trees and green lawns. A map shows that you're close to Route 9, but I doubt you'd even know it around here. It's about a thousand feet away and the trees around this neighborhood insulate you fairly well. In fact, this is one of the most isolated streets in its neighborhood, so chances are you're not going to be bugged out here by much. It is quite possible, though, that you'll have neighbors and you'll be close enough to them to get to know them.

In the surrounding area, there are houses worth or selling for in excess of half a million dollars, which should tell you what kind of neighborhood this is. It's legitimately one of the nicest and most pleasant places in Poughkeepsie in which to live. As far as I know, it's also safe.

It won't take you many maneuvers to get out to Route 9 by car, and once you do, you're within 5-10 minutes of a wide variety of restaurants and big-box stores, and there are also hospitals and doctors' offices, schools, banks, churches, parks, and so much more. If you're into nightlife, some of the best bars and clubs in Poughkeepsie are within a similar drive from this street. From this neighborhood, you're a short drive from all of it.

Aside from it being a little pricey to live here, I can't associate any bad thoughts or comments with this neighborhood. It's a perfectly fine place in a great setting and you're close to just about everything you'll need without being right next to all the action. As neighborhoods go in Poughkeepsie, this one might not be perfect, but it's pretty close. I don't know who Gus Siko is, but he sure has a nice street named after him.

Little Jefferson Street in the City of Poughkeepsie sure does live up to its name. It's very small indeed, going maybe a hundred feet or so. Surprisingly enough, there are several dwellings on this tiny city dead-end street.

One building is definitely an apartment building, while the others are either private, single-family homes or homes that rent out apartments. These properties are quite inexpensive; none are up for sale at the present time, but if they were, they wouldn't cost much. $150,000 would be pushing it. You won't get anything that's above modest here and you have no land whatsoever. You're downtown in the City of Poughkeepsie close to the bridge; there's no traffic on this particular street, because there's barely a street at all, but on surrounding roads, there is.

Back to the neighborhood itself, and in furthering the point about the home values: according to recent data, this is one of the more impoverished neighborhoods of Poughkeepsie. The average home value around here is only around $125,000. Further, and I mean this with no disrespect, there are nicer parts of town. It's definitely busy around here, the homes aren't as nice as in other neighborhoods, and there's not as much greenery (it's an urban area though, so take what you can get).

You're really not far from anything of importance here, so that's a plus. The seats of city and county government are very close, as are the hospitals, public transportation hubs, and some restaurants. The malls down in Poughkeepsie are accessible by public transport. The Walkway Over the Hudson and some other city parks are close to here as well. Finally, you've got some entertainment within a few blocks of here, with the Bardavon Theater and the Mid-Hudson Civic Center a short distance away on Market Street.

This neighborhood does have some things going for it, but the buildings are very densely-packed and it's in a busy area. Parking isn't the greatest, either.

Washington Court is a very small side-street in the Town of Pawling, which is part of one of the few housing developments in town at King's Way (I don't know if that's what it's called officially, but that's the main street). Washington Court is very close to the entrance of this development from Dutchess County Route 20 and actually looks more like a long parking lot than a street, but it has a name, so it's a street.

On this very short road appear to be condos, some of which run for under $200,000 and others over $200,000, but virtually none are above $300,000. They appear from the outside to be in very good shape, as everything around here is relatively new. Housing developments have not really blown up in Pawling as of yet -- the neighboring town of Beekman is just starting to see more of them in recent years, so they're probably coming soon -- so this is one of the most identifiable in town. The parking situation around here appears to be acceptable; there seem to be some open spots usually, and there's street-side parking evidently available up the block, so you won't be in too bad of shape.

In a closely-packed neighborhood like this, you'd think that neighborhood spirit runs relatively high. Not just in your condo complex, but in the others around you, as well as the houses around here (of which there are about as many as condos).

In this part of town, despite the development, it's still very green and undisturbed otherwise. Washington Court is in a quiet and green neighborhood, it isn't far from some ponds, and nearby there is a place called Mistover, which trains and boards horses. If you leave the development and get on the main road, you'll have to drive for a mile or two before you see anything, namely Pawling village. It's not exactly as busy and full of local businesses as Poughkeepsie and Wappingers Falls, but there are a few eating and shopping options (but not mall shopping). The Pawling schools are generally regarded as being good, and many are within about ten minutes or so of here, but what you can find several of in the vicinity are parks, both local and state. Eastern Dutchess County is more of an outdoor recreation type of area, since there aren't a lot of local businesses here (relative to the western side by the river), and though this development isn't that far from a village, that doesn't really change much. Another plus is that the Metro North train line to New York City is only a short drive from here.

This is probably amongst the nicer places to live in Pawling, and certainly affordable. If you're the type who is seeking a condo, there may be a few available on Washington.

Buhleier Road is a cul-de-sac which is partially in Pawling, Dutchess County. What's interesting is that you have to drive to the end of this road to get to Pawling; a majority of it lies in the Town of Patterson in Putnam County. For the sake of convenience, we'll evaluate the whole street and not just the slice in Dutchess County.

Not all of the houses on this road are big, but some are. All of them are in good shape. This is a pretty quiet neighborhood with not many houses, but it's in a peaceful enough setting. It's connected to a main road, South Quaker Hill Road, which itself connects to Route 22, which is the most major highway on this side of Dutchess County. Even though Buhleier has close proximity to both of those roads, traffic is not a big problem around here. Buhleier is a dead-end street, so no thru-traffic, but 22 is far enough away that the autos passing through won't bother you, but you're close enough to it (and all of the conveniences associated with it) so that it's convenient.

Speaking of nearby amenities, you've got the towns of Patterson and Pawling nearby. Along Route 22 between both of those two towns, there are plenty of resources. This includes restaurants, bars, some stores (including supermarkets), pharmacies, a gym, and more. As mentioned earlier, living on Buhleier, you're not far from any of these things, but one thing that's pretty far away is a shopping mall. Unlike most parts of Dutchess County, here, you are closer to Danbury's mall than Poughkeepsie's, and that'll be 25 minutes on a good day. The nearest hospital is in Carmel, Putnam County. On the plus side, public transportation by train is good in this area, as there are several nearby Metro North stops.

Back to this neighborhood, the costs of the homes on this short road vary. They range from about $200,000 up to about $500,000. The one at the high end of the spectrum is large, over 3600 square feet. A majority, however, are under $300,000 in estimated value. One home on the Dutchess County side recently sold for about $280k.

As neighborhoods go in eastern Dutchess, this one is actually alright. In many of them, you wouldn't expect to be close to much of anything, but here in Pawling/Patterson, there are actually local businesses and other houses nearby.

Poppinga Lane in Hyde Park sits near the Hudson River and is a very tree-lined, short street that ends at the water. It's a road that's actually a little bit out of the way, as you'll have to navigate some side streets and cross over the train tracks to find it, but once you do, you won't see many houses.

Of the three I could identify, only one is relatively affordable at about $340,000, though nothing on this road is up for sale as of summer 2012. The other two are pushing a million bucks, and they're pretty big. You're going to pay to live along the river, and that's Poppinga Lane.

When you finally get out of the back roads from here and onto the highways, you'll still be a little while away from things. The hospitals and shopping aren't close; the schools aren't horribly far and neither are some restaurants. There are also parks nearby as well as the two homesteads, Vanderbilt and FDR. Of course, you have the available recreation of the Hudson River right at your fingertips.

I would imagine that it's usually fairly quiet around here, but the train is going to come through several times a day. I don't know if it'll be with horn blaring or what, but at only a few hundred feet away, you will probably notice.

It probably sounds more isolated than it actually is, but you're not in the thick of a big neighborhood. In fact, there really isn't much of a neighborhood around here. Not many houses stand on this street and the train tracks really separate you from the other side streets in the general vicinity. It's also not the kind of place for those on fixed incomes, unless it's fixed at something quite high.

Circle of Love in Hyde Park sounds like it should be the name of a sitcom, but it's a real street. In fact, it connects to Comforter Way, Life Crescent, Intellect Way, and Union of God Lane, amongst others. Yes, it is part of a religious community.

Little information on it is available outside of some published reports, but the name of it is Mariapolis Luminosa, and is unofficially associated with the Catholic faith (apparently part of the "Focolare Movement." Members of his community live in close proximity, with some facilities in the neighborhood for prayer and such.

This is clearly not a traditional neighborhood where it's just as simple as finding a real estate agent and showing up. What exists on this road is part of its own planned community. I would imagine that there is a certain procedure one must go through in order to move here, and that isn't a question I'm equipped to answer. You would have to assess that with its leaders.

Being in this area of Hyde Park, it's not very close to lots of major amenities, but it won't take forever to get there, either. One would imagine that they chose this location because it's in a green and safe setting and it's a little bit out of the way.

Lincoln Avenue in the City of Poughkeepsie runs parallel to Route 9, very near to Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Coming down this street from north to south (Jefferson Street changes its name to Lincoln Avenue), you'll see Vassar Hospital's complex at the end but also houses on both sides, as well as a decent city park to the left. It's a city, after all, so the homes tend to be somewhat small and closely-packed, though many actually appear to be small apartment buildings as opposed to houses. The quality isn't the greatest for some of them, but again, it's a city, and sometimes that happens. The home values are generally not very high, partly because the lots on which they exist tend to be very small. The vast majority are under $200,000, with some well under that. It won't be massively expensive to get a home here, relative to other areas in Dutchess County. For those who prefer apartments, you will be able to find at least a few rental opportunities around here as well.

Generally speaking, there are better areas of the City of Poughkeepsie in which to live. Driving through here, I've always found the neighborhood to be a bit unappealing, with some houses and buildings that aren't always kept up as well as others and the dwellings just too close together at some points. It's also a little plain-looking. This appears to be a low to average-income neighborhood from the outside. Further, it is kind of busy, as this road connects Route 44/55 and the hospital, and people come through here to get to Route 9 and the hospital.

Aside from obvious proximity to the hospital and the park, being in the city, you are close to things. Public transportation, local restaurants, banks, offices, churches, and many things of that nature are all around here. There are also day cares and schools in the vicinity, and Lincoln Avenue also isn't terribly far from the center of the city.

While this may not be my favorite part of town, there is some level of convenience associated with living here.

Jackson Corners Road in Milan is a county highway that enters town from Columbia County to the north and west and exits back out to Columbia again on the east side. It has a major intersection with the Taconic State Parkway and is by all accounts a main road, but it's a fairly lonely one.

This road is mainly in farm country. Going in either direction, you aren't going to encounter many houses, but one thing I can say about this road with certainty is that it's green and hilly, but when all those trees change colors in the fall, this is just one of those places you have to be. Aside from that, there's little around here, including homes.

The values of those homes are about what I've come to expect for rural areas of this county, which means properties with lots of land: they're expensive. Some are under $300,000, but you're likely to find just as many over that amount, with some way over. There are a few very large, with-land homes here worth millions of dollars. Is it a rich neighborhood, though? I wouldn't say so. In fact, I wouldn't say it's much of a neighborhood at all because it's so rural. It's nowhere near your average suburban side-street with houses close together and people walking their dogs on the sidewalk. You'd be lucky to know more than a few people living near you up here.

When you do find other buildings, some might be farm-related, which isn't that uncommon in this area of Dutchess County. What you will not see are an array of local businesses; some small towns in the county have relatively vibrant business districts, but Milan doesn't really, and even if it did, it's not on Jackson Corners Road. It's more productive to tell you what is here than what isn't, because the list of what isn't is virtually endless.

One of those things that is nearby is outdoor recreation. The Roeliff Jansen Kill Multiple Use Area (park/recreation area) is very close, as is the Roeliff Jansen Kill (creek) for which it is named. Golf also isn't too far away and if there's one thing this road has going for it, it's that the Taconic State Parkway is right here, so you can get to other places north or south of here quickly.

Traffic and crime aren't going to bother you up here, but you also won't have any local options for eating out or shopping, and doctors and schools are miles away. This is not the kind of road you live on if you want to be close to things or desire a suburban area. It's not even somewhere you'd want to be if you want to be close to a job or your kids' schools, because neither exists around here. It's rural, it can be costly, and it's isolated.