SaraKaplan

South Glens Falls, a lovely village in Saratoga County, is most widely know as the site of Cooper's Cave, which is named as such because it inspired James Fenimore Cooper to write “Last of the Mohicans”. Part of northern town Moreau and south of Glens Falls of Warren County, NY, South Glens Falls is home to many museums and within easy reach of the rest of historic Saratoga County, location of many Revolutionary War battles and historical moments. The school system is pretty good, containing four different elementary schools, one middle school (Oliver W. Winch Middle School) and one high school (South Glens Falls High School which has 251 students and an 81.3% graduation rate).

As far as things to do around town, this place is great for those who wish to learn about Saratoga's history. There's lots of museums to choose from, such as the Chapman Historical Museum (dedicated to teaching the history of Glens Falls, as well as Queensbury and including the Southern Adirondacks, which are close by). This museum has unique events such as the Annual Glens Falls Cemetery Tour (starting September 29) and shifting exhibits. Other museums include the Bolton Historical Museum and Fort William Henry Historical Museum (Fort William itself is right nearby and the infamous Saratoga Battlefield as well as Fort Ticonderoga). You can take your sailboat, canoe, kayak or rowboat out on beautiful Lake George and Lake Champlain, or hike the gorgeous West and Gore Mountains. (This area is known as the “Gateway to the Adirondacks” and within good reason!)

In town, you're never out of reach from great eats such as the Dango's Dugout (an American Restaurant, reputedly has fantastic wings), the Iron Pig BBQ, (get the famed Pulled Pork Sandwhich, a customer favorite from all over Saratoga County), Abbot's Restaurant (American, fair), China Buffet, Subway, 3 pizza places (Giavano's Pizzeria, House of Pizza, and Gino's Pizzeria South), McDonald's, and Massie's Restaurant (mixed reviews; also a Banquet Hall). Stores include Rite Aid, Racing City Hobbies, a Dollar Tree savings store, South Glens Falls Hannaford Supermarket & Pharmacy, as well as your awesome treat and coffee stop (the neighborhood Dunkin' Donuts) and more! You can stay at The Glens Falls In or Manor Inn (or the Country Kitty B&B in nearby Queensbury). Glens Falls is very affordable at $130,950, and is right near the glorious, stunningly beautiful parks of the Adirondack Mountains. You also are right near have even more fun in neighboring tonws such as vibrant Saratoga Springs, and right in South Glens Falls itself, you access to the well reputed Glens Falls Hospital for outstanding medical care. The crime rate of South Glens Falls is not unlike those of cities, with a comparison of 2.56 to the NY state average of 3.92, and 25 out of 100 (where 100 is the safest).

South Glens Falls of the greater town of Moreau is rich in history, has great schools and is a beautiful place to live, within reach of many fun things to do, great places to eat, convenient amenities, and more!

The town of Catskill, named after the beautiful Catskill Mountains, is also home to the founder of the Hudson River School of American Painting, Thomas Cole. One of the joys of visiting Catskill is taking a tour of Thomas Cole's home, Cedar Grove, which is on a lovely property and contains his studio on the premises.

In addition to the fascinating history of the area, Catskill has a great Public Library and “Imagine That”: a Paint Your Own Pottery Studio. You can have outstanding corn on the cob and lobster at The Fernwood, a wonderful seafood restaurant in town, as well as awesome food and wonderful atmosphere at the Garden Gate Cafe on Main Street. There's also the Fireman Old Times Carnival which happens annually on August 3rd and 4th, when you can enjoy games, rides and food to your heart's content (curtosy of the Catskill Fire House). Also on Main Street is the Catskill Country Store and Sweet Sensations, a scrumptious chocolate store. Catskill also has fun yard sales, and this year on August 11th you can enjoy the Cat-n-Around Catskill Wine Tasting. Catskill recently opened a Home Depot, WalMart, and Lowe's on Main Street. It's a fantastic place for boaters who can launch from Dutchman's Landing. There's plenty of nightlife at the B&B Lounge, or the Creekside Restaurant and Bar, both of which are right in town.

Catskill is located in Green County, NY and has a population as of 2010 of 11,775 and is located off the NYS Thruway (also known as Interstate 87) and US Rt. 9W. It's home to the famous Hudson River School of Painting, the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a bunch of art galleries, and Catskill Creek. Main Street is the place to be for shopping and eating. Kids attend the Catskill Central School District, which is improving its technology and has dedicated teachers who really care. The High School graduation rate is 96.%.

Catskill offers great medical care (Urgent Medical Care and Catskill Regional Medical Care, ect.); great childcare (Giving Tree and Dandelion Nursery Preschool, ect.); fantasic places to work out (Curves, Summit Hill Health & Fitness, & Snap Fitness); reasonable cost of living (93.9, which is less than the natural average); and fairly safe as violent crimes go, but property crimes are higher than averge for NY State.

Overall, Catskill is a fantastic place to live with lots to offer as far as community, eateries, shopping and recreational activities go. There's also Catskill Adventure Resort, which has cabins for a fun camping experience and places to park your RV. Dutchman's Landing, a park located at 1 Main Street, has a boat launch and is right on the Hudson River, with beautiful views for everyone.

Aside from its fun-filled Crellin Community Park, the town of Chatham has a lot to offer everyone who visits or who wishes to build their lives here.

Established in 1795 first by the Dutch and afterwards by the Quakers as well as New Englanders, the town of Chatham in Columbia County was the one of the area's first industrial centers for inner-state rail lines during the 1900's in NY state. Today, the Taconic State Parkway and I90 run through Chatham, and it is located at the intersection of NY's major Rts. 203 and 66. Chatham borders Kinderhook on its western end, as well as Canaan in CT on its eastern end; Nassau and Schodock are to its north (both part of Rensselaer County in NY) and Ghent and Austerlitz border its southern end: making Chatham itself a hubbub of activity, inviting everyone to stop and take in the sights on their journey.

Crellin Park is the main attraction in Chatham. It hosts Chatham's annual “Party in the Park”: when, each and every year on June 2 (usually a Saturday), everyone gathers to enjoy each other's company while also enjoying face painting, live music, concession stands, skateboarding and disc golf demontrations, and a Chicken BBQ Cook-out ($10 each) that is served curtosy via the Ghent Fire Department: just one way that you know you're part of a great community! There's lots of youth activities (one of the main reasons that Crellin Park exists, and has since the 1970's): you can always rely on the annual summer camp to keep your kids active and engaged, and the beach is open every single day of the week from 12pm to 6pm.

Everyone can find something to love at the Old Chatham Country Store in the oldest hamlet of the entire town:a wonderful restaurant whose menu is made fresh from its very own Seven Bridges Farm (right on Seven Bridges Road). At the store you'll find famous cheese made locally at the farm, as well as homemade cheeses and maple syrup from local farms. There's also the store's famous chips that go great with salsa cruda, a special salsa that you won't forget! The Old Chatham Country Store can be found in the Village Square of Old Chatham. Also have a wonderful soup by the cozy fire on a cold winter day at The Chatham House, located at 29 Hudson Avenue. (Their burgers are also reputed to be fantastic.) Highly rated by Zagat in 2009 and Westchester Restaurants Magazine! A great big dining room, perfect for special occasions as well, and an awesome tavern atmosphere. So easy to find, just take the Chatham exit from the Taconic Parkway, near Rt. 66 (otherwise known as the lower side of Main Street).

Kids who are lucky enough to live in Chatham attend the Chatham Central School District, which is pretty good, with a middle school that offers smaller classes which promote more chances of individual attention, and a high school that offers fantastic teachers that patiently work to know your student as an individual. Mary E Dardess Elementary School gets 5 stars for its dedicated teachers (including a wonderful Special Ed program) and the PTA is very involved in the activities and school assemblies; the school offers plenty of after-school activities as well as during the school hours: bottom line is, your kids will be very happy at Chatham Central School District!

Chatham serves 4,128 people and counting (since 2010).

Now known as Ramapo (and by some as Hampstead), the formerly named New Hempstead is a town in Rockland County, NY with an impressive 126, 595 population and counting. Named after a Native American term meaning “sweet water”, Ramapo has wonderful ponds, parks and outdoor activitie for everyone to enjoy. With lots of parking, very low crime rates, and fantastic places to eat and more, Ramapo was hailed by Money Magazine in the year 2006 as being the 49th best place to live in NY!

Ramapo has a fascincating history. George Washington is rumored to have had a lookout here on Ramapo's Torne Mountain, to keep an eye out for British Ships coming into New Jersey's Sandy Hook bay area (Ramapo's southernmost end borders New Jersey near the town of Suffern). Aside from its own 18 parks, Harriman State Park is located in the town's western side, and offers its visitors 46,613 acres of land, complete with 31 lakes and great places for camping, as well as an unknown amount of streams that dot the beautiful landscape. It's a great place for hiking as well. Harriman State Park is right near Bear Mountain State Park, as well as bordering the beautiful, 18,000 acre Sterling Forest Preserve. There's also Spook Rock Golf Course, and the Joseph T. St. Lawrence Community, Health and Sports Complex, not to mention three pools, Camp Scuffy for the kids, and even an equestrian center for horseback riders, as well as Ramapo Challenger Learning Center to help develop young minds and improve their academic skills. Ramapo Central School District has great reviews across the board for different grade levels, and Ramapo High School has a 75% graduation rate.

Visitors and residents will have access to fantastic shops like Auntie El's Farm Market, David's Sport Shop, the local Starbucks, and Quiznos, among others. For great pizza and other fun lunch options, try Sunnyside's Bar and Grill in Ramapo's shopping and restaurant district and hamlet of Sloatsburg, NY right off the Orange Turnpike (you'll also find your neighborhood Dunkin' Donuts here as well).

No matter what your fancy, with its lovely surroundings and wonderful amenities, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for in Ramapo (New Hemstead), in beautiful Orange County, NY!

Don’t go by its name, because Stormville, NY is actually a very pleasant area. In fact, Stormville is quite a unique town in Dutchess County as it has its very own airport named after itself, as well as the humungous Airport Antique and Art Show, where more than 600 vendors come from all over (more than 8 different states). People come from all over to visit the flea market as well and seek out treasures of all different kinds (there’s never knowing what you’ll find at this flea market, like most of its kind---it’s the world’s best garage sale on a very large scale). There’s free admission as well as free parking (please no pets).

Stormville, of Dutchess County, is however much more than the flea market. It’s home to IBM Microelectronics, one of the company’s largest centers. It’s also home to Stormville Mountain. The name was taken from two Dutch settlers, Rupert and Jacob Storm. Stormville is very affordable and you have Stormville Airport and the nearest city is Poughkeepsie, home to the historic Bardavon Opera House (where great concerts and plays are held all year round) and the Poughkeepsie Train Station. There’s also lots of unique shops like Wren’s Grove Metaphysical, an awareness shop that sells unique spiritual items. There’s also Mountaintop Market Deli which makes homemade food, the Pastry Garden Bakery & Gourmet, two yarn shops: Out of the Loop and Quilt Basket, and the Clove Branch Gift Shop, where you’ll be sure to find the perfect gift. The Carvel Corporation of Carvel ice cream and ice cream cake fame also makes its home here.

Stormville is a great place both to visit and to live. It’s a lot cheaper than the rest of Fishkill (Stormville’s median sales rate is $309,930 and East Fishkill proper is $499,000). Wappinger School District serves students from Stormville, housing 12,481 students, as well as dedicated special educations and ELL programs. You’re also near historic landmarks like Locust Grove, once home to Samuel Morse, creator of the Morse Code in nearby Poughkeepsie. Poughkeepsie also has great medical facilities like St. Francis and Vassar Brothers. There’s great nearby colleges as well like Marist College and Vassar, Dutchess Community and Hudson Valley. There’s many more to discover in surrounding towns and cities. Enjoy!

Greenburgh NY is a fantastic place to live and visit. A city in Hudson River-based Westchester NY, it contains many popular villages like Tarrytown, Irvington and Dobbs Ferry, which offer plenty of entertainment attractions, restaurants, and shopping for the enjoyment of both visitors and residents alike.

While homes are a bit expensive at $769,000 and up, it’s still affordable for the growing middle class that resides here, and continues to allure more new residents every year. It’s famous for historic sites like Lyndhurst, a colonial-era style mansion that overlooks the Hudson River and which is now a museum open to the public, and Irvington is home to its namesake Washington Irving’s lovely mansion known as “Sunnyside”. There’s also the Greenburgh Nature Center, where people can learn all about Greenburgh (and Westchester’s) flora and fauna (it’s great for kids, teens and adults alike, as there’s programs to satisfy all). Elmsford offers the Greenburgh Multiplex, National Amusements, Inc. (an arcade that hosts lazer tag, among other things, and is a great place for parties), and an indoor ice skating rink, where you can watch ice hockey tournaments and skate indoors year round.

There’s great shops in Dobbs Ferry like a Musik store, Affordables consignment, and a local Stop & Shop; in Tarrytown, there’s a CVS and a 7-11, and other stores are common---and unique---stores are located throughout Greenburgh as well.

Transportation is made easy from the Saw Mill River and Sprain Brook Parkways. Interstate 87 also runs through Greenburgh as well as Rts 9A, 100 and 119. Schools here are excellent (the kids even call you “Miss”), and the population is very diverse, which makes things even more interesting. It’s an area steeped in Revoluationary War history and pre-colonial times, as the area was used mainly for farmland.

Come to Greenburgh and you’re sure to not soon forget your experience, and you most definitely won’t regret it---I’ll bet you’ll return for years to come!

If you want a great taste of history, visit Sleepy Hollow.Remember reading "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"? Well, here is where Washington Irving was inspired. A great place to visit on your first historical tour of Sleepy Hollow is the spectacular and beautiful Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Home to the Old Dutch Church, there are afternoon guided tours (advanced reservations cost 20) or you can use one of their maps to take your own. Washington Irving is buried there, along with many revolutionary and civil war soldiers. (Be sure to bring your camera.) Phillipsburg Manor is a 17th century working farmhouse, and schoolchildren get to visit there for fieldtrips. It has major events like “Sheep-Shawl”, which teaches how sheep-shearing and wool dying and weaving are done. Tarrytown is also part of the Rockefeller land, so you can take a walk along the grounds of the Rockefeller Estate (horseback riding is done here as well). At the old Phillipsburg Manor Train Station, there is an Arts council which meets for a Poetry Open Mic every 3rd Friday at 7pm (all are welcome, $5 donation at the door). There’s fine dining of all kinds of food from many different countries, including Greek (Lefteris Gyro). There’s lots of sweet shops (like the Lighthouse Ice Cream Company, home to home-made sorbet and gelato, and the Horseman Diner. The Farmer’s Market is a great place to shop for general goods, right on the main stretch of North Broadway.