Hi Angelina,

If you're looking for an awesome artists' district, welcome to Peekskill!!!
You've found the right spot. Lots of interesting stuff going on here. We even have artist's lofts.

I would check back with the Peekskill Superintendant's Office to see if you can get a tour of the school. They are just finishing a super middle school here.

Great park, wonderful waterfront park where a yearly Peekskll Celebration weekend takes place. Lots more to tell you. The new Beanery Cafe, Peekskill Brewery, and more will suit your tastes for food.

Our company, Century 21 North Star Realty has been here for 5 years and we love it. Call us if you're house hunting!

Sincerely,
Donna Bruno CRS, ABR
Broker/Owner
Century 21 North Star Realty

Thanks for the response. We still haven't found a home but i was curious to hear what the rates were doing for those loan amounts. I'll keep your number though in case we find something to buy.

Gaetano, are the 729k loans getting conforming rates also? What rates are you seeing for a loan up to 729k with 20% down, and excellent credit?

Colleen is on Katonah fits nicely as does pleasantville and maybe dobbs ferry. In Putnam I would try Garrison but more over Cold Spring just a quick visit should show you what you are looking for. Beacon in Dutchess is an interesting idea. Visit and if you like it start shopping. Lower Dutchess the answers are clear Pawling on the east side. Pawling village is just the perfect fit. Of course Rhinebeck is great but very far north.

Hope this helps

Hi Angelia:
I think you should start looking where there are organic or green grocers and go from there. If the business is there , it is there to serve the customer base in that town. That being said, consider these towns initially: Katonah, Pleasantville Village , and Pound Ridge.

I can't speak to Putnam, but can share what I've seen/learned of Westchester. To start, I don't think that you're going to get the artsy funk feel of say Piermont in Rockland or Beacon in Dutchess or Sea Cliff in Long Island. In Westchester, I'd suggest Dobbs Ferry or Tarrytown. If anyone has better suggestions, I'd love to know!!! Dobbs and Irvington (mentioned earlier) have great schools. Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow critics will say the schools aren't as good as other lower Westchester schools as test scores tend to be lower BUT that's primarily because it has a higher immigrant population. The upside, is that Tarrytown offers more diversity (ethnic and economic) than other lower river towns. You'll be able to find Yoga, good grocery stores and farmers markets (or CSAs) in these towns or a short drive away.

Chappaqua and Armonk are beautiful and, as Zach suggests, more exclusive areas (think LI's Miracle Mile meets Westchester, albeit a little more rural or town feeling). It doesn't sound like that's what you were looking for, but I could be wrong.

Helpful links:
http://www.hvedc.com/documents/High_School_Rankings.pdf
http://www.city-data.com/forum/westchester-county/

Kymie, Kymie, Kymie, I live in westchester, so do you, so lets be truthful... if someone is asking for artsy towns, they're likely hippie/granola people that want to be in food co-ops and other bullsh*t. Armonk and Chappaqua are nice, but their extremely snobby and filled with housewives of millionaires that sit around and appreciate the arts because it appears better to their neighbors. I can't answer you question but I can tell you Armonk and Chappaqua are definitely not the answer.

Chappaqua and Armonk both have award winning schools and have a community that appreciates the arts (i.e. yoga, visual arts, etc). Both also have natural food markets and an overall health-conscious community.

My sister and her husband purchased in Irvington, New York (very close to Dobbs Ferry) and they love it there.

Further south, you may also want to check out Dobbs Ferry. No it's not Woodstock, but it is a charming village, Main street these das has plenty of art galleries, there are many food options, and the schools are quite good. In general, at the risk of overgeneralizing, towns along the river are a bit more eclectic/artsy than towns in central/Eastern Westchester -- I think?

Angelina, You may want to consider Cold Spring in Putnam County. It's a charming river town that may meet your needs.