Brownstoner Upstate: Our Favorite Towns

Fridays at 11, Brownstoner Upstate brings you a selection of properties within three hours north, and a little east or west, of New York City.

Choosing four properties in four of our favorite towns in the Brownstoner Upstate area was not easy. We have a lot of favorite towns, so if we left a good one off of this list, it’s only because of time and space constraints. So without further ado, here are some beauties from our favorite towns in Ulster, Greene, Columbia and Dutchess Counties.

It’s tough to pick a favorite place in Columbia County, but we settled on Kinderhook because it’s small, quaint, and has some properties that make us drool over their loveliness, like this 19th century farmhouse on nearly 4 acres. Bright and airy, this house is located about a mile outside of the village. We love the dramatic Italianate windows, French doors, and nicely landscaped yard. Beds: 3. Baths: 2. Square Feet: 2,300. Lot Size: 3.89 acres. Est. Taxes: $10,269. Distance from Brooklyn: 2 hours, 37 mins (according to Google Maps).

286 Novak Road, Kinderhook (Peggy Lampman) GMAP

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We’ve been pretty vocal about our love of Red Hook in Dutchess County for a while. It’s a good commuter town since it’s right off the Taconic Parkway, it’s got a great walkable downtown, and the surrounding area outside of town consists of gorgeous rolling meadows and open space. If we have one beef with Red Hook, it’s the four-way intersection in the middle of town, which is one of the worst around. But that’s nit-pickery. We like it there, and we also like this 1970s contemporary on 3 acres about five miles outside of the village. This house is making us seriously consider turquoise as a viable interior paint option. Beds: 3. Baths: 2. Square Feet: 2,000. Lot Size: 3 acres. Est. Taxes: $11,773. Distance from Brooklyn: 2 hours, 15 mins.

37 Williams Road, Red Hook (Houlihan Lawrence) GMAP

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Here’s an attractive fixer-upper in the Greene County village of Coxsackie, an intriguing little riverfront town with an interesting past and some incredible architecture around every corner. Catskill gets all the love when it comes to Greene County towns, but keep your eye on Coxsackie. We think it will continue to grow in popularity. So, this house is located right in the village, just a few steps from the waterfront park, and it needs work. But oh, the potential, and the taxes won’t kill you like the first two picks on this list. Beds: 8. Baths: 2.5. Square Feet: 2,300. Lot Size: .13 acres. Est. Taxes: $3,744. Distance from Brooklyn: 2 hours, 35 mins.

7 Ely Street, Coxsackie (Heart Land Realty) GMAP

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We couldn’t leave our homestead, Saugerties, off this list. There is a reason we live here, after all, and while a lot of that has to do with the village itself (good businesses and a close-knit community of friendly people), the outside of town isn’t too shabby, neither. This farmhouse is located on Route 212 almost halfway between Saugerties and Woodstock (affectionately/annoyingly referred to as “Saugerstock”). It’s pretty and cozy on the inside and includes a 280-square-foot guest cottage on the property. The nice thing about living outside the village of Saugerties is that the taxes are lower. But a word of caution: This house is essentially right on Route 212, which is a well-traveled main road. Beds: 2. Baths: 1.5. Square Feet: 1,528. Lot Size: .29 acres. Est. Taxes: $4,741. Distance to Brooklyn: 2 hours, 12 mins.

872-874 Route 212, Saugerties (Murphy Realty) GMAP