Rhinebeck

I associate Rhinebeck with weekend trips - it has a great independent book store and there is the air show. Rhinebeck is very popular with weekend visitors because it has a sense of old-world charm and it offers all the natural beauty that you'd expect from the Hudson Valley setting.

For those who are thinking of living in Rhinebeck, it is probably best to think of it as a cute little small town. It is not suburban in the sense of strip malls and subdivisions and it is not typically rural either. It is a town with a long history which has retained that sense of history and those who live in the village get to enjoy this on a daily basis. One of the big draws for folks who live here is the ability to be within walking distance from stores and restaurants.

The schools system here has a good reputations and it is a neighborly community. It can be a great place for a young family looking for an artistic environment and a laid back lifestyle!

Rhinebeck is a scenically gorgeous 39.6 square mile Hudson River town and National Landmark District that is absolutely steeped in history and has oodles of great restaurants, great shopping, outdoor recreation, cultural activities and an interesting medley of architectural styles with everything from charming Victorians to stone churches to modern condos to handsome Colonials.

There are restaurants here to suit all tastes and moods, including fine dining establishments, kid-friendly family restaurants, coffee shops and bars. You have Foster’s Coach House Tavern, Modern Taco, Wild Hive Farm Café & Bakery, Jenny’s Country Manor Lodge & BBQ, Momiji Sushi Steakhouse & Bar, China Rose, Fransesca’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, Pete’s Famous Restaurant, Calico Restaurant & Patisserie, Gigi Trattoria, Arielle, Gaby’s Café, Terrapin Restaurant, Bistro & Bar, Tavola Rustica, Oliver Kita Chocolates, Bread Alone, Tavern at the Beekman Arms, Grand Cru Cheese and Beer Market, C.J.’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria and Osaka Japanese Restaurant.

There are a also a bunch of cool, eclectic and cute boutiques in town such as Rhinebeck Antiques Fair, Asher House Antiques, Warren Kitchen & Cutlery, Hudson Valley Blooms, Northern Dutchess Pharmacy, Cabin Fever Outfitters, Hummingbird Jewelers, Montgomery Row, SugarPlum Boutique, Workers and Dreamers, Winter Sun and Summer Moon, Darryl’s, EB’s Hudson Valley Finds, Pet Country, Haldora, Floral Fantasies by Sara, Paper Trail, Rhinebeck Artist’s Shop, Chamonix Bride, Wing and Clover, Country Comfort Furniture, Hammertown, Wonderland Florist, Hudson Valley Footwear, Verizon Wireless, A.L. Stickle Variety Store, Oblong Books and Music, Merriweather’s, Madison’s Avenue and The Pottery Shack.

For your grocery shopping needs, you can hit up the Stop and Shop supermarket, Rhinebeck Health Foods, Breezy Hill Farm Market, Old Mill Wine and Spirits and Park Plaza Liquor Store.

The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck is a fabulous cultural and entertainment institution that shows outstanding Broadway musicals a la Fiddler on the Roof, Avenue Q and The Wedding Singer. They also have an education program with various offerings including Kids on Stage, field trips and summer camps and workshops. Also in town is the Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society.

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodome is what they call a living museum with an amazing collection of early areoplanes, motorcycles, cars, engines and other assorted memorabilia from 1900 to 1935. They have biplane rides and air shows on the weekends from mid June to mid October. The Aerodome is truly a special place and tons of fun for the entire family.

Rhinebeck also has a whopping four hundred homes that are listed on the National Historic Registry!

Rhinebeck has an extremely well-developed parks and recreation department with a plethora of programs and activities for all ages. The Rhinebeck Town Pool is a popular summer destination. The new pavilion at the town pool is the site of a Friday Music Night which has some great performers and is free to the public. There are wonderful summer camps for kids. There is the Rhinebeck-Red Hook bike route. Rhinecliiff Landing is a lovely Hudson River waterfront park with ramp access for boats, canoes and kayaks as well as facilities for picnicking. Lion’s Mini-Park has a playground, a gazebo and stream fishing. Burger Hill Park is a 76 acre park with a great hill for sleigh riding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking trails, picnicking and bird watching. Dogs are allowed. Thomas Thompson & Sally Mazzarella Community Park is where the outdoor pool is located and also has a picnic pavilion, a volleyball/badminton court, a basketball court, a shuffleboard court, lighted tennis courts and seasonal food concessions. American Legion Park has a pond with a waterfall, picnicking, fishing and a hill for sledding, as well. There is also the beautiful Northern Dutchess Botanical Gardens

Rhinebeck students are a part of the Rhinebeck Central School District which is very good.

The median household income is about $52,679.

The population is 7,458.

When people think of Rhinebeck, they usually remember visiting the Dutchess County Fair, riding the Ferris wheel or watching a lamb win first place in the 4-H fair. While Rhinebeck is famous for this beloved staple of Dutchess County, there’s also lots more to love about the town, which includes a village of the same name, part of a grand historic district with lots of old-world charm.

Rhinebeck was originally the home to the Iroquois, until it was overtaken by the Dutch in the 1600’s. The Dutch settled in, later building 19th and 20th century Colonial, Victorian and Greek-revival homes. Many of these homes remain standing today, populated by those who now reside in Rhinebeck, enjoying the beautiful tree-lined streets and fanciful restaurants and shops that align Main Street and the rest of the middle of town. Travelers come from all over, including nearby Kingston and Newburgh, to visit Bard College or hear the Rhinebeck Chamber of Music Society. People love visiting the town’s flea market, a gigantic treasure hunt that takes place every year, or to see an old-fashioned plane do loops at the Aerodome. You can also visit the Northern Dutchess Botanical Gardens, or go sledding in Winter down beautiful Burger Hill.

For middle-class families that can afford between $200,000 and $500,000 (or higher), living in Rhinebeck is affordable and convenient. You’re right near the Rhinecliff-Kingston train station, and the school system deserves an A+ for its dedicated staff and their results for a quality education. There’s also the community-oriented Starr Library, the Center that’s right across the street and the Rhinebeck Town Pool for all your recreational desires.

Rhinebeck is a charming place to live with a lot to offer, if you can live well within your means and can afford to live here. When compared to other places in Dutchess County and Westchester County, living in Rhinebeck is one of the safest and most affordable places to be.

In 2010 former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton put Rhinebeck on the national radar by choosing the town as the site for her wedding. Prior to that, most people had probably never heard of this small town located in northwest Dutchess County.

Rhinebeck, which includes a small village and the larger town, was named by early settlers in honor of the Rhine Valley region of Germany, well-known for its long, winding river and excellent wines. Rhinebeck, New York sits aside another historic river and has many possibilities for people looking to visit or stay.

The village area of Rhinebeck is quaint and appealing. It has the look of an earlier, easier time, with sidewalks for strolling and a great assortment of shops and dining establishments. In 1979, a historic district was created and added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Beekman Inn, which has been operating since 1766, is where Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched his successful gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.

The Rhinebeck Central Schools are currently in good standing with the New York State Department of Education, which means the students in the district are meeting the achievement benchmarks established by the state. There are three schools in the district: Chancellor Livingston Elementary, Bulkeley Middle School and Rhinebeck High School. The area also has private and religious school options.

The Dutchess County Fairgrounds provide space for many events, most notably the County Fair, which features livestock, rides and concessions for kids, concerts, and more livestock. Other events take place at the Fairgrounds each year, including the twice-yearly Crafts at Rhinebeck, a twice-yearly festival featuring local artisans and the Hudson Valley Food and Wine Festival.

Potential homebuyers are drawn to the scenery, the history and the small-town atmosphere. Unlike other areas of Dutchess County, the new housing construction boom has not hit Rhinebeck; the many designations for historic landmarks has probably posed challenges to developers and allowed the village to keep its cozy vibe. There are some condominium complexes, but they are not as plentiful as other parts of the county. Homes range from large multi-million dollar properties to small single family homes.
Rhinebeck can be reached by the Taconic Parkway; Route 9 is the other major thoroughfare. There is no Metro-North service to the town, but its Rhinecliff station is served by Amtrak and heads to New York City and points north.

Rhinebeck looks like a lovely place to live, though unlike other parts of the county, commuting to NYC for work is not really feasible. However, those who commute by car may find Rhinebeck a practical and beautiful place to make a home.

Rhinebeck is a village which I used to pass through every day when I worked to the north, and I came to realize that it looked like a fun little place with a couple of things to do.

Much of the activity in town is along Route 9, where you'll see shops, antique stores, coffee shops, and a few restaurants (including the Beekman Arms, one of the most identifiable amongst them). Elsewhere in town, you'll find some other small restaurants, churches, maybe some bars, schools, and stores. The most major of the stores is a CVS pharmacy on a side street off of Route 9 (East Market Street). There is also a supermarket in the general area of the village, but outside it.

There are a few inns which make Rhinebeck an appealing stop for tourists. Furthermore, the Dutchess County Fairgrounds are located just to the north of the village, which hosts county fair and Renaissance Faire activities, as well as the occasional wine tasting expo and other local events as scheduled. The nightlife is not as good as in Poughkeepsie, but it's not non-existent, either.

Also to the north of the village center, there is a hospital and fitness center. Otherwise, the next closest gym is Planet Fitness on the Hyde Park/Poughkeepsie border south of the CIA (Culinary Institute of America, for those non-locals who might confuse it with the intelligence agency).

For mall shopping, your closest bet would be crossing over the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge into Kingston; maybe about a 15-minute drive or so. Your other choice would be going to Poughkeepsie, which might take you longer. The good news is that Rhinebeck, like virtually all areas of Dutchess County, is serviced by the public transportation system called the "Loop Bus." It is not serviced by any other mass transit, meaning a commute from here to New York City would be very long and difficult.

Otherwise, there is some neighborly spirit here and it's a clean, green community, but it does have passing traffic from Route 9. During the holiday season, Rhinebeck is very bright and Christmasy, and that does bring in the crowds as well. It's an enjoyable, trendy town to see and it does bring back a fond memory or two.

Rhinebeck (both town and village) covers 36 square miles of rolling hills, vast meadows, lush woods and small streams. Located in the northwest corridor of Dutchess County, Rhinebeck is definitely a place where any inkling of urban lifestyle melts off into an endless expanse of country. It's 2 hours north of New York City, and enjoys easy access to an AMTRAK station (which goes as far south as New York City and east to Chicago), the Taconic State Parkway and the New York State Thruway.

When visiting Rhinebeck (especially the village) it almost seems that you get this sense of getting a "blast from the past" with its more historic aura and infrastructure to match. With less than 10,000 people, most residents are spread throughout the countryside with small clumps of houses in the village and the surrounding area. Houses typically range from about $490,000 up to $3 million with the median sales prices down about 9 percent from the average as of early 2012.

Although you must have a knack for country living, Rhinebeck isn't too sleepy. The village serves as a main street and Market Street, Montgomery Street and Route 9 are all home to local retail outlets, bookstores, home furnishing shops and restaurants. It's a short ride to Kingston in Ulster County to the west, where residents have more access to commercial box stores and other big name shopping outlets. The village is also home to the post office, Northern Dutchess Hospital, an independent film theatre, and a mix of churches. A handful of parks provide opportunities for fishing, hiking and picnicking, while other give access to playing fields for soccer, softball, baseball, etc.

Imagine a place that mixes a country lifestyle with a vibrant main street and village known for its local character- Rhinebeck is very reminscent of this way of life.